Day 80 Locked Out August 30, 2001

Battered AA battery count 34

! woke up today just before 6 am. ! figured it would be about time for
the Continental appetizer. It wasn't ready. The room has a door to the
outside and one to the hall inside. ! went out the inside door. When ! came
back the key didn't fit the lock. The other door had the latch on it so !
couldn't get in that way and no one was in the office. After 20 minutes
someone finally showed up to let ME in. Michael Jackson opened the Nasdaq
today. It's his 43rd birthday. ! made it 17 miles down hwy. 20 before the
back tyre went flat. ! took it off to patch it, but couldn't find the hole so
! just put it back on and pumped it up. It held. Until ! stopped for lunch. !
just pumped it up then and rode on. ! figured ! would just buy a new tyre and
some tubes @ the bike shoppe in the next town. ! got into Pittsfield,
Taxachusetts (TA) and it went flat on ME again. ! pumped it up since ! only
had a couple miles to go. It lasted half a mile. That time it was losing air
as fast as ! could pump it in. Now ! had to patch it w/ only a mile to the
bike shoppe. It had to be done. ! got terrain info there. Kind of flat to
Dalton, TA then up a mountain. After that it was downhill for a few miles
then flat in the valley. That was the 2nd mountain ! climbed today. ! stopped
for a map and a couple Hostess cupcakes. It was 18 miles to the town by the
campground. ! decided to go for it since it would be mostly downhill from
there. ! had MY flashers on before ! got to the turnoff. Then ! rode right
past the D.A.R. State Forest. The sign said 6 miles. It must have meant .6.
After 6 miles of descending ! pulled out MY map and realized ! was way past
it. Turn around. This dude w/ a pickup pulled over and offered ME a ride. It
was after 8 pm and ! had 5 miles of climbing ahead so ! said ok. He had done
some touring in Africa and he had fabulous garlic bread. The camp ground is
very dark. No hot water in the showers. $12. !'m pretty knackered. Time for
bed. 78 miles.