Livingstone to Zimba

June 26, 2022

All good things must come to an end, on the road again

Annnnnnd, got my ass kicked today! Thought I felt okay when I left, but I was definitely dragging today. The strong crosswind, bordering on a headwind at times, is not doing me any favors. I made really slow progress. Like 7mp slow on average. Okay, after the fact, I realized there may have been a problem with one of my brakes rubbing most of the day which is why it may have been so difficult. Not positive, but a wire clip was out of position a couple of days later when I went to change a tire and I do remember my bike kind of falling and hearing a noise, but looking and thinking everything was fine. What can I say?

On the road again and even a bit of downhill. Not the overall trend lately or the rest of today for that matter.

This kid was less than enthused with my enthusiasm for his sweatshirt. Go Seahawks! I asked his mom for permission for the picture and explained, "my home town." It may have been lost in translation.

Scenery is nice, especially the puffy clouds

I had lunch at a "truck stop" and almost was going to ask to camp there, but it felt a bit isolated. I pushed on. On a brighter note, the scenery was decent. Lots of greens mixed in with tall yellow grasses. I have been hesitant to blast my music because of road conditions, but it would help drown out the 50 million trucks passing me. Now I know why everyone was talking about the Zambia trucks!

I eventually took a break and as I was getting ready to leave, two cyclists from Switzerland pulled up. We chatted for quite awhile so I had a good hour off my bike. They commented on the fact that I have an uphill trend and they are flying because it's a bit of a tailwind for them. Marie was kind enough to give me some throat lozenges to suck on and they definitely helped. They have been on the road for 16 months. Love it!

While I was on my break a few tears fell. I was exhausted and frustrated with the wind situation. While there, Corey Hart posted on FB about being down with Covid for a second time and wrote, "Playing music somehow always makes my heart feel a little brighter." I commented back explaining my current situation. He acknowledged my post, which is always nice especially since I felt so alone. I went ahead and threw on my CH playlist for the last 14 miles. It did make the rest of the ride a bit more tolerable.

Oh yay, some more hills for me to climb in the distance

When I arrived in town I decided to check out another guesthouse instead of just going to the one I had picked out. The entrance was more like a bar and tons of men were there playing pool. All eyes on me as I arrived. I had him show me a room and it would have been a bucket shower and the room was scary looking. A guy called ahead to my original choice for me to confirm they had a room. Thankfully, I got the last one and this place is 10 times better. The owner is American although she married a Zambian and has been living here. the went to get me some food and then I'll be showering and not doing much else. I see a rest day in my future tomorrow as the wind is just as bad.

Why yes, this is the road to "Overflow Guesthouse" and I was overflowing with joy once I saw how much cleaner and nicer it was than the place I checked out.

Current situation not long after arriving. I'm feeling better now.

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 3,178 miles (5,114 km)

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