Jul 24
Stage 22: This is Sparta!
We started off this morning from Fayetteville to the eastern side of Georgia. Greg Rogers joined us for the first 17 miles, taking us through some beautiful countryside. After that, he had to head to work, while we continued going east on Hwy 16.
Starting out the morning
Rich, Jared, Greg, and Jordan in the morning
Jared began feeling bad, so he headed into the van to rest, so I spent much of the rest of the day riding alone. Eastern Georgia is filled with up and down hills, up and down hills, and up and down hills. I was anxious to get done with the ride today, so I began riding with a sense of urgency, going all out on the uphills and trying to maximize my speed on the descents. For the times in which I have had to ride alone, it definitely gets lonely out there after awhile, though I can’t complain much because Kim and the boys are always nearby in the support vehicle.
Rich riding solo for a good part of the day
Do I hear the Atlantic Ocean yet? Please!???
The (rather silly) highlight of the day (other than riding with Greg) was riding to Sparta, Georgia. The boys, thinking of all of those Sparta movies and stories, have been looking forward to Sparta the entire tour so they could shout “THIS IS SPARTA!” Anyway, when we arrived at the town sign, we had fun reenacting a Spartan battle.
Georgia, at least the part we went through in the central area of the state, seems better off than its western neighbors—Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Tomorrow, we head into our final state—South Carolina. We have two more rides—tomorrow which is 95 miles and Friday which is a short 55 miles into Charleston. I’ll do more reflection on the entire trip in the days ahead, but for now, we are starting to be thankful that the tour is almost over. We have totally loved it and it has been the adventure of a lifetime, but the non-stop activity is taking its toll on us physically. We’re getting worn down!!! With God’s grace, however, we remain in great spirits and are still having so much fun as a family.
Rich getting some work done
4 Comments so far
Leave a comment
Good luck on the last 2 days of your ride - my friend, Pat Pratt has been reading your daily updates and she asked me where she could buy your book - I told her Borders or Barnes and Noble and if they didn’t have it, they could order it for her. Looked like a good sized group that you spoke at a couple nights ago.
Cousin Terry is stuck in Mexico because of Hurricane Dolly - she was told yesterday that the end of August is the end of her job at Granger. While she knew it was coming, she had been told earlier it would be the end of the year. At least, she got some advance warning, not like Mark and a lot of others.
Aunt Amy
That Sparta re-enactment was hysterical - do you have video of that?! Almost beats SwampDaddy! Best wishes as you make the final push - almost there! Jessica
Hey Rich,
It’s been great following you throughout your journey. It is getting close to being home. I’m sure that you are looking forward to finishing. It must have been an incredible experience. Look forward to seeing you back.
Jim
Jessica,
Yes, we are going to post another reenactment that Jared and Justy did on video.