Adventure!

(Week 5, Day 5, Wednesday, July 7th)

Riding with Dillon is almost always an adventure!

I arrived at Dillon's place around 5:30, even though I wasn't supposed to be there 'til 6:00. I left early to go by Batteries Plus for a new battery for my bike computer, but I guess I overestimated how long that would take me. It was no bother, though, because it gave us some extra time to work on my bike. After some hammering, pushing, pulling, yelling, lubing, and degreasing, we were finally able to get on the road around 6:45. We had planned to leave around 6:30, but since when does anything go according to plan?

Dillon had visited the infamous mapmyride.com and printed out directions to a route about 20 miles long. We set out lighthearted and eager to ride. Our route took us through some beautiful places, including a bridge right over Lake Bowen. We followed the directions to the best of our ability, no matter how weird they seemed.

I wish I could tell you how far we went before we realized our directions weren't perfect and we were headed for North Carolina, but the new battery I had just bought for my computer was not working. After not finding a certain "Old North Main Street," we finally turned around in a cemetary and started heading back the way we came. I guess we were never once lost - Dillon at least knew how to get us back home - but, I never knew where we were.
Once we decided to head back, the sky decided to get dark. I think we turned around at about 8:30 and began cycling down Asheville Highway like fiends. Since we had left thinking we were only going to go 20 miles, neither of us had really come prepared for low-light conditions. Or at least, I hadn't. Dillon did have a tail light on his bike. We also hadn't eaten supper before we left because full belly + 97 degrees + cycling = ugh. Unfortunately, though, cycling burns some calories, whether you've concusmed them or not. However, Dillon had a Cliff bar on hand so we split it in order to keep hope alive. Or something like that.
We didn't get back until 9:10, effectively utilizing every last ounce of daylight there was. Despite being woried about not being seen by drivers, I rather enjoyed our sunset ride. In fact, there is something to be said for riding at dusk. Not the typical, "Wow, are you crazy; that's dangerous," but more like a, "Wow, this magical, can you feel it" sort of thing. At one point, towards the end, I was behind Dillon and we were going downhill on some back road that was completely lined by trees on both sides. The trees completely blocked what little sunlight was left, making it hard to see. What I did see was the steady red flash of Dillon's tail light acompanied by the arbitrary blinking all around us of lightning bugs. It was indeed a sight to behold and I let myself coast down the road, drinking it all in. Sometimes I wish you could see what I see. No picture could have done that scene justice. It made me believe that lightning bugs (or, if you prefer, fireflies) were put on earth just to awe us.

We did finally make it back, in case you're wondering, after traveling 30 total miles in nearly two and a half hours. Not quite what we planned, but it all worked out in the end. Thankfully, Aunt Janice had some supper waiting for us when we arived, so we didn't have to suffer for long.

Another memorable ride goes down in the books.