Three left for the road to devour

I feel like I've lost an ally today. Last night we settled into the theater/auditorium of a church in Andrews, SC, made some delicious pasta topped off with ice-cream, showered (you just don't know how good that can be until it's a luxury), and went over the maps for the next days ride when Kevin suddenly announced that he'd be leaving us, heading up to his Uncles' place in Virginia, where his wife will join him and take him home. That leaves three of us out of the initial five. Maybe I can't count Dirk, he flaked out before we even left. I can't blame Kevin, the thought of home is always somewhere in my mind, but I will miss him. I feel that we're more on the same level when it comes to certain decisions, like where to stay and what to eat, as well as larger issues like the spiritual discussions we've been having constantly. In that regard I'm now on my own. I hope he's making the right decision.

On the other side of that particular coin, it'll be easier to travel as a trio, and we'll probably make good time with George back to full health.

As far as the dynamics of the group go, we'll see where we end up. I felt like we'd just worked out some kind of team solidity, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and now we're minus Kevins' rational and calmness. We'll reform easily, I know, but Kevin was a good mediator, and helped me stay calm myself. He said he just couldn't take Jeff anymore, that the trip was soured. I can see where he's coming from, but in reality it's up to each one of us to get what we want from the experience. This mix'll be much more volatile, but sometimes that's a good thing, it makes things happen much more quickly.

Other than that, It was a rough day to ride, rainy all morning and most of the afternoon, road grit and grease coating us all, as well as our steeds, and a large section of our road squeezed itself into a two-lane with little to no shoulder, which translates as no room to move as gigantic lumber trucks barreled past, showering us with road spray and debris. Jeffs' front rack twisted in and lost a bolt, sending a bag flying into the roadway, luckily rescued before being squashed and not sending him over the bars. The kind of day that gives both mental and physical fatigue. Probably cementing Kevins' decision to leave.

Honestly, days like today are the minority, and as we move farther North, closer to our destination, the weather is easing up, the mornings and evenings are wonderfully cool, and I feel a little more comfortable existing in constant motion.

Tomorrow night, we walk, eat, and sleep in Myrtle Beach.

 

There's so many abandoned

houses in the South...