Day 114: Springfield

Joy of Joys. There was no south-westerly wind for the 200m (660ft) climb first thing this morning. Indeed the wind behaved as I've become accustomed to it: no wind early in the morning and then, as the day progressed, and the temperature rose, the wind speed increased until just as I was about to pitch my tent, miraculously, it abated and the tent took on the characteristics of a sauna!


So, indeed the temperatures increased throughout the day to reach the 90s°F but, fortunately the wind although present was more like a cooling breeze rather than a headwind. So it made for a hot but enjoyable day of cycling.

Even the dog events, which were 4 in number, did not phase me too much given that I was armed with all purpose Big Bear Spray! Three of the dog events involved pairs of dogs and the other was a "lone wolf". For three events shouting "No", "Stay", worked a treat. However, one of the paired dogs chased me for about a mile down the road: I hope it enjoyed its walk home.

Indeed, apart from the dogs, I was enjoying the ride so much that instead of stopping at my intended stop of Pickstown I rode an additional 40 odd miles to Springfield, which made for a 120 mile ride: the longest of this tour, so far.