Thompson's Blog

In the bicycling world the ups are far harder to deal with than the downs. I had way more ups than I anticipated today. Clearly I should have done a bit more research of Alabama topography. These aren’t the foothills of the Appalachians — this area can best be described as the toes of the Appalachians. And theses toes are spread apart just wide enough so you go all the way up and down between each one. I don’t know how many toes I rode up and down, but it seemed endless. I’m pretty proud of having ridden about 92 miles, but the truth is I probably walked a mile and a half of that. There were some slopes that I couldn’t climb in my lowest gear. And why ultimately I paid a kind soul with a truck to carry me the final 20 miles of the day’s journey to my hotel in Atalla.

I wanted an adventure and I’m getting one! I began the day in the rain, and with cold hands, but I had a hot sun by late afternoon. I also had a flat tire which was reasonably easy to fix, and good people offering to help. It was a hard day, but it was a good day.

I’ve experienced the graciousness of strangers, and the way in which adversity can be an enriching experience. It’s nice to have some balance between the ups and downs, but too much of both can wear you out!

God help us find some balance and some moderation with our various ups and downs in life!