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Wutheringbikes Home -- TransAm Bike Ride
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Friday July 2nd 2004
A nice easy day of about 50 miles from Avery Campground, Upton through to
the Rough River Dam State Park. Picturesque, smallish hills, nothing too
challenging. Pretty hot and humid as usual. Only one really severe thunderstorm
- and took shelter for that. Got a little hillier round the Rough River
Area. The Rough River may have been rough once, but it's tamed by dams now
and there's not much to it but a stretch of water on which Americans do
everything except exert themselves - they jetski, powerboat, boat - but
just about never seem to swim or canoe, and certainly not windsurf. Actually
I did see a canoe on a truck, so maybe sometimes sweat actually happens.
This is a culture determined by the price of gasoline. We wondered where
the footpaths across fields were - suddenly struck us that there aren't
any. We were later enlightened that they don't do footpaths - land ownership
appears somewhat more absolute. Is America a land of the individual? Anyway,
because there are no footpaths, it makes getting fit much harder since the
only place where it is then easy to walk is in parks (if you have one).
We've noticed people driving up to the local park, getting out and doing
a 'power walk' (arms vigorously swinging, a brisk pace) around a circular
path. Rough River Dam State Park was excellent - had a unauthorised swim
in a lovely pool while the sun set over the trees (no one about, and it
looked so lovely - and the lake beach was closed - smell of effluent so
I think there's an ecological problem lurking in Rough River Lake!). Ate
at the restaurant and slept soundly. Mark and Wanda showed up - with more
mechanical problems with the trailer - so they were waiting for a lift to
4th July celebrations in Missouri and a bit of a mechanical makeover. |
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Wutheringbikes Home -- TransAm Bike Ride
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