deCycles Southeast America 2014
Journal Entry
Day 12 ... Wednesday, July 2

Start: Savannah, GA

End: Charleston, SC

Distance: 114-miles

Terrain: Flat, inland riding.  Slight variable winds.

Climate: Mid-90s, humid, sunny, hot.

The transformation continues.  Several student and adult riders are showing weightloss.  The tans are darker and some faces are staring.  Some are walking slow like zombies.  And yet, many others are chipper, bouncy, and energetic.  Now it's getting tough.  This can be a grind.  And there has been little letup from the heat, humidity, and persistent traffic.  All of this was expected before we started this trip.  This is why there was non-stop pleading for all cyclists on this trip to train and to take care of themselves.  Proper diet, sleep, attitude, and pumptitude was needed before the trip to help ensure each rider would be prepared.  But humans have to be reminded and some of the riders are starting to see their young teenage reserves being depleted. They should pay attention to older riders who know better and who realize they need to maintain their reserves.

We departed Savannah at 6:30am in order to cover 115-miles and reach the USS Yorktown by 4-4:30pm.  Traffic was heavy coming off the bridge from Savannah.  There was construction, and the groups had to stay focused being forced to pedal on a rough shoulder that resulted several flat tires.  Things thinned out about 15-miles down the road and we started to make good time.  A few riders experienced stomach ailments and we dealt with that over the course of the day.  By noon, the temps skyrocketed as they have each day of this trip.  Only about 3-riders continue to struggle due to undertraining.  Some have attitudes that get in their way.  This trip is about pushing through perceived limitations.  

We arrived at the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point in Charleston about 4:30pm.  After racking the bikes outside, we unloaded the Penske cargo truck and hauled our stuff to the upper deck of this WWII aircraft carrier ... the one that retrieved the Apollo 8 space capsule back in 1968.  The riders got a taste of being a midshipman on a historic aircraft carrier.  We had supper the military way.  We had a fire drill.  And then a tour of the ship and the flight deck.  

We want a deCycles trip to expose young people to the core components of our country ... the industrial areas, the governmental buildings, historical monuments, and military complexes.  This is what makes up the country we live in and each of these things are important for all of us to see and experience.  Sleeping in the bowels of a giant aircraft carrier is certainly a unique experience never to be forgotten.

It was a tough hot day in South Carolina.  Tomorrow we say goodbye to the east coast and head inland to North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana for the second half of our trip.  Tomorrow will also be our 4th century of the trip.   The miles are piling up and this week is already proving to be much more challenging than last week.

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