May-29: Egypt Mtn, with Detour 210

What to do when you're out of shape and you've DNF'd your intended R-ride?
Do your "go-to" Perm.
Well, with a detour because a key bridge is still out. 

Curious llamas at the "Llama House," 18.8-miles into the course.  Usually, it is better to stay upwind of that enclosure, but on this morning, with no discernible breeze, there was also no discernible odor.  (I should have moved a few feet to the left; that would have resulted in a better photo, but, you know ....

Just a ranchstead on West River Rd (east of Franklinton).  About 25-miles into the course.  (This might look better if I cropped the photo removing the road and the heavily shaded foreground ditch.  Maybe later.)

Cokesbury Church.  44.7-miles into the course.

Surprise!  On Jacksontown Rd, 52-miles into the course.  Traversed via a lift from a pickup truck.  Once across, another vehicle, perhaps a small van, tried to cross, but too fast, created a bow wave, raising the level of the water around the vehicle, and causing to stall out.  Luckily for that van driver, a couple of young boys were able to push the vehicle out of the flood.  Vehicle was still stalled, though; and I imagine that driver had quite a day of it.  (If anyone had undertake ye old Kerr Lake Loop on this date, they would have certainly first encountered a much higher flood on Nutbush Creek Rd, and getting around that flood might well have ended such a ride.)

It seems a good idea to stop here once in awhile and take a photo (and maybe take a pee).  No other reason to stop here.

Most of the traditional directional (and sometimes direction with distance) signs have disappeared, probably whenever road re-surfacing or widening occur.  This sign has seen better days.  Approx 16.5-miles from the finish (also the start) of the route.  (There used to be a directional sign with distances across from the Bay Leaf CVS, the start / finish of this route (and a few others); that signage indicated that Creedmoor was 14 miles to the north on NC-50 AND that Raleigh was 14 miles to the south on NC-50.  These days, most would say / think that Bay Leaf, and the site of that former signage, was on the edge of northern Raleigh.)

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Oh, yeah:
I slogged out this ride, completing the "Warrenton & Egypt Mtn" permanent for the 29th time.
Official rando elapsed time:  12h00.  Time-in-motion:  10h01.
My third slowest passage on this route ever.
Fastest passage on this route this year.  LOL.

May-17: Badgett Sisters 208 -- NOT for Me

BobB, Daniel, and I set out to capture our respective R-rides.
Gilbert had "threatened" to ride out from his shop in Yanceyville to meet us.
Gilbert was good to his word.
We encountered him on Oak View Loop, about half-a-mile before Badgett Sisters Parkway.

Gilbert, Daniel, Bob.  Corner of Oakview Loop and Badgett Sisters Parkway.

We rode up into Yanceyville, where Daniel, Bob, and I had lunch at the Subway, and Gilbert returned staight-away to his shop where some chores or business needed to be attended.

Post-lunch, it was quite a bit warmer.
We tackled in reverse the rollers on Badgett Sisters and Oakview Loop, and
Then the five sharp creek drops and sharp climbs back out, to get to the control at Corbett.

Bob is in great shape and just pedaled along all day.
Daniel is in good shape, though he tends to push to big a gear when climbing.
I'm in lousy shape, but early in the ride, it was as if there was no chain / no resistance to pedaling.

I definitely felt the 10 sharp creek crossing between am-Corbett and pm-Corbett,
But thought I was in decent shape, and I was looking forward to the next 20-miles,
Which had seem flat in the morning.
The only concern I had was that we would be mostly into the wind for much of the remaining ride.

I should have been more concerned about the heat.
Fat, out-of-cycling-shape, not acclimated to the heat.
I told the other two to continue ride ahead regardless of me.

I finally made the "call of shame" at the 97.2-mile mark,
Agreeing to meet my rescue ride at Underwood Grocery (the pm intermediate control).

"Call of shame" or "call of intelligence" ?
I think intelligence.
After all, it took 48 hours for me to feel recovered.

After completing her business,
Lynn and her dog Lincoln came to Underwood Grocery to rescue me.
She brought some home-made ice tea; Lincoln brought a happy attitude.

L & L dropped me off at the finish a quarter hour or so before Bob finished.
Daniel was another 10 minutes or so further behind.

R-89 for Bob.
Must be about R-6 for Daniel, but I always suggest not counting until getting to at least R-9.