| DAY 96 Tuesday June 4th, 2002 Atlanta, GA to Athens, GA Mileage: 46 miles, total of 3,639.96 And so it goes, it is time to move on from this attractive city. Heading out of town on the later side so as to make the transition a bit easier. Always a challenge to do a full ride after a long break. Yes, one week is a long break in the world of cycling. Watch out East Coast, here i come! Intense heat in the upper 90's today. Was pulled over by a Gwinnet County Sheriff on Hwy 316 East..."Are you crazy?" he yelled as he approached me on foot. After a moment of thought I told him that i probably was crazy, especially conisdering the heat of the day. As soon as he learned how far i had come, his worries subsided and he wished me well on my journey. Thanks for being concerned! Athens is a cute university town, the Chapel Hill of Georgia, perhaps. I struggled over the hills to the Athens Mobile Home Court where some friendly residents invited me to pitch my tent for the night. The State Park was just up the road, but just too much for this exhausted traveller, so i accepted the invite. Neighbors Larry & Kaye invited me to use their shower and to refill my water bottles. After a nice talk about everything, I made my way back to my tent just as it began to thunderstorm. My hospitable friends invited me into their RV to shelter myself from the thunder and lightening. Now THAT is friendly! DAY 97 Wednesday June 5th, 2002 Athens, GA to Hartwell, GA Mileage: 53 miles, total of 3,692.90 And what a storm it was! My tent had blown down and was soaked through. Thankfully i was sheltered from the storm which left part of Athens without electricity for part of the morning. Another tough day with intense heat and seemingly impossible hills. I was thankful for my hosts on Hartwell Lake where i revived myself with good conversation and a relaxing boat ride! I only wish i had more time to spend with my hosts Jim & Connie Deal. Many thanks to you both! DAY 98 Thursday June 6th, 2002 Hartwell, GA to Spartanburg, SC Mileage: 80 miles, total of 3,772.17 High in the mid 90's with high humidity making for another challenging day on these hills. WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA! What a refreshing sign to read on such a tough day. I was eager to make it to my Spartanburg destination to the home of Uncle Jaime & Sharon Zambrano. I hadn't seen Jaime since i was a little girl and this was the first time to meet his wife Sharon and their son Daniel. Lots of fun to be reunited with family and they certainly made me feel like part of the family! Jaime is from Ecuador so we had lots to talk about, including the Zambrano/Palau family. Viva la familia y viva Ecuador! DAY 99 Friday June 7th, 2002 Spartanburg, SC to Charlotte, NC Mileage: 77 miles, total of 3,849 After a nice breakfast with Tio Jaime, i was on the Hwy 29 headed up and out of South Carolina to my destination city of Charlotte, NC. Yet another day of unreal hills. If you ask me, these 'hills' could more acurately be called mountains. South Carolina was short-lived and today i entered my 11th state which boosted my spirits and energized my aching legs. At one moment i looked up while climbing a hill and a small deer crossed the road. And i realized just how many powerful things happen right in front of us and just how easy it is to miss them... Charlotte is a much larger city than i anticipated, making for a longer day than i had hoped for. I was thankful to meet up with RPCV Celeste Chilton (99-01 Russia) at her grandmothers home, on a last moment arrangement. Went out for pizza and stayed up until 2am talking with my hostess. It seems there are endless things to talk about when you share the RPCV experience. DAY 100 Saturday June 8th, 2002 Charlotte, NC to Albemarle, NC Mileage: 50 miles, total of 3,899 There is something significant about this being day one hundred. Perhaps i felt the exhaustion of all previous 99 days today. Intense heat, humidity, hills...anything that begins with an H. It was a heck of a day. Rough road conditions, terrible traffic, all made for a stressed out Stephi. Definitely not in the mood for that water gun squirt from a passing vehicle, or the screams of a carload of folks who thought it would be funny to scare the cyclist. I headed towards Morrow Mountain State Park where i climbed up and up and up and up to reach the full campsites. Looking back, I should not have been surprised by the climb considering the name of the park (Mountain). I made my own campsite within the camp area hoping that nobody would mind... DAY 101 Sunday June 9th, 2002 Albemarle, NC to Asheboro, NC Mileage: 57 miles, total of 3,956 Nothing like being woken up by a State Park Ranger telling me that i was facing a hundred dollar fine for camping illegally (see...that number keeps popping up). Maybe it was my pitiful look of hopelessness, or my explanation, or the fact that i had a deer tick stuck in my ear....but he kindly let me go with a warning. At least i met some nice campers and at least the exit was all downhill, and at least that dog that chased me yesterday was sleeping this morning, today was looking like a GREAT day. Nothing new with regards to hills, they are just as hilly and prevalent as yester. I felt a lot stronger today on the hills, probably due to my 12 hour sleep. I found a nice place to camp at Deep River Campground just East of Asheboro. Cooked my pasta on an open fire while chatting with two recently retired trucker women who admired my lifestyle. They are either going to trade in their gass-guzzling Mustang to buy a more fuel-economical van and camp throughout the states, OR they are going to join the Peace Corps. Why not do both? But which first?!?!? DAY 102 Monday June 10th, 2002 Asheboro, NC to Chapel Hill, NC Mileage: 60, total of 4,016 Four thousand miles, no kidding! I can't hardly believe it and i am the one who peddled every rotation of the way. I have just arrived in Chapel Hill, a charming university town. Arrived earlier than i expected so i am exploring the University and chatting with other biking enthusiasts in this bicycle-friendly town. My hostess RPCV Catherine Gihlstorf (Siera Leone, 89-91) found me in town, since i was riding around in circles trying to find her home. Always nice to meet a face behind the email exchanges. Thank you Catherine! DAY 103 Tuesday June 11th, 2002 Chapel Hill, NC to Carrboro, NC Mileage: 4, total of 4,020 Just a quick ride from one RPCV home to another. This time i reunited with some Omnibus 82 friends, Bev & Clark Gray (Ecuador, 99-01). A relaxing day of gossip, good food, and swimming in the pool. Just what I needed to reboost my energies for the rest of the trip. DAY 104 Wednesday June 12th, 2002 Carrboro, NC to Clarksville, VA Mileage: 78, total of 4,098 miles Maybe it was the extra rest, or the good visits by my Chapel Hill hosts, but i rode strong and arrived to my Virginia destination at the Oconochee State Park, just across the bridge from Clarksville. The hills have turned into gentle slopes making for an easier than expected ride today. I settled in to my campsite on the lake by 5pm. Stopped into a convenience store enroute and was gifted a bottle of water by the owner. He offered anything in the store, on the house, "because you are doing something great." He told me of his younger days where he ran a 350 mile marathon in Pakistan over a duration of 7 days. Whether or not this seems feasible is irrelevant. The spirit of his journey was rekindled by my water break today. That moment was great. previous page next page home |