Daily Miles: About 10 riding around town
Part I: A Two Week Recap
It’s been two weeks on the road and I’ve learned a lot about cycle touring. I am by no means expert or skilled but feel more adequate than I did two months ago. I still don’t consider myself a cyclist by any stretch of the imagination, but on the other hand, I’m not really a beginner anymore, and I can probably pass as a mostly average and mediocre and mildly capable cyclist.
Some thoughts on the last two weeks:
- You can go pretty far on a bike in a fairly short amount of time
- Saddle sores and a general feeling of a sore ass are real things and are the limiting factors on how far you may proceed in a day of cycling
- Most people are friendly and genuinely curious about your travels, even so far as to offer you money (presumably because they feel you are homeless, which lets face it, you are)
- The US roadway system was not built with cyclists in mind and is severely lacking in adequate infrastructure
- Logging trucks are the scariest vehicles that pass you, whereas motorcycles are the least scariest
- You can find odd discarded items on the side of the road no matter how far you are from a population center (items of note so far: one baby shoe, a pair of skis, and a Superman action figure)
- Headwinds and tailwinds are a very real and important part of how happy your ride is going on any particular day
- While riding predominently in the westerly direction, a sun tan (or burn) will form on only the left half of your body; this looks weird and will guarantee you receive awkward looks from the worker at the convenience store as you buy another Gatorade
Part II: City Park and NOMA
I ventured outward in another direction from Matt’s place to find City Park and the New Orleans Musuem of Art. It was a humid day and the clouds were low and rolling, a sign of impending doom for the days ahead. There was little wind and the air stuck to me like Saran Wrap, mummifying me in a salty cacoon of damp moisture, leaving me to fend for myself in a state of perpetual stickiness.
The City Park was neat and NOMA had a free outside sculpture park that I walked through. I had wanted to go to the museum but didn’t want to spend the crazy price of admission, and I didn’t want to leave my bike unattended for that long either.
Pretty relaxing day overall. I made some plans for riding out of here on Friday when there is a break from the thunderstorms, which are supposed to start tommorrow and last through the weekend.
