Livin' On The Edge/Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Most US roads have a shoulder beyond the white line that offers sanctuary to a cyclist. These vary between 1 and 6 feet wide and we are happy to ride in them BUT
1/ They are sometimes covered in grit, littered with shredded tyres and the odd nut or bolt.
2/ The surface can be much harsher than the tarmac.
When either of these apply we ride the main highway but as close to the white line as we can manage. This, apparently, is not good enough for the redkneck pickup truck and semi drivers. They like to drop down a gear, rev the engine to the red line and hurtle past while leaning on the horn. They do this as a matter of principle and regardless of whether there is anything preventing from them just pulling out round us. It is making our daily laundry a grizzly business. Arseholes.
Today was short, at just 50 miles, but it included a generous 12 mile 3000 feet climb that got everyone sweating. We appear to have passed back into Pacific time.......we can fathom no logical reason for this.
We are staying in the huge metropolis of Grangeville with a population of 3500.....it has TWO supermarkets and three hotels.....impressed huh?
Tomorrow is our first rest day and I thinking everyone is looking forward to a day of doing nothing but catching up on chores. We have washed our our smalls and John is currently sitting looking at a pair of shorts, a loose button and a needle and thread and swearing quitely under his breath.
Tonight we are contemplating a take-away and a movie night. We think Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid might be just the job.
Some drivers here are total jerks. We rode LEJOG a couple years ago and never had a single person lay on the horn, even if we were slogging up a long hill at 5MPH with 7 cars behind us. That was a complete and pleasant surprise.
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