"Sal, we gotta go and never stop going 'till we get there". "Where we going man?" "I don't know but we gotta go" - Jack Kerouac, On the Road -

Friday, August 9, 2013

DAY 3: A hard rain's gonna fall

Oakland, MD - Morgantown, WV : 53 miles. Total: 231 miles


And fall it did.

Last night I fall asleep to the crashing sound of the rain. The tin roof of this motel is a loudspeaker blasting the sound of rain drops all over. Is it tin? It can't be. Whatever it is it does nothing to muzzle the sound of the rain. I sleep well though, I have clear conscience: 105 miles among the hills and under the rain comes with a reward. I wake up late because with the storm there is no point in rushing out of the door to leave Oakland. I don't move the curtains to see what the weather is like, the sound, the very same sound that lulled me to sleep last night, is still on, again, still, on, again. It is pissing down, there is no other way to put it. Stay in bed, stay still, stay warm. Forget about it. I fall further behind schedule and I don't care. I am not going to get soaked again if I can help it. I am not worried about me, I am worried about the gear and the bike. When they get wet they malfunction. That's right, don't ride in the rain today. Let's think this through. For a restless soul like me thinking doesn't come easy and waiting does not come at all. I prepare myself, even put sunscreen on, yeah right? who am I kidding? The socks are dry and...what now? There is a break in the sky. It doesn't really matter because the road looks like it's flooded, a rapid stream rolls down the hills, the hillsides are so heavy with water that the place looks like it has been injected with steroids. Oakland is busy with cars and the usual fast food chains lit up. People are alive, me too, then let's get out of here. I'm going for it. I make 10 miles west and the rain intensifies. Wait, what? It is absolutely pelting down. The earth takes a beating, I am in trouble. I find a shelter in the middle of a field but my shoes, socks and feet are totally soaked. Feet usually go first, they get wet from the rain stream that comes off my front wheel. Even if it's sunny but the road is wet my feet get soaked. Then my ass goes too. The water coming off the back wheel lashes relentlessly on my back. I am soaked and dirty, watery mud is on my skin, in my mouth, under my nails. I look around and I am in awe of the scenery. This would be beautiful in sunny weather I'm thinking. I sit on a bench under a wooden roof for at least an hour. I am tired of waiting and I ride the 4 miles to the tiny town of Terra Alta in the rain. The cars that pass me take pity on me and slow down at the moment of overtaking me to avoid creating a total shower of water and debris. The trucks don't give a damn. Am I upset? No, I am laughing. This is crazy, the rolling hills all around are covered in mist, rain and mud; the air is heavy and damp, nature is so lush that it resembles a tropical forest, temperature drops down to 61 F. I am not upset but I am cold and I am concerned about the vehicles that blast by me. Visibility is reduced and this could be dangerous, and stupid. Wait for the rain to stop for God's sake! but it won't stop, the sky is uniformly grey and when it is not, it is black. The rain won't stop. At Terra Alta I gulp down a hot vanilla latte so sweet that in a normal situation it would have given a heartburn; the warm sensation radiates from my mouth into my bloodstream and my hands and feet come alive again. I hear rumbling in the distance and the storm is raging outside. I say to myself a couple of "let's do it" and here I am on my bike in forbidding conditions. I make it to Kingwood negotiating an exhilarating descent which shoots me down the mountain for 3 unforgettable miles. When your back is against the wall, your worse fears become your strongest assets. Totally against my usual penchant, this time I love the descent; I hit 39 mph blasting my way into a wall of water which opens before me like the Red Sea bowing in front of Moses. Rain drops hit my sunglasses and bounce off in an instant before disintegrating in the cold air. My hands are ready to tap the breaks at every blind curve or unwelcoming site. My arms tense up and by the end of the hill my underdeveloped triceps are sore. By the time I reach the bottom of the hill I am completely drenched but I am in an insanely happy mood. It was just amazing, let's do it again? No way. I still have a mile up before I reach the soulless town of Kingwood where I take shelter under a roof in a parking lot of a shopping mall, which is totally empty. I sit for 2 hours waiting for the rain to let up. The sky is low and dark. How long since I last saw the sun? I can't even remember. I wait and wait and finally the rain stops for just a few minutes. I have 20 miles to go before I hit Morgantown. That's where I'll stay tonight, no discussion about it. I will take the bike to the shop and dry off in a hotel. That's the plan. I take off again in a drizzle which obscures my visibility and I see about 40 feet ahead and then I have no idea where the road is going. Good enough for me. The cars and the trucks will adjust. Will they? I need to get out of this mountain. I took more rain in the last 24 hours than I did on my previous two cross-country rides combined. From Kingwood it is tough going again. However, as I approach the last real steep climb the rain stops completely and some of the dark clouds begin to disperse. I even see a faint sunlight penetrating through the clouds. The steep, rocky, coal-filled mountainsides so typical of this part of the country begin to give way to more gentle hills, rolling terrain and thick woods. The colors of the grass glow in the timid light, the rain has definitely stopped, this is good. I look west and I realize that the grind might be over. A delightful 8-mile descent spits me out of the bad weather and into the Monongahela Valley. I finally see a proper blue patch in the sky which portends sunny days. OK, let's not get carried away. I blast down the mountain again singing loudly a Murder of One by Counting Crows. Trucks speed by spitting debris all over me but it doesn't hurt. After the morning rain and yesterday's heroics I fell pretty strong now. Nothing hurts. 

When I finally enter Morgantown I pump my fist because I know I have seen the back of the mountains. In town I head straight for the bike shop where the guy finds a crack in my front derailleur. Great! And the shop does not carry the part to replace it. What now? The guy is confident that it will hold. With pliers he proceeds to compress the loose ends. Some fix! We'll see, the worst that can happen is that I won't be able to shift in the small ring. I just hope the hills aren't too steep from here on out so I won;t need the low gear. Rick says they shouldn't be. I trust him.

Morgantown is a pretty university town built on the shores of the Monongahela river. The town has a funny shape as has sprung up over time along the windy river course. It is the seat of the West Virginia University and has a quite unique transport system: they call it the people mover transit system. Over narrow bridges that clasp the whole university area these cars that look like space pods speed by from building to building, connecting major university spots. These tiny cars cram in a few people, mainly students, and seem very functional. Check out Wikipedia. 

The weather forecast for tomorrow is pretty good. Could it be? I am one full day behind schedule. Despite all the bad weather,  I still managed to put the worst of the mountains behind. Now I am looking at 150 miles of hilly terrain before it flattens out. Long climbs are a thing of the past. If tomorrow brings sunshine I could hope for a long day. I am going for it. My alarm goes off at 5:30.   



At about 9:30 AM the rain stops and I leave Oakland, this is 2nd st 



Highway 7 takes me right into the rain



The rain-soaked hillsides along highway 7 



 Sunglasses? What for? I wonder!



Pelting down, just east of Terra Alta 



I stay out of the rain for at least 20 minutes, drinking a hot vanilla latte at Terra Alta 



The road to Kingwood, it takes right into another rainfall 



 The road to...nowhere



The hills around highway 7 



At Kingwood the rain forces me to stop again 



All my clothes are soaked again and watching the rain ain't no fun



After 2 hours of waiting around the rain stops and I even see a patch of blue sky, this is the valley looking west toward Morgantown 



Past Reedsville highway 7 drops me down to the Monongahela Valley 



A coal mine along highway 7 



The rain again and I take cover wherever I can



 A very kind man lets me take shelter in his garage. He even gives me a clean towel to dry off. The hospitality of the locals here is amazing



 This is the University of West Virginia Police bld



 The WVU campus is as big as a small town, this is the Science bld




 The El of the transit system through the WVU campus







What's next? the Midwest..

9 comments:

  1. Looks like it was a tough day. Glad to see that you were able to smile and laugh at the rain, that's keeping the spirits high. Past the big eastern mountains and now on to some better days. Enjoy the road and stay safe.

    Mike

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  2. It sounds like you had a really rough day! I feel your anger . Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully the weather will be in your favor but please stop taking risks !
    Good luck for tomorrow and remember we are all thinking about you , Be careful .Mahdia

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  3. The word Monongahela is Native American in origin, meaning “falling banks”. The Monongahela tribe was indigenous to the area. The Monongahela practiced maize agriculture, and lived in well laid out villages, some of which consisted of as many as 50-100 structures. They traded with other Indian groups who in turn traded with Europeans. The Monongahela seem to have disappeared some time during the 1620s or 1630. What?! Civilization before the white man, who knew?!

    My secret passion, geeky historical tidbits. Also known as the stuff they don't teach in American history classes.

    I hope the sunny weather we have today is what you are experiencing as well. Ride safe and hopefully dry today.

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  4. Dear Luigi,

    Hope that you are having a smooth sailing today. you make me feel that i am there with you, getting soaked and all. i told you before, you should write a book. big hugzz from sunny Lebanon, sending some sunshine and a beautiful mediterranean breeze your way, Nada

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  5. Forza Luigi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Alessio

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  6. Ciao Luigi,

    Sei sempre il piĆ¹ forte !... e noi siamo sempre con te Te !

    Un abbraccio

    Leandro e ragazze.

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  7. Dear Luigi,
    It breaks my heart to know that the rain is putting a damper in your spirit. Just know that you are not out there alone and that we, your friends, are cheering you on. You are out there for the love of the sport and the desire to help the helpless. Some of us dream of saving the world, you are out there actually taking the "bull by the horn" and doing it. We are very proud of you, keep on riding. You may not realize it now, but the rain should be a reminder of the end result....charity: water! mcl

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