Pee Dee to Cheraw
Total miles: 617
Miles: 54.51
Aver MPH: 11.2
Biking time: 4:51:11
Total Time: 7:00
Top speed: 24.0
Camp cost: $59.00
Our theme of a thousand cuts showed up early. Our first turn was only a half a mile from the park entrance and when we got to it I stopped. The first turn was a dirt road. We hate dirt roads, and from past experience we knew to look for another route. Fortunately there was another road going our direction just a mile or two down the way.
The whole ride today was much nicer. The wind had dropped off to a manageable 5-10 mph and was coming out of the southwest. It didn�t help us but as a crosswind it did not hurt as bad. The detour didn�t hurt either and actually saved us a mile or two. It wasn�t long before we pulled into Hardees in Dillon.
While ordering our food someone from a crowd of men hollered at us. He said a fellow sitting with them wanted to know where we were headed. He said the rest of them were not that interested, but that guy was. They all laughed. It turned out they were a very friendly bunch of the towns shakers and movers. The group included the mayor, the editor of the local paper, and a bunch of city council. They were there for the weekly breakfast meeting. We talked with them a while and went and sat down to eat. Before long a reporter from the Dillon Herald showed up. She asked some question about our trip and took a few pictures. Everyone waved and wished us good luck as we saddled up and headed towards Bennettsville.
In Bennettsville we took a break and had a milkshake at a local restaurant. As we were sitting there a guy walked in and looked around until he saw us. He walked over and asked all the usual questions. He then told us he and his wife did a lot of bike touring. He was just driving by when he saw our bike out front and he turned around and came back just to talk to us. It always amazed me the number of people we would meet when we stopped.
From Bennettsville we rode on to Cheraw. We are getting a hotel in Cheraw because, �..well, we could. We enjoy the camping but it is still hard to pass by a hotel to go sleep in a tent. I had stayed at this hotel on my trip around the state and back then there was a laundromat next door and a good Mexican restaurant across the street. As we pulled up to the hotel all those things were still there. After checking-in we did our laundry and then crashed in the room until supper.
The Mexican place was still good. After eating we walked to a grocery store close by and did our shopping for tomorrow�s meal. As we walked back I told Susan tomorrow would be a tough day. As I remembered it the terrain really starts to change and the hills become steeper and closer together. This definitely started a code red bad mood that I decide was best left to smolder on it�s own as I turned into the lobby to send out an email or ten.
Cheraw to Andrew Jackson SP
Total miles: 681
Miles: 63.95
Aver MPH: 10.0
Biking time: 6:23:09
Total Time: 8:30
Top speed: 33.0
Camp cost: $15.00
From Chesterfield we rode on to Pageland. The road was hilly but we had a nice shoulder as we rode down hwy 9. This was our third day of riding at least partly on hwy 9. For the most part it had not been bad. It is the main road east and west in northern SC and has plenty of truck traffic but it has been either 4 lanes or it has a wide shoulder. We felt comfortable on it as we pulled into Pageland to eat. It was early still but there would be nothing else today so we decided to eat then.
After eating we rode out of Pageland. Right outside town everything changed. Our shoulder disappeared, and the traffic picked up. For the next 8 miles we rode with some awful truck traffic. It was as bad as we had ridden in and we were very happy to turn off on to Shiloh Unity Road.
I had read my notes from my past trip about this road the night before. I had described it as being a really nice ride. I said the traffic was non-existent as it wove through the countryside. It was all those things for sure. It was also a truly tough grade. For almost 5 miles we climbed up a chip sealed road. Finally we made the top and from there we did have a nice downhill grade for the next 4 miles. Before long we found another one of those country stores and we pulled in.
Susan started talking with the girl behind the counter. She was telling her how hard Shiloh Unity road had been. The girl could not believe we had ridden all the way down Shiloh Unity Road. Susan told her, �No, no. We came all the way from Cheraw�. The girl looked at Susan like she was absolutely nuts and all she said was, �Why?� Susan told her it was because we are crazy.
Not long after leaving the little country store at Unity we pulled onto a major highway, 521. It wasn�t bad because we had another 4� shoulder to ride on. About 6 miles or so we pulled into the entrance to Andrew Jackson SP.
Looming in front of us was the steepest hill I have ever seen. I quickly shifted us into low-low. That means we can�t get any lower gears than that. As we get about 2/3�s the way up the hill a ranger in a golf cart passes us. For just a nano-second I look over at him and that is all it takes for me to loss my focus and run off the road. Since we are only going about 2 � -3 mph there is no harm except we are now stopped. It is so steep I wonder if we will just fall off the face of the hill. We take a short break and then start off again. I could not believe it but we soon crested the top. At the ranger station the ranger is outside waiting for us. He looks over our bike and tells us how much he admired folks our age doing stuff like this. Our age? Oh well. You take a compliment where you can get it I guess.
As we are unloading and setting up camp I told Susan that this is the last really tough day. The last two would be easier.
Almost all state parks are situated around a river or lake. That means you have to ride down to the camp site, and ride up to get out. Some are not too bad like Hamliton Branch, and some are killers like Kings Mountain. We generally start each day with a climb of some sort.
Once on the road we each have our part of the mechanics of the ride. A tandem has a captain, that�s me, and a stoker, that�s Susan. The captain�s job is pretty apparent; pedal, steer and shift, but the stoker does more than just supply her share of the power. She has two other jobs as well. She keeps up with oncoming traffic. Susan has her on lingo for this. She will yell car back for one car, pair for two, string for three, and a convoy for more than that. It does sound a little silly but it is helpful information. It lets you know what to expect after the first car goes by. As important as the first two jobs are, the third is the biggy. She is also the navigator.
It Susan�s job to make sure we don�t miss a turn. I love this part because I can never, again, never, be blamed for missing a turn. And the best part is we did miss some turns. One cost us about 7 miles! So whenever she starts getting on to me about missing a shift, or weaving in traffic or any boneheaded thing I might do I just remind her about that missed turn. End of argument. And the best part is, it�s timeless. I can bring it up for years. You gotta love that.
After an hour or so of riding we always stop and do what we call a stand down. We stop and stand up over the bike for a few minutes. We do this religiously. Even in the mornings when you feel like you can ride forever, because it pays off in the afternoons when you think you are going to die. We also take a sit down break ever two hours or our second break. Because of the town placement on our routes we usually eat lunch after 30-35 miles.
After eating we always looked for a grocery store to get something for supper and to replenish our supplies. We also look for a laundromat if we need one. We usually poke around the town for anything interesting and we always call the kids then too. Starting back on the road after lunch is always the tough part for me. My legs revolt for the first 2-3 miles before they warm back up, especially if we have hills.
Everyday except for the days along the coast we have hills. We are usually hitting the climb after a down hill run and with the loaded tandem we get a pretty good push up the other side, but never enough. We each have our own way for getting up hills. I break them down to smaller goals by just getting to the next telephone pole, or tree, or driveway. I do this by getting into the �drops�, bent over and watching the front tire slowly roll around. Susan does it her way. She also gets into the drops but she hardly ever looks back up. She just grinds them out, and if she does finally look up she is either tremendously happy or extremely disappointed depending on where we are in the climb. If either of us needs a break we stop, but this is rare. We usually just reel�em in. It is the old adage that shared pain is lessened. That is how we climbed the hills on this trip.
As the day wears on we are always looking for a country store. Even with 5 water bottles we seem to push it close to running out. I was always amazed how often, in the middle of nowhere, a little store would appear. At one place, with ancient gas pumps, was a hand printed sign that said �no credit cards or debit cards and no checks�. Inside it had a sign that said �no credit�. This place was twenty miles form the nearest town too. If you don�t have cash don�t stop. One thing it did have was a clean restroom. Susan gave it an A+. That wasn�t true of most of them.
We stopped at one place in the middle of somewhere. I asked if they had a restroom we could use and the guy said yeap. He told me it was outside. I asked if I needed a key and he said nope. Susan and I walked around the side of the building and there was the restroom. You didn�t need a key for the door because it had been ripped off and was lying on the ground a few feet away. The toilet was sitting facing the door. We both decided to pass on this one. Sometimes the green room is the better choice.
Anywhere between 4:00 and 6:00 we would pull in to camp. After finding our site and setting up we usually head to the bathhouse for a hot shower. One day I went first while Susan was doing some things. When I got back she went. Shortly she came back out and asked me to check the men�s shower to see if she had left anything in it. The men�s shower!?!? It seems she was not paying attention to which door she went through. After taking her shower she went to the sink to dry her hair. That was when she noticed the urinal, and when she immediately ran out.
