down the road to Eminence MO. ("Eminence" -- sounds like someone had
big plans, no? Well they haven't panned out yet, is all I can say.)
We're in the heart of the Ozarks, so the climbs were many and steep.
And it was -- have I mentioned this before? -- h-o-t hot Hot HOT.
We're getting started earlier in the morning, which is good -- the
mornings are quite pleasant for riding. But even then there's a sort
of desperation to my riding because I'm so eager to get to the end and
avoid as much of the blazing heat of the afternoon sun as I can. Which
makes it very hard for me to want to stop for anything other than
water -- not very conducive to leisurely sight-seeing, which was the
general approach I wanted to try to take to this trip (an approach
that runs counter to my natural biking tendencies, I'm afraid).
Anyway, to make up for my failure to stick to my riding "game plan," I
made a really bad decision in Eminence, which was to join Clive, Kath,
Dennis, and Hugh on a kayaking/canoeing adventure down the Jacks Fork
River, one of two lovely, clear rivers that run through the area. Why
did I put myself back in the blazing sun for two hours? Crazy. And why
did I not foresee that the beautiful river, on a hot mid-June Saturday
afternoon, would be filled, bank to bank, beginning to end, with not-
so-beautiful people, in inner tubes, rubber rafts, canoes, and all
manner of floating devices, each hauling along
more beer than I could drink in a thirsty week. (Loud, obnoxious, fat,
inebriated, and "tramp stamp"-intensive people, just to add to the
"fun.") Stupid. Kath got into the cultural aspects of the afternoon;
Hugh (as is his nature) and Dennis had a great time, despite (because
of?) capsizing twice; Clive endured; I sulked.
(Sent from my iPhone)
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