MUCH better today

April 22, 2024

What a difference a day makes

HE WANTED TO CHAT. That much was clear. And I was willing to listen, as I had been eyeing his lovely house and a really neatly-made brick outbuilding as I approached.

We talked about his granddaughter ("I'm bragging on her" he said proudly after telling me that she plays on her university's women's golf team- having just taken up the game four years ago), his garden, his father's lost left hand (industrial accident during the war), his daughters, and several other subjects. His current home is across the street and about 100 yards from the historic home in which he grew up, and I got definite hints that he's got a lot more property in the neighborhood. It was a very enjoyable 20 minute stop.

At breakfast, earlier in the day, I'd spent an equally enjoyable hour conversing with the other guest at the B&B where I stayed yesterday. It turns out she's also from my general area, and worked for the same school system that my wife did. They don't know one another but have several mutual colleagues in common. Small world, isn't it?

The rain stopped yesterday evening, and as today progressed the skies went from partly cloudy to spectacularly sunny (and of course, Carolina Blue... :) )

Carolina blue overhead, lovely road in front of me.

Navigation today was a snap: Bike Routes 6, 2, and 4 carried me for about 60 of the 64 miles I covered. Much of that time I was on very lightly-used and excellent roads; traffic picked up as I got within about 25 miles of Chapel Hill but even then it really wasn't a problem.

At various points along the way I was able to take advantage of "casual water": opportunities to refill the empty bottles without resorting to buying it at a mini-mart. A friendly road crew did the honors at one such stop; at another, it was a tire dealer's water fountain. And there was the pie stop; although I purchased the pie and refreshments it counts as "casual" because I just happened on it.

These aren't just for breakfast anymore.

The same was true for Sammie's Grill, a tiny carryout place in Staley that just happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet my needs. They work hard there: their opening hours are 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. and in the few minutes I was there- right around lunchtime- there must've been 20 or more people walking in to place orders. It kept them on the jump, to be sure.

Sammie's. Lunch cost me less than $5.00. Gotta love it.

Not being in any hurry, I was able to pick up my roadside photography. Today's themes included the houses I passed, oddities I encountered, and of course my ongoing photo study of country churches. On that latter subject, I've begun to note how many of the churches I see have a large, stately old tree in their front yard area. It's quite nice to see. Also, I passed several Quaker meeting houses, with histories dating to the founding of the Repblic and before, although the buildings are much newer.

This tree blocks a view of another Friend's Meeting House, one of several I passed today.

If I were to be laid to rest instead of having my ashes scattered, this is a place I could choose. That's a grand old tree.

I was also struck by the contrast between the homes I passed today, compared to yesterday. Yesterday what I noted much of was single-or double-wide trailers, often with yards full of decrepit cars and trucks, trash, and general debris scattered about.

Today, the homes were much tidier, well-kept, generally modest but entirely comfortable-looking country homes. Lawns were neatly mown, trees and bushes trimmed, etc. Of course there was still the odd junk pile here and there but they weren't as evident or at least didn't make as strong an impression on me as yesterday.

In his "Fall of Man" photo journal on that other touring website, Douglas Coulter documented buildings and vehicles- mostly out west, in the desert- abandoned and crumbling slowly into nothingness. I've been doing a bit of the same, here. My take-away is that these older buildings represent a time long past, the denizens having long since fallen on hard times or relocated for some other reason. There's a story behind each ruin, of course, but equally there's nobody at hand to tell it.

... nearly gone. I don't think this one's going to get saved.

Though from this side it doesn't look so bad.

There are always unexpected things you encounter along the way. Today that included these:

Bison! Much less of a threat than those at Yellowstone.

Finally, this: with the return of fine, dry weather I wore socks all day today. Thought you might want to know.

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Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 182 miles (293 km)

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Art NarroI hope you let us know if there’s a train station in Clarksville.
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3 weeks ago

Janice BranhamThats a long day Keith. Glad you made time for the barn series.
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3 weeks ago