Day 9

It rained today, but at least there was no wind. I set a new milage best for this trip at 88 miles. It was pretty flat except for a few valleys. The landscape has changed a little and now instead of just grass I am seeing mostly schrubs. I am finally starting to feel my biking legs come back to me now. I was holding 14 mph pretty steadilly the whole day. This morning I was a little worried because my right akelies tendon felt sore. I could feel a squeeking feeling when I extended my foot. I guess it is time for some WD40. After about an hour of biking the pain started to subside. The cold also seemed to help. My feet and ankles got numb from the cold and wetness, good for pain control, but bad or walking as I almost fell over a few times during rest stops. I could see my breath all day long today. I must have looked like a locomotive to the people driving by.

When I start peddling again after downhill portion I am getting a burning sensation in my legs, sort of feels good in a way. I got the same sensation on my other trips when I started to get back into shape.

By the end of the day I was feeling pretty cold, but it was only bad when I stopped biking. The hotel I was aiming for turned out to be about 10 km from where the signs said it would be, which got me worried that I had gone past it. That would have been a disaster as the next town was about 65 miles away. I stopped at a house which could have been the hotel, but I could not find anyone to ask. I walked around the property for about 15 minutes and started to get cold...and I was already soaked from the constat drizzle all day. I found the hotel a little further down the road. It was a nice place which appeared to cater to truckers. I stayed in a dormitory room with 10 bunk beds all to myself. I took an hour long shower to warm up...best feeling in the world :-) The electricity in this place seems to be a little screwy though. When I tried to turn on a TV, the power to the whole building went out for a few seconds. I think I will stay away from it in the future. Tomorrow I shoot for Piedras Buenas and will get to stay wit my cousin for a day or two. Really looking forward to seeing family again.