2.24.2011 Ride: Day 4 in Fayetteville, GA

On the tired side this morning.  At 4:30, a distant rooster worked its way into my consciousness. I might have been able to dismiss it and go back to sleep but the crow started sounding faintly human as if someone was saying, "over here."  Frances?  I jumped out of bed and ran toward her bedroom.  All was quiet and in the distance was the rooster continuing to crow, "over here."
A short ride today as a busy day lies ahead.  I'm taking Frances to the doctor today to find out the results of the MRI from Tuesday.  After that, there's a meeting with the long term health insurance agent.  My brother-in-law, Alan will be coming down and it will be good to have his company.  In the morning he will take me to the airport.

Though I've only had the loaner bike for four days, a certain amount of sentimentality gets attached, especially since it has helped keep me on my year-long journey.  Robert warned me about it not wanting to shift into the higher (larger) front cogs.  When I picked it up, it was on the smallest ring and would not stay on the other ones.  But, while riding, I held the lever in middle ring position and politely asked if it would stay there.  The bike was obliging and we got along well for the rest of the week.

Damp and cooler today. Two days ago, the temperature was in the low 70s, yesterday, low 60s and this morning, barely 50.  Tomorrow it's supposed to rain so I guess I'm headed back to Dodge just in time.  Of course, what's a little rain?


The house in the photograph is not in use now and a lot of debris is piled in front.  I find it interesting that it does have a power line running to it and there are makeshift screens over the windows.

Very close to the house, stood these two rusting pieces of farm equipment.  Passing them on the road, they looked like two tanks discarded and forgotten after some long ago war.  The above picture didn't catch my eye as much as a detail that I saw on my second passing.  It seemed as if showing the larger picture would make the detail picture more interesting.  And, now, I actually like the above picture as well.

What I really like is the position of the rusted chain, frozen in motion. 

I leave you with this image from Fayetteville (Inman), Georgia.  This old storefront is just a couple of hundred yards from Francis' house.  Built around 1880s, it was one of a clusters of businesses in the immediate area along with a train depot..  The owner, McLucas, died during the influenza epidemic around 1918.  His widow took it over and ran it until her death in about 1960.  The store remained shuttered and ignored until about the 1990s when a resident took an interest, cleaned out the inside and spruced up the outside.

Till tomorrow from Fayetteville, AR.

Today's Ride:  63 mins.  Miles:  11.2.  50 degrees.  Miles YTD:  972.86