Grand Rapids to Charlotte, 68 miles, 1300 feet of climbing - following a rain delay
We ended yesterday evening watching the local weather, which indicated that T-storms throughout this morning were a distinct possibility. We watched again this morning, this time with radar showing the imminent path of the storm system. But here on the road, we live by our wits, our instincts, our attention to detail and our keen powers of observation. (You know where this is going.) We considered all the available information and decided to press on with today’s ride. As expected, all went well, until it didn’t. Within an hour, we were cowering under the overhang of a gas station convenience store, as lightening struck, rain drenched us and temperatures dropped. (Mike made good use of the break by purchasing some Hostess cupcakes; he’s a big fan.) We think…never mind. Enough said.
The storm passed but the rain and wind lingered through early afternoon (as the local weather report had predicted, which we consider pure coincidence). In the meantime, we found a place for a quick lunch and waited until things settled down. Then we resumed the rest of our ride. The sun peaked through at times, but the day was dominated by dark, albeit not threatening, clouds. Somehow, we were able to squeeze in just under 70 miles, which we were pretty happy with considering our late start and the rain delay.
Our hotel in Charlotte, like a lot of hotels that we visited on this trip, is on the outskirts of town - and not ideally suited for walking to a restaurant. (Really, at almost any hotel we have stopped at - save those in the center of a town - dining options were severely limited. Hence, our newfound appreciation for chicken salad sandwiches at service station stores.) We had a double dose of dining misfortune tonight. We were rebuffed by Appleby’s (at least a one hour wait) and Subway was closed. Neither of these made it onto our list of preferred dining establishments, but they have become reliable standbys and come through in a pinch on more than one occasion. Fortunately, Sue, working the reception desk a our hotel, recommended a Chinese restaurant that delivers. It wasn’t bad.
We’re working on our route and mileage targets for tomorrow right now. We’re sure it will work out - won’t it?
You guys might want to retire and just start blogging! Your daily updates are colorful, amusing, and at times informative and inspirational! Great fun to read! We could have used this blog in 2020 but alas, you could not have done this in 2020, so we will enjoy it now!
ReplyDeleteYou're getting close! Bettina