It's a bit of a sad day for me, I had to let Malcolm and Ian go on without me. They wanted to do 90 miles today, and continue to do 70 or so each day, and it's just too much for me. They are both on a tight schedule and need to finish before August 1. They are both very nice guys and I will miss their company, but I also look forward to setting my on pace.
So, today I arrived in Carbondale about 9:00 am and waited in a coffee shop for the bike shop to open at ten. Unfortunately, I sat there until about 10:15 and when I got into the shop there were about 6 guys from the ACA supported tour ahead of me for repairs. The owner said he would call me when my bike was ready, so I went back to the coffee shop and say down with three of the supported riders to talk shop about our trip.
As is often the case with me, it didn't take long to get into a political discussion with one of the fellows. He described himself as conservative libertarian leaning, but I found him to be very reasonable and knowledgeable. I spent a very pleasant hour or so talking to him, and hope to see all of these guys again in the ride.
If I get my bike back in time, I'm going on to Murphysboro tonight and on to Chester tomorrow and perhaps across the Mississippi. Carbondale is the largest city I've been through since Lexington, Va., It has a population of about 26000 with a thriving uptown. Mainly, it's a nice place to take a break.
I spent the night in a motel, and walked to a fairly close by restaurant where I had a good dinner and a few beers. Talked to Kendall Balsitis, the cute bar keep there, a cool girl about 50 years younger than me. We became Facebook friends so that she could keep up with my trip. We still keep up with each other.
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