Hot and Humid

I rolled out of Americus, GA, at around 7:00am on Friday, after my friend Alyssa got up and made me breakfast.  It's nice to get good food in my stomach to start the day off.  All in all, it was a pretty uneventful day of riding.  Depending on how I felt, I had considered trying for about 93 miles to get to Indian Springs State Park, but the heat and humidity really got to me.  Each time I would pull off at a gas station to cool off or get a drink, at least one person would ask me what the heck I was doing out there in that heat.  The last 24 mile stretch was pretty awful.  I had pushed up and down the hills all day, and then I got on this road that just kept going.  Every time I crested a hill, I thought I had to be getting close to Forsyth, GA. 

When I did get to town, I collapsed into a chair at McDonald's and checked my email.  After that I headed across the interstate to a KOA Campground.  I had some great neighbors named Barron and Sarah that were on a weekend trip.  They fed me, alerted me to the existence of a swimming pool at the campground, and engaged in some good conversation. 

I went to bed right around sunset and got up a half hour before sunrise.  I wnated to get an early start to try to avoid some of the heat I had encountered the day before.  It was still in the upper 70's at dawn, and it just got hotter from there.  When I checked the weather forecast on my phone, it said that the current temperature was about 91 degrees, but it "felt like" 103.  Indeed. 

When I stopped to look at the weather, I was in Monticello, GA, and there was a farmers market.  It was amazing.  I walked around looking at stuff, and came across a guy selling peaches by the bag.  I didn't want a bag of them to carry, so I asked how much one would be, and he just gave it to me.  There was a woman selling honey across the sidewalk from the peach vendor that struck up a conversation with me as well.  She said her husband was actually at a cycling race (I don't remember where).  She gave me a bottle of her honey for the road as well.  Good quick energy. 

I was hoping to make it to Fort Yargo State Park, but as I was pulling in to Monroe, GA, thunder started and I didn't want to get stuck in the last 14 mile stretch.  If I didn't make it to Fort Yargo State Park, Monroe, GA, was the last place I would find lodging short of there. Now I'm in another cheap motel room, enjoying air conditioning.  I'm really hoping to get good sleep tonight and to be on the road with a full stomach right at dawn.  I would really like to be done by noon tomorrow to stay out of this brutal heat.