October 7, 2008
pepper town, mercy from marcy, my personal beer coach
Day Sixteen
"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
- Abraham Lincoln -
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
- Aesop -
"All it takes is one coach that believes in you."
- Jon Gruden -
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I awoke slowly to the distant crowing of roosters outside.
Catherine served us a breakfast of bacon and eggs, homemade bread, and milk, then gave us a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the road. It appears this isn't a Bed & Breakfast after all. It's more of a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, and Lunch.
By the time we packed, ate a leisurely breakfast, took more pictures, and said our goodbyes, we got a late start for having climbed out of bed at 6:45.
The eleven downhill miles to Hillsboro were a gradual, pleasant way to start the day's cycling.
Once we reached Hillsboro we had some climbing for a few miles before beginning an almost imperceptible descent toward the Caballo Reservoir.
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We pedaled into a headwind all day, taking turns drafting.
In Caballo (pop. 112) we stopped at a small grocery store where Klaus bought some bread and cheese for lunch.
We continued on to Arrey (pop. 232), a few miles down the road. I ate in the cafe while Klaus went to the elementary school playground to eat his lunch. It was worth the cost of the meal just for a respite from the wind.
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I called the campground in Radium Springs (pop. 1,699) to make sure they have showers. I started to ask if the water for the showers comes from the radium springs, and whether it’s irradiated, but didn't think they'd appreciate the humor.
Elaine, the manager, said they do have showers, but also warned that they close and lock the gate to the campground at 7:00. While she was on the phone I asked if there was a cafe nearby and was pleased to hear there's one just down the street. It closes at 7:30.
We rode strongly and steadily after lunch, taking turns drafting, and stopped in Hatch (pop. 1,648).
Hatch is a pepper town. There were bunches of red peppers hanging from every storefront. Some stores even had them covering the roofs. It gave the town a festive look. We stopped at a grocery store for a break where I bought milk for my cereal and Klaus bought dinner for this evening. I drank some Gatorade and Klaus bought an ice cream bar.
After the rest stop in Hatch, Klaus took off like a bullet out of a Luger. I really struggled to keep up with his ice cream-fueled maniacal pace.
At our current pace into the wind, we were going to make it to the campsite by 7:00, but just barely.
We stopped for a 30-second break across the street from a bar and, on a whim, Klaus decided he wanted a beer to drink later that evening.
As he was about to go inside he noticed another broken spoke, so he asked if I'd get it. When I came out with a bottle of beer that cost $4.25 he was shocked. NO beer is worth $4.25, not even to a German. He tucked it into one of his bags and we took off again.
Sometimes we forget that signs are made for cars traveling at 55 mph and not for bicycles traveling at 12 mph. When a sign says "Next Left" it doesn't always mean it. A driver sees the sign, and by the time his brain has processed it, it IS the next left.
That's how we ended up making a wrong turn and going through an orchard, then some type of field.
We finally got to the campground at 6:30, only to find the office closed. Of course, there's always a way for them to collect fees - we left ours in the provided envelope.
Klaus showered while I headed back to the only cafe around. I got to the Country Cupboard at 6:50 and immediately noticed a sign that said the grill closes at 7:00. Upon entering, I also noticed that there were no other customers, and that the lights in the kitchen area were turned off. For all practical purposes, the cafe looked closed.
I had been riding hard, and I REALLY needed to eat. However, all of a sudden I had this sinking feeling I might not get the meal I wanted.... no, the meal I needed, after all.
"Am I too late?" I asked timidly.
There were two women there, an older one and a younger one.
The younger one, in her twenties, looked at the older woman and said,
"We already shut everything down."
The older woman, apparently the owner, must've seen the vultures hovering overhead, or perhaps she simply saw my face fall. More likely, it was my resigned look of, "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to gnaw my arm off." She smiled brightly and said,
"You just sit down. We'll take care of you."
She handed me a menu and said,
"Order anything you want."
After taking my order, she went back into the kitchen, turned on the lights, and fired up the already-cleaned grill.
It's the seemingly small things like her smile and her comment that continuously restore my faith in humanity.
Her name is Marcy and, although I thanked her profusely and repeatedly, I don't think she'll ever know how much I appreciate that meal.
By the time I finished my dinner and an ice cream bar for dessert there was just a hint of pink on the horizon suggesting where the sun had been. It was getting dark quickly now.
I rode slowly and carefully back to the campground, my wheels making crunching sounds as I pedaled down the gravel road. The light from the half moon helped, but it was almost completely dark by the time I arrived. Getting past the locked gate wasn't too difficult - I just walked my bike around it.
After showering I rode back to the campsite and set up my tent by flashlight.
There were a lot of bats flying around and, likely because they eat up to two thousand mosquitoes a night, we had no insect problems.
While I was gone Klaus went over to the only other occupied campsite and introduced himself. Shortly thereafter he had three free beers.
While I was setting up my tent Klaus came over.
"THIS..." he announced, "...is a training beer."
Then he held up the $4.25 beer.
"You need to start training to like beer."
We could learn a lot from those Germans.... a training beer. A Personal Beer Coach. Who would've thought of it?
I finished unpacking and was so tired I fell asleep early, forgetting all about the beer and my training.
That's okay. Now that I have a Personal Beer Coach I'm sure my training will stay on track.
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distance: 79 miles
average speed: 13 mph
maximum speed: 31.5 mph
cumulative: 785 miles
Today's ride: 79 miles (127 km)
Total: 785 miles (1,263 km)
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3 months ago