Learning from Nature

Tandem Vacation: Day 3
Thursday, September 13

It was much easier to pack up and get ready and we had a delicious and hearty breakfast. This was all good as we faced the longest ride yet and were concerned about setting up camp before the rain arrived.

8 a.m. and ready to go

Maneuvering our vehicle out of the Super 8

 It was overcast most of the day but not cold. Looks like Mike wore the appropriate jersey.

I have to admit that the 58 miles were difficult. The audio book and the scenery distracted me some from the ever more severe symptoms of TB (tired bottom), and we stopped fairly often or stood.

The variety and beauty of the flowers and landscape stand out in my memory.

I could not get good photos of the former as we flew by. When I saw Bug's post I begged to borrow this.

(Thank you, Dr. M!)

I wish I could list all the different types we saw, but I am not that knowledgeable.

There were other very interesting sights.

Cows grazing in rolling green fields

An old mill

A covered bridge

Lunch in Roann at Lynn's Restaurant was a welcome break.

Next stop was a Cafe in Lagro ten minutes after closing time. They served us a piece of key lime pie anyway.

We met another traveler who was just leaving, one more avid bicyclist all the way from Portland, Oregon. Again we shared interesting life stories. He has crossed America five times over the years. This was his 31st day on the road, riding up to 80 miles a day and he still has a long way to go.

We arrived at our destination mid afternoon and began rain-proofing the campsite as best we could--plastic under the tent, a tarp to shield the table and what was left of the $3.00 K-Mart purchase hopefully enough to cover the bike.

 Then we went for a walk. Mike claims that after a long bike ride it is important to walk around.

We recognized this building from a few years ago when we spent a day on a pontoon boat as a family when Amaia, from Basque Country, was with us. It turned out to be cold, rainy and miserable.

After supper I fell asleep in one of the lawn chairs the camp host loaned us.

The last thing before retiring was to secure the bike. 

So what was the lesson for the day? Not sure. But I did greatly enjoy the multi-faceted beauty of nature.

If we were driving in the car I would be reading or knitting and thus miss so much.

Today I listened to cousin Rosie's book discussion on Moody Radio. It aired last week when we were gone.

The following quote from Christy, by Catherine Marshall, stood out.

I do not know why it is that an intimate contact with wild life and a
personal observation of nature helps so much in this self-discovery. But that it is so, I
have seen in other people’s lives as well as my own. Not that my hometown Asheville
was such a large city. Perhaps it is just that even a small city provides artificial
distractions which separate us from the roots of our life; even a few bricks and a little
macadam are a shield between us and the wisdom that nature has to give.

– Chapter31, pages 346-347

 Even living in the woods in small town Upland provides abundant distractions. 

I realize that whizzing by on a tandem bicycle is not as up-close-and-personal as could be either.