Day 5 - MINERAL to PALMYRA, VA (30 miles) to Poland, OH So...today was a bad day. Not because the roads were hilly (they were), or because of the dogs that chased and nearly bit us (5 total in 30 miles). Nope, all of that would have been just fine by us had Cynthia's grumbling knee pain not crescendoed to a roar. After our rest day yesterday, we were trying to take it easy and test out Cynthia's knee. We had a couple hills that immediately told us that all was not well with Cynthia's knee. In the morning we had multiple plateaus that allowed us to do pretty good mileage in spite of the pain. Then it all came down.
We had just climbed a small hill and were on a false flat when Cynthia suddenly cried out and yelled, "I've gotta stop" and pulled off the side of the road. She had tears in her eyes as she told me, "That was some of the worst pain ever." She described the pain as a fraying feeling, as if something had released and sent a hot, fiery rush of pain through inside of her knee behind her kneecap. Cynthia, in her normal determination, fought through and continued on, but the pain was apparent in her uneven pedal strokes. We had weighed our options as to how we could continue the ride yesterday, on our rest day off.
After we continued for a few more miles it was clear that we were unable to reach Charlottesville through the increasingly difficult hills and unlikely to be able to return to Mineral on her own power. We were forced to realize that Cynthia was not going to make it through the mountains that lay ahead. Our only option was to get my car from Ohio to have Cynthia become my support driver. Even though we felt miserable about it, we called my father, who knew of Cynthia's knee issues, and he quickly volunteered to come pick us up. We limped into the small town of Palmyra, VA to wait for our ride. We played some cards and waded in the nearby Rivanna River. We were picked up around 7pm and made it home to Ohio around 4am. We will be back in Virginia early next week to continue.
We are determined to continue the ride in whatever fashion possible. Regrettably, it is likely that Cynthia will become my support driver until it becomes possible for her to rejoin the ride. At that point we figure out whether we will alternate driver and rider, or some other configuration.
Quality Water Means Quality Life
1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Help others avoid the choice between thirst or disease.
As we passed through the Ozark Mountains, among Missouri scenic rivers, we came to a gorgeous little spot called "Two Rivers." At this convergence of the Jacks Fork and Current rivers, the silt heavy rapids of the Current meet the clear calm of the Jacks Fork river and one can actually see the divide between the two. I couldn't help but think of the divide between our access to clean water and the lack thereof in the villages of rural Ghana.
Troy and I consume on average, about 12 to 20 (20 oz) bottles of water daily. That's 12 to 20 times per day that, unlike the people in rural Ghana, Troy and I avoid illness without even realizing it. Regardless of how many miles we ride, we have no doubt that stopping anywhere along the road for water will be easy and risk-free.
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