Day 3 - BEAVERDAM to MINERAL, VA Cynthia's knee pain is a growing concern, so we decided to pull a short day today (26 miles) and ride into Mineral to give the knee a rest. Our ride took us by Bumpass VA, (which the Shrewsbury's made it clear that we were mispronouncing) and the beautiful Lake Anna. Unfortunately, we couldn't stop and appreciate the lake as Cynthia's knee was encouraging us to get done for the day.
Cynthia fought through obvious pain on each hill, often riding with one foot, just letting the left leg go around without pushing or pulling with it. Her determination and committment is heartening, but we are only in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and already the climbs are very difficult on her knee. Climbs are the hardest for her as the pain is the worst when the knee is pulling or pushing heavy loads.
We stayed the night at the Mineral Volunteer Fire Department. They get a lot of Transamerican cyclists that stay the night there, so all of the EMTs and Firemen made sure that we had all of the comforts of home. We got our first real showers in three days!! They also had a big screen TV in their day room and a kitchen that we were welcome to use. Even though they had a TV I didn't get a chance to watch the Tour de France. I'm struggling to get my Tour fix, though I can get news feeds on my cell phone or Cynthia's laptop (when it gets reception).
While we were at a diner today Cynthia scratched her head and found a tick in her hair. She was able to pull it out intact, and it only had a little piece of her skin in its mouth. Minor freakout. Now every bug, itch, or piece of dirt is a tick.
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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