Day 5: Saturday, 14 May 1983

Start: Akranthos, Greece

End: Hotel, Messolongi, Greece

Up at 6:00 and riding by 7:30 to beat the heat. Mike slow about getting started. Only breakfast we could rustle up was cookies and orange soda.

Continued down the coast. Stopped for lunch of oranges, bread, and canned sardines.

Met a Welsh couple who have been hitch-hiking toward Athens for seven weeks.

Suffered my first flat tire. While fixing it, a gust of wind blew my empty water bottle away, down an embankment, and onto railroad tracks. Just as I started down to retrieve it, a train came screaming up the line and crushed the bottle into millions of little plastic bits. Yikes! That leaves me one bottle, which won't be enough, so I'll need to keep my eyes open for a replacement. [2010 Note: This before the age of ubiquitous plastic bottled water.] 

Lesson learned. Keep all gear secured.

Back on the road. Slow leak. Same tire. Eventually spent more time screwing around with it and discovered a second tiny hole near the first one.

Ferry across the Gulf of Corinth from the Peloponnesus today, back to mainland. Mike wanted to phone ahead to find out the ferry schedule. Jeez! With some effort I convinced him this would not be a problem, that the ferry would be running every hour or two and we wouldn't need reservations. Reached the ferry at Rio. (Rion?) Enjoyed a tasty hotdog at a fast food stand run by a woman from New Jersey married to a Greek and longing for home. As anticipated, the ferry ran constantly and took us across to the mainland in 15 minutes for 20 drachma apiece. "Oopa!" cried the ferrymen as cars pulled aboard. [2010 Note: Only a ferry in 1983. In 2004 a fancy bridge connecting mainland and Peloponnesus opened at that site.]

Heading north into hills. Hot. Took a nap under twisted trees in a field with uninquisitive sheep and goats. Debated with Mike about how much farther to ride, where to stay. Definite differences in our riding styles and ideas. When to ride. How fast to ride. How far to ride. Where to ride. He's tired and needs more sleep, wanted a short day and a hotel. We ended up in a cheap, "class D" joint (according to the official National Tourist Agency designation). 

Mike asleep early while I update journal.

Conditions 

Distance: 80 km and a ferry across to the mainland 

Weather: Getting hot 

Road: Rougher after crossing to the mainland 

Traffic: Light 

Terrain: Hills after crossing to the mainland 

Mechanical: Flat tire, crushed water bottle 

Physical: Feeling good, getting even stronger