Day 8

Crump to Tennessee River Resort
Today started out wet. I had been OCD checking the weather daily but somehow I missed checking the last day and a weather pattern had changed leaving me with a very wet morning. I woke up early and went back to sleep, it was torrential downpour outside. An hour later I got up and decided I had to go brave the elements to stay on track. By the time I left it had let up to a slow trickle. Have to admit, riding in the rain makes my mileage feel like double. If you ride 20 it feels like 40. But…luckily shortly after starting my ride the weather improved. 

Out into the Tennessee country I pedaled. I saw a TON of animals and of course had to take pictures of all of them and chat with them along the way. SO cute! 

The waters in Alabama were super muddied but here in Tennessee I notice all the little rivers and creeks seem to be so clear! Great little creeks everywhere. 

The wind continued to persist making it for a slow day. That combined with the hills that my feeble legs barely managed to squeak up. Oh the hills. I came around a bend to see a straightaway stretch terminating at a monster of a climb. It didn’t look difficult, it looked impossible. I started pedaling up it and it felt like it was just getting steeper and steeper. The hot Tennessee sun had come out and that was adding insult to injury. Each pedal stroke became more and more difficult as did balancing. When you’re going SO slow (~2 MPH) it is even difficult to keep control of the bike. I considered getting off and walking but pushing a bike this heavy up a steep hill is no easy feat either. I watched as my bike computer climbed in grade… 10%, 12%, 15%, 20%. It was at the sustained 20% I thought the hill had broke me. I couldn’t tell how much steeper the grade got because at 20% I could barely keep the bike straight as each pedal stroke veered the bike one direction and I spent half of the next pedal stroke correcting the direction of the bike. Half my energy being devoted to something that provided no forward motion. I somehow cranked up the grade and made it to the top, huffing and puffing with sweat dripping off my nose and eyebrows the last 100 feet. This was probably the first time on the trip so far I felt a serious sense of accomplishment. I made it! (Now I never want to do that again)

After that, there were many hills that were in the mid teens for percentage grade but slowly I cranked up them and compared to the other hill they all seemed manageable. 

So much of today was in the country compared to previous days it felt a bit desolate. 

It was getting late. My mileage was already around 70, and with the wind and the morning rain and the hills, I was spent. Adventure Cycling listed two campgrounds on their map. I elected the one that would be further along the route. As I approached, my Spidey sense just said I needed to call them. Usually I just show up. I went to pull off the shoulder to give them a call and BAM……. Found myself on the ground. I had a little sliding on the gravel where I pulled over and then didn’t release my shoe from the pedal fast enough and it was locked in. Super frustrated I picked myself off the ground and called the campground. Number disconnected. I googled…campground closed, no longer in business. Tail between my legs, I got on my bike and limped (literally and figuratively) back to the first campground I had passed on the way. When I got there, there was a note on the office door to call the campground manager to check in. I called and he informed me the tent sites are under construction, they’re not open. I said, they have to be. He said, nope, they’re not. I asked if I could just plop my tent on a field or anywhere small around there just for the night. He asked where I was headed next and said he could offer suggestions on where I could mosey to as an alternative. I almost started to cry…I was 80+ miles in to my day, I couldn’t go anywhere else. I told him, I’m on bike…like a bicycle…like I pedaled here for 80 miles. Silence. Then he responded…ON A BICYCLE?!? By yourself? You stay there, I’m going to have to drive out there and see this. We’ll figure something out for you. 

A few minutes later he called back. He told me which cabin to go to and that fishermen had stayed there the previous night so it should be unlocked. Make myself at home there and we’ll sort it out when he gets there in an hour or so.

I happily went over to the cabin. Started unpacking my stuff. Boiled some water for my packet of idahoan mashed spuds and waited for Uncle Phil (as he called himself on the phone) to show up. He was an nice as he could be. He was out to pizza with friends when I called and offered me the rest of their pizza when he showed up, he helped me get settled in, gave me 2 cokes and a water AND even told me I could stay a second night if needed since the weather looked a bit rainy the next day. He said he just couldn’t let me pitch a little tent in the cold and rain there by myself, he would worry all night so to settle into the cabin and enjoy! 

The weather did look bad for the next afternoon but…I really wanted to keep on schedule. But…free cabin accommodations are almost impossible to pass up but I figured I’d play it by ear and pedal if the weather looked doable. 

I happily snuggled into the cabin bed after my hot shower…