You gotta love small towns

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I drove to Columbus, NC yesterday for a few days of fall biking with friends. It was a pretty easy drive and while trees were past peak colors the drive was still enjoyable even with a significant traffic back up because of an accident about half way between Nashville and Knoxville followed shortly by a slow down for road construction. It added at least 30 minutes to the trip but I was able to catch up with a friend on the phone during the stop and go traffic which made it go much faster.

I have not cycled in several weeks for NO good reason and I could tell it was beginning to impact my mood. I need these few days of cycling to get me started again. Today we road the Isothermal Trail (rail-trail) starting in Forrest City NC. Total trip was 27.3 miles. There were graded ups and downs that made it seem pretty flat – it did not feel like we rode 27 miles. The temperature got to 70 – warmer than I dressed for. I had a layer under this long sleeve jacket which I took off before we started. There was a substantial headwind on our way back which made the jacket more tolerable.

The photo was taken by the Police Chief in Spindale NC at Wayne’s Lunch Box where we stopped for lunch. I ordered a fried grouper sandwich with pimento cheese and jalapeños. Wayne came out to ask me how the sandwich was because no one had ordered it with those toppings before. I was simply trying to get something I could taste. I am not sure how much I really tasted but I enjoyed it.

This morning when I pulled into the parking lot at the trailhead I went a bit too far forward and heard a mild scrape under my bumper. This is not an unusual occurrence for me and aside from saying SHIT, I didn’t think to much about it. The drive back to Columbus was 16 miles of divided highway and I don’t recall hearing anything amiss.

As we were driving through downtown Columbus there was a new sound. Katherine commented that the wind must have really picked up. We had about a mile left and as we reached the gate of her community, I was wondering if there was an air base near by because it sounded like planes were flying low overhead. Then the sound changed again and it was a scraping sound under the car. Once car was parked we could see that a panel was loose. It had been dragged and the edge was now frayed. Katherine suggested we take the car to Professional Auto Services in Columbus. If we drove as it was the panel would continue to drag and fray at a minimum. Katherine found a heavy shoestring that was long enough to MacGyver the problem.

Tennessee does not require front licence plates which I find annoying because that is the easiest way to identify Uber/Lyft rides. The rear plate is of no use. I had this ugly, empty plate holder. However today I was glad to have this empty unnecessary plate holder. After we got the car to Professional Auto Services, two men came out and said they thought they could get it taken care of if we could give them an hour. Given we were in a small town, an hour gave us time to go home and shower and relax before going back to get the car. I was charged $20. Katherine asked if I got the shoestring back – I have to admit I didn’t think to ask but perhaps it will be in the car.

Tomorrow we will ride 11 miles to a local winery, have lunch and ride back. Life is good.