Start time: 9:45 A.M.
Distance today: 43.5 miles
Average speed: 13.2 mph
End time: 4:38 P.M.
Top speed: 46.3 mph
Temperature and weather conditions: Perfect conditions in the morning,
warming to very hot as we climbed.
Total trip distance: 2,521.6 Miles (since start on April 2,
2000)
After an interview with the local TV station, Channel 6 in Knoxville,
TN, we started our ride a little after 9:30. We peddled about 12 miles
before we entered the Smokey Mountains National Park. The road paralleled
the river. The river had a cooling effect as the air above the water
would rise towards the road. The sounds of the water falling between
the rocks and dropping down the falls were wonderful. When you ride in
a car you do not hear the marvelous sounds and smells you are afforded
when you are working a bicycle.
We stopped often to take
pictures and enjoy the smells of honey suckle, wild flowers, and spring
time foliage. What a treat! Around noon we stopped
in a pullover, walked down to the bank, and enjoyed a picnic of carrots,
sandwiches, and desserts. We also laughed about some of the great times
we’ve had. We even shared some of the uniqueness that we see in each
other. It was wholehearted fun to hear how others perceived your personality.
What a long laugh we had.
We arrived in Gatlinburg, TN, at 3:30 P.M. Tomorrow, Friday, we plan
to be on our bikes by 9:00 A.M. We will stop in Waynesville, NC, and
be a part of their Relay for Life at 7:45 P.M. Then we will go to the
Cherokee Reservation for their Relay for Life at 9:00 P.M.
We have some wonderful guests
meeting us tomorrow. Charles’s daughter
Sadie will join us to ride the rest of the way, and his mother will be
in Waynesville tomorrow afternoon.
We both are doing real well
as far as the riding is concerned. I (Danny) have a cough and a little
chest cold, but I feel very good. We’re looking
forward to the challenge tomorrow - climbing the Smokey Mountains; 13
miles up. This is longer than Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado, and it will
be a great deal hotter!
