Concord to Albemarle
CNC 2005
Mileage - 49.89
Ride Time - 3 hours 45 minutes
Average Speed - 13.40
Maximum Speed - 36.5
Accumulative Miles - 250.99
Accumulative Ride Time - 19 Hours 4 Minutes
Maximum Heart Beat - 115
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| "Reed Gold Mine" |
"Recoup Day"
I awoke this morning before 6:00
A.M. overhearing a tent neighbor saying that it was misting rain.
Oh I thought, how would I handle this rain today. The weather has been so nice.
I started putting all
my equipment together so I could get the tent down and packed before it rained.
When finally getting
out of the tent there were a few drops and the threat of rain looked
imminent.
For the first time on the trip,
this morning the calves of my legs were sore and hurt to stretch them.
Oh, well I was sure that the day's ride will work out the sorest. Yesterday I
just over did the mileage based
on past riding experience. Even though each day is a record for my riding
mileage, I am glad I put as
much time in the saddle as possible before I started on this ride.
I started out this morning at
7:30 A.M. Each morning I seem to get earlier. Now I can see why the riders
get up at 5:00 A.M. They leave at daybreak. Another reason may be that they get
to their daily destination
earlier and they can pick out a better camping spot for their tent or they can
have a choice of picks for
indoor camping. Also the shower lines may be a little shorter or non-existence.
Well, lets get back to the ride.
My legs felt weak when starting out this morning, but that is not unusual
when I begin my ride each day. Pedaling works out the weakness feeling.
We were escorted through the red
lights by the local law enforcement agencies, city or county. This was
routine at all major intersection. They worked with us very well and I want to
thank them for their help.
The ride today was the shortest
distance of the week, but I was worn out by the previous day's ride.
But I continued on.
This day's ride was a trip of
rolling hills. It seem that we went up and down all day on the hills. A few of
the hills
were long climbs. I continued to look for the lowest gear possible. I didn't
have to prove anything to anyone
or myself except to finish.
The first rest stop was Reed Gold
Mine, the site of the first documented discovery of gold in the United States.
They offered us a free tour and many of us took advantage of that offer. It was
very interesting to see how
the gold was mined by all human labor. They didn't have the machines that we
have now. John Reed
was a simple farmer and would have been long forgotten had it not been for a
chance event one Sunday in 1799.
Reed's son Conrad found a large yellow rock in Little Meadow Creek on the Reed
farm in Cabarrus County.
The Reeds used the large yellow rock as a door stop for several years. Until
1802 when a Fayetteville jeweler
identified the gold nugget. He purchased the gold nugget from Reed for the
asked-for price of $3.50, though
the actual value was around $3,600. The following year John Reed stated his
mining career. The last large
nugget was mined in 1896 and the last underground mining took place in 1912. If
you are ever in the area,
drop by and take the tour. It's well worth your time.
I continued on to the next rest stop with not the best of legs.
The next rest stop was at Dennis
Winery. They had a special CNC 2005 labeled dark wine for any of the
riders that wanted to order it. They were to deliver in Wilmington. Not much you
can buy or carry on your
bike.
At the last section of the ride,
the wind started to blow and gusted several times during the ride. It made the
going a little rough while going up the long hills. Keep the legs to the pedals.
That is where the power is.
I was glad to roll into Albemarle
and into the campsite. We camped in the middle of town at the YMCA. Also
the YMCA was available for indoor camping. Many took advantage of this.
I set-up the tent and put all by
personal belongings in it. I kept hearing rumors of rain for tomorrow. Hope not,
but we do need the rain, since September's rainfall was probably less than 1/2
inch. Very dry for us. I will
just take whatever the Lord gives us.
About 2:30 P.M. or so I went up
town to find something to eat. I found the Firehouse Restaurant which was
about 6 or 8 blocks from the campsite. Had a veggie with water and iced tea as
well as a lime cheese cake,
which was good. I found it a little hard to stay on my vegetarian diet while
biking. Most eating establishments
have pretty much a meat menu. In the meat line, I usually eat only fish for the
omega oils, but not fried.
I prefer it baked or broiled.
I went back to the tent to get a little rest before eating again later tonight. Needed to keep my energy up.
I'm not sure this was recoup day.
I felt exhausted riding into camp. Each day I was getting a little weaker
legs. Not use to this long schedule of riding, but I will overcome. Keep a
positive attitude.
By the way I'm starting to get
good at putting up my 2-man tent. It takes me about five minutes or less to
erect or take down the tent. I believe I could do it in the dark.
Also I'm learning to pack my bags
and lay out what I'm going to wear the next day. It sure helps things not
to be so hectic in the mornings. I now have a plan.
The weather forecast was for a tropical storm to come through the state of North Carolina.
Wondering about the rain, if it comes, how will I handle it?
Good night!
Pre-Pre Ride, Pre Ride, Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Five, Day Six, Day Seven, Post Words