Day 1: Charleston,SC to Orangeburg,SC

Here's a summary of the first day on road.

Miles ridden: 71

Highest Temperature: 94 degrees (I think)

Temperature it felt like: 900,000 degrees

Wind: Headwind the entire way (15 mph is my estimate)

Terrain: Mostly flat (That's real nice, Clark, real nice)
Scenery rating: 5.5 (on a 1-10 scale)

Word that I would use to describe how I felt this morning: Totallyscaredtodeath
Word that I would use to describe how I feel right now: Shredded

Quote of the Day: "Daddy's gonna fire up this cigarette in the van and we'll see how this things works."
An older man.....who some might describe as a redneck, to his two-year-old son wearing only a diaper and tank top. He had just purchased a "bubbles machine" inside of Cracker Barrell.

Songs that were stuck in my head today: "Hunger Strike" -Temple of the Dog, "Hip to be Square" -Huey Lewis and the News, "Don't forget my number" -Milli Vanili

What I ate today: Cliff Bars, a large piece of very greasy pizza from a gas station (oh yeah, livin' on the edge the very first day), Cracker Barrell for dinner, and a good amount of gorp.

Tonight's stay: Comfort Inn of Orangeburg

Tomorrow's Destination: Greenwood, SC, appr. 100 miles from our motel.
Monday's Destination: Clemson, SC (60 miles)

Good first day on the road for sure. I'd be lying if I didn't say that it had it's difficult moments though. My traveling companions, CBHS seniors Colin Graves and Stephen Douglas, lead the way today, breaking the wind for me all day long. I kind of felt like Lance Armstrong having them do all the work. This was huge because I definitely overpacked my B.O.B. bicycle trailer. The first lesson of the trip is always pack light. Definitely something that I did not do. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'll be stopping by UPS tomorrow to send some stuff home, this laptop that I'm typing on for starters. Highlights of today include mixing and mingling with some folks from Bowman, SC. I had a memorable conversation at a picnic table outside a gas station with a Bowmanite in his late 50's. It was memorable because I didn't understand a word this man was saying with the exception of him trying to tell us that our route was completely wrong. I tried to change the subject, but he came right back to the route. Hilarious. Also, not far from Bowman, a mini-van that drove by kindly told us (in words I will not repeat) to share the road. Hmmm, I thought that was his job. But even more funny is that this guy must have really liked my biking outfit because minutes later he drove by and he was barking like a dog. No joke. One other memorable moment was when I totally fell over my bike when we stopped to ask for directions at a used car dealership. I'm sure that gave a good laugh to a few folks. I can only imagine what the next 48 days will be like.

I've been encouraged today by the prayers of many. I'm truly blessed and do not deserve to be able to do something like this.
My verse for today: Hebrews 12:1