The South is so good for the Soul, and bad for the feet.

Hello everyone-

Sorry I haven't been on lately, here it is from my mouth.

UPDATE:

I ended up in Southhaven last night. I have no idea what that means, until I am there. Huge dealership. Yet another Rossmeyer shop. Say what you want, but Big Bruce had serious money!

But they were so good to us. It was slightly more than 900 miles from our last checkpoint, but how we got there, well that's yet to come. First though, let me say thank you to Teena there. She helped me get boots that were dry, and a pair of socks. I love her forever now. Anyway, they stayed open all night to accept riders. A grill cooking dogs and burgers, 2 huge jugs of icy water, and a fan and towels.....sounds dumb, but what a delight.

I finally got there after a grueling day of riding....back and forth through the Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi countryside. For those of you that know....its more than you think.

For those that don't, you have to see it to understand.

These little blacktop county roads would be the equivalent of paving all the Plum Creek trails in Montana....going everywhere....up, down, back, and back again. Narrow and very difficult to follow.

I was about to lose my marbles somewhere in Alabama....hotter and wetter than I remember ever being, and it dawned on me that I needed to run my race....calm down, do what I do. I knew I was close to the dealership....I had already traveled over 800 miles....it helped. So I focused, and got down to getting there.

Got hung up by an unmarked road, that took me 3 locals to find.

At about 9pm, I arrived. Tended my leg, which is truly going to become a scar that will always remind me....just trying to keep it from infection. It hurts like hell, has no scab now at all as its always wet from humidity or sweat. Once done with that, I hung my clothes all over the bike....trying to dry them, then layed down on the asphalt right by the bike and tried to sleep. It was about 1am by the time I was ready, and there were many support crews still waiting for their riders to show. I think I drifted off around 3. Pain in my leg, hot asphalt, skeeters....all conspiring agains me.

I slept 2 hours, got up, brushed my teeth for the first time since Sunday, and hit it. 6am departure.