Back to East Meet The Riders Bamacyclist Home Page

DAY 22

Storm...what storm?

ROUTE: Walterboro SC to Savannah GA	DISTANCE: 74 Miles	WINDS: Another tailwind day!
WEATHER: Sunny, warm...no trace of Ophelia	TERRAIN: Lots more climbing today...at least 5 bridges	TOTAL CLIMBING: < 500 feet

DAY'S OVERVIEW: Another beautiful day on a bike ride...Ophelia just got out of our way and let us ride right through. As it is now, it's behind us and going in the opposite direction. We'll take it. We definitely were on pins and needles for a couple of days and spent a lot of time working on contingency plans if it decided to come ashore, but it just sat off the coast churning just out of reach of land and our 50 some odd cyclists. We must be living right...speaking of living right. Not only did we avoid the storm, but our skies have been gorgeous and we've had strong tailwinds all the way from DC.

Our route today was another day along flat South Carolina roads...some smoother than others, but all were down wind. There were times we were just droning along a flat road with no view from either side when we would ride through a Spanish Moss covered live oak "hallway" that would definitely remind you that you were in the deep south. We did have lots of climbing today if you compared today to the last few we've ridden. I seem to remember at least 5 times we had to either go over an interstate or climb a 20 foot South Carolina "mountain." Several riders have started to wish for a climb or two as the old butt gets a little sore riding all these flats.

Today we entered another state...Georgia. But just before entering our next to last state and about 15 miles out of Savannah we passed through a wildlife management area complete with wild birds, alligators, and other marsh wildlife. It also had a gravel nature trail that several riders found very interesting to break the monotony of the flat tree lined roads we've been on for the past few days. Of course I had to remind them that they should realize when they ride through there they are lower on the food chain than they are used to being...made one pause and think.

Even though we had over 70 miles today, the tailwinds helped everyone get in early and have a chance to tour the city. We even canceled rap tonight to allow everyone to stay out and enjoy the town. Savannah is rich with history and lots of riders took the time to take a guided tour to hear the "real story" about how important this city is to the commerce of the area. It was nice not to have any responsibilities after everyone got in today...the staff even got to see some of the sights.

Tomorrow we'll start seeing more interesting terrain as we start getting closer to the coast and other inland waterways. We're loading early to try and beat most of the traffic out of town. We've only got 3 more days...can't believe we're closing in on our destination. It's been a good ride...we've had a couple hiccups since this is the first year, but with a couple tweaks, I think it will be a keeper. Tune in again tomorrow and catch us again.

PS: Keith and Beth are back from their trip home. Beth's grandmother passed away so they had to leave for a few days. Our prayers are with her and her family for their loss. We are glad they were able to return for the last 3 days of the ride...welcome back kids, we missed you guys.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Going to miss this routine in a couple of days...clear out of the room with bike and luggage before breakfast!	Mike was in such a hurry to depart, she missed the turn out of the front door...Several people wanted their photo by the busted pillar in front of the motel. All I can say is, I'm glad it wasn't us who put it in this condition.
Quite a spectacle if you ask me. Shrimp come from all over the country to participate and they have little shrimp parades complete with shrimp floats...they even throw beads to the onlookers and some bare their tops as they file down the street. Not to be missed if you're in town.	Seems something is missing...the part with the pedals me thinks.
I'm sure they can cure this with several years of treatment.	After a strenuous 2 block sightseeing walk, Team Zed signaled for the truck to pick them up...luckily, they were only a half block from the motel when they discovered no one was driving it...it was parked in a parking lot for the evening.
Rose went straight to the Trolley Tours when she got in...she even had a personal tour...she was the only customer on the trolley.	I lead these tours to some exotic places...but here I was disappointed when I couldn't find the fine chocolate shop.

Back to East Meet The Riders Bamacyclist Home Page