January 28, 2008

Today’s miles: 65.3 on bike
Green wiley road in Hillsborough to the city of Greensboro

Starting around 7:30 am, all went smoothly until ran into two dogs in the middle of the road. I dismounted, walked with my bike, approaching them slowly and talking winningly to them. Well, they were just a frisky, friendly duo and they followed me down the road a ways, jumping on eachother. It was SUCH a zippadeedooda kind of day: sunny skies and the perfect temperature for biking. I took a couple long breaks, one at this little ho-dunketty post office made with cinder blocks and painted silver and blue. I sat on a rickety bench outside of the old Prender’s grocery store and wrote a short letter.

I biked down the road until I reached a “Road Crossed detour” and an oasis in the clear sunshine: a COOKIE shop?! I wasn’t going to spend money, of which I am low on, BUT geez-us what was I to do. I went inside and met Debra, a smiling bright eyed woman who runs the shop AND a Minnesotan to boot. We talked for an hour and a half about her deceased daughter Emily and my trip (“You go girl” was what she said, I believe). We talked about moving to this area of North Carolina as a Northerner and the difficulty she has had integrating, even after living there for 12 years. About the xenophobia towards Mexicans moving to the area. About the farms no longer being planted to crops, and if they are, because of the “Big Tobacco Buyout” they are planting corn instead.

Bidding a new friend goodbye, I rolled on around the easy detour, adding 4 ½ miles to my route, which ended at the 2 United Church of Christ churches – two congregations kitty corner across the street and one black, one white. They are technically the same church, but separated by race and probably to some extent, the culture associated with race.

As I rolled on down the road, high on coffee and sunshine, I missed a turnoff and ended up going all the way into Gibsonville, adding an extra 4 miles! I stopped and got directions from the two women at a new housing development (“little houses on the hilltop and they’re all made out of ticky-tacky. Little houses on the hilltop and they all look just the same…”). Last eventful moment of the day was when I biked past a school bus and a kid yelled “Bitch” and threw a pencil at me! That’s the only hostility that I’ve experienced so far.

Then I biked into Greensboro on a highway with exit ramps and everything! All the way to Walker Street, where my couchsurfing host lived. I left a message for Travis when I got there, then waited at the Laundromat (& attached bar?) to wait for him to call and to eat dinner. I ate my homemade wheat rolls. Finally, around 6 pm, Travis called and I rode a few blocks to his wonderful little house filled with mouthwatering amounts of outdoor gear!! We talked for a long while, about gear (he is a manager for REI) and travel and life.

And then another Travis came over – a guy who is also involved with couchsurfing. Travis 1 left to talk on the phone and after a few attempts at conversation, Travis 2 and I sat in silence, flipping through magazines. And then a couple other bearded men burst into the house – Rob, Travis’ musician/marathon runner roommate, and some guy named Andrew. We ended up drinking a couple beers and watching Futurama projected onto the neighbor’s house. Slept on luxurious leather couch.