Calhoun Falls to Hamilton Branch
Total miles: 157
Miles: 49.34
Aver MPH: 11.6
Biking time: 4:22:52
Total Time: 6:30
Top speed: 30.5
Camp cost: $20.00
Our road today was a nice one. The temp was great, and we really enjoyed the rural countryside as we rode along at 13 mph. After the first 18 miles or so we took a right turn. This started us cutting across the river valleys that run to the coast. Now we were riding across deep saddles of up one hill and down the other side to do it all over again at the bottom. You know the old adage, "What goes up must come down". In the biking world everyone knows, �That what goes down must bike back up�. This was the road that took us to McCormick.
McCormick was actually a detour for us. We needed to do some grocery shopping and this was our only option. It was only a few miles out of the way and today was a short day too. As we were pedaling along a van passed us and slowed to a stop. I noticed someone getting out and walking back down the road towards us. That always makes you a little nervous. I told Susan it looked like someone wanted to talk to us. About this time she recognized her boss standing on the road ahead of us. He had left a customer in Georgia and just happened to be driving back on the same road we were on. It was nice to see someone from home and catch up on some news.
We soon rolled into McCormick and pulled into a local Waffle House to finally get my breakfast. It was early but I didn�t want to take a chance of the only restaurant in Plum Branch, the next town between us and our campground, being closed. After doing some shopping we headed to the library to do some email. It was closed! No wonder the kids of America are falling behind. They can�t get into a library!! Another cut. We pulled out and headed to Plum Branch.
We got a nice site under some big pines. We even had a view of Clarks Hill Lake in our back yard. It was only a dry lake bed though. It would have been a great view if there had not been a drought, but at least we have not been rained on :>)
We even have little pillows but they don�t help much. By little I mean about the size of a football. I supplement mine with the dirty laundry bag and Susan uses her sleeping bag liner balled up under her pillow. The problem with the laundry bag is it gets bigger or smaller depending on when we do laundry. I always resist doing laundry early. I love a big fluffy pillow, though it does smell like an old gym bag..
Hamilton Branch to Aiken
Total miles: 222
Miles: 64.5
Aver MPH: 10.4
Biking time: 6.09.13
Total Time: 9.0
Top speed: 41.0
Camp cost: $14.50
You can get some idea how steep the hills are by looking at our top speed for a given day. Today it was 41 mph. It was not even a long hill but it was steep. The long hills were still to come and it was not long before we turned onto Currytown Road.
After Currytown Road we continued through Graniteville. Then came the toughest hill of all; the climb up pass the landfill. This is a long 12% grade that just kills. About half way up we stopped for a breather. Then we climbed on towards the summit. A hundred yards from the top there is an intersection with a stop sign. The grade continues the same but you have to stop. The road that we intersect is a blind turn in both directions. As we pedaled though it I worried if anyone would come barreling through from either direction. We slowly pedaled the twelve feet of tandem and trailer safely through and over the crown. The next climb was Dibble Road.
Dibble Road was 4 � miles long and brings you into Aiken. It is almost one continues grade as well. This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. It goes pass some really nice homes and passes Highland Park Country Club. Appropriately named I thought. We finally arrived in Aiken about 2:30 very tired and very hungry.
We ate at the Brewery Pub. We enjoy a good pub meal and everyone was friendly. After we paid and walked out we found a crowd around our bike. They all wanted to know about the trip. We finally got on our way about 3:30.
We stopped by the library but still no luck. By now the kids had all the machines and the list was long. We then headed off route to find a grocery store. After shopping it was after 4:00 and we were 5 miles off course. We still had 15 miles to go once we were back on track. When we finally hit highway 78 out of town it was almost 5:00 and traffic was bad. The next 10 miles to State Park road was some of the scariest riding I have ever done.
We shared the road with a steady line of traffic. It was a mix of cars, logging trucks, sand dump trucks and commercial trucks. Susan and I handle traffic differently too. I just focus on the white line and my little strip of pavement. All energy is used to keep the bike in as straight an un-waving line as possible. That is not always easy with wind and trucks going by. To me a close pass by a high speed vehicle is like a shooting star. It goes by so fast sometimes you wonder if it really happened. That is how I deal with it. Susan takes it personal.
I think it�s the 50% Italian blood in her. She screams at the drivers. She waves her arms and sometimes shows them their IQ score. She talks about their parentage and what she thinks about their mothers. She tells them what she would do to them if they would just stop. It is times like this that I am glad we don�t have our tandem talk anymore.
When we at last turn off hwy 78 we are both physically and mentally exhausted. The last 5 miles where long and tough and when we pulled into our camp site we both just collapsed on the picnic table. Today I learned more about my state than I ever did in geography class. The distance between places was measured in breaths, not in miles. This day was not fun.
