Day 06- Savannah Bound

I had a dream last night that I was bombing down this huge hill going incredibly fast. I fell off the back of my bike while my shoes were still clipped into the pedals and my bike managed to magically stay upright and drag me down the highway. I jerked out of sleep and gasped. It was 6:36AM. I still had another half hour of much needed rest.

I rolled out of bed and trudged to the free breakfast offered to us by our hotel. In front of me, my options were an assortment of danishes, muffins, and other pastries, oatmeal, grits, and waffles. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and sat down to contemplate the day ahead of me. Jamaal stayed in bed for a while longer, but then joined me for breakfast.

Afterwards, we returned to our rooms to pack up, and soon after, loaded the van to get back to the main highway. Jamaal and I, sitting in the back seat of the van, waited for the van to start, but it never happened. The van wouldn't start. The battery was dead and my family was thrown into a panicked fury. Luckily, we asked someone to jump the van and they were kind enough to oblige. Finally, we were able to get on the road and begin today's journey.

Riding was at a slightly slower pace today than the breakneck pace we kept up yesterday. We still made decent time though reaching Jesup by noon. We stopped to eat at a sub shop, and of course, Jamaal got philly cheesesteak. We napped until 1:30PM and was back on the road by 1:45PM. Nothing like waking up from a nap and hopping right on a bike.

As usual, the ride after lunch time became really difficult. By then, the rural roads have lost their charm, the legs begin to burn, and the heat beats down on us. It is then that mental toughness supersedes one's physical condition. Distractions to take your mind off of this feeling are few and far between, but Jamaal and I make do. Games, like seeing who can get the most truckers to blow their horn at you, help pass the time and take your mind off the soreness. Pace slowing, we arrived in Hinesville at 4PM.

It wasn't long after that we found our hotel, and checked in to our rooms. Of course, my mother, aunt, and grandmother always inspect the rooms to make sure that the "boys" don't have the better bathrooms, but to our dismay, our room only contained one king sized bed. My family joked about me and Jamaal sharing a bed, but the joke was on them. After speaking with someone at the front desk, they had no other double bed room so we were upgraded to a suite. If you ever get a chance to stay in a suite, even if you have to go to a hotel within your own city, do it. It's nice.

After dinner, there was one more surprise event in store for us. Driving to the hotel, there was an accident that happened right before our eyes. I thought for sure that we were going to get hit as well, but the car swerved and hit the curb in front of us. We waited for the police and ambulance to arrive and gave a statement. Luckily, no one was badly injured.

Tomorrow, we have a short day. Only 30 miles. We should be finished before noon. I am looking forward to going to Savannah. I have heard that it is quite beautiful there, and we will be near the coast! Well, folks. Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend. You have no idea how much these comments help us through this journey. It allows us to see who this is affecting and gives us support when we feel we are going through the worst.

Peace,
John and Jamaal.