Today’s Highlights:
If we had turned left out of the hotel this morning and traveled down busy Rt 17, we would have reached Georgetown in 55 miles. Instead we turned right, headed north, then made a long lazy loop to the northwest and meandered around South Carolina. Forty-three miles later, we were about 20 miles due west of North Myrtle Beach in the town of Conway. And, ninety-seven miles later, we finally reached Georgetown. However, it was a beautiful day, and the roads were very flat and mostly smooth. The 97 miles was an easy ride, and I suppose we got to see just a little more of SC.
My only challenge today was a very stiff and painful achilles tendon. It started out mild, but half way through the ride, I was mostly pedaling with my left leg. It’s a good thing that the roads were so flat.
I hooked up with Kirt and Brenda on their tandem bike a few miles into the ride. We took turns following each other. It is really nice drafting behind a tandem, because all that mass reduces the wind resistance significantly. But I took my turn in front too. Best of all, I got to take pictures of them. I stayed with them until the first SAG stop at mile-35.
For the next 52 miles, I cycled alone. It’s a lot easier to stop for pictures when I’m not trying to stay with other riders, and I enjoyed looking around a little more today. Interestingly, most of the route was through pine forests which were being logged. There were clear-cut areas, which always look very messy and sad, and some newly planted sapling, some new growth forest, and some mature forests. Once in a while, a big logging truck would pass by. The trees they were hauling were not very big – maybe 12-18 inches in diameter. They were being hauled to a paper mill near Georgetown.
I reached the historic section of Georgetown, SC around 1:30, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a very beautiful town with a waterfront, marina, lots of very good restaurants and shops. And, in the blocks off the main street there are beautiful, large old homes with manicured yards.
At the hotel, I met up with Alan, Rene and Barry. We cycled back one mile to the historic district and had an excellent lunch at The Atlantic House. Dinner tonight was at Aunny’s Country Kitchen, also in the historic district. It was a small family run kitchen with a very homey feel.
By the way, I will probably stop talking about the humidity. After all, we are in the deep south now and it’s just soggy all the time. This morning started out comfortable, but it did hit 102 on the road before the end of my ride. It gets hot, but I am getting used to it.
Pictures Of The Day:
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Statistics:
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