Update #24 - Sunday, August 26, 2007
SENECA, SC
9,577.79 miles (15,324.46 kms) since Jan 01st
8,737.03 miles (13,979.25 kms) since March 03

I'm Georgia bound. This will be the last update for this mission trip. There will be another mission trip starting in about a month. I'm on the home stretch. I've got around 300 miles to cycle back to Americus, GA and I hope to be there next Friday, August 31st. This depends on how bad the high heat is along the way and whether there are any late afternoon thunderstorms. I am looking forward to some time off the road.

Crossing West Virginia from Charleston through Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to here in Seneca has been a bit of a blur. It was high heat, steep grades to climb (up to nine percent), steep grades to carefully brake down (thank the L-RD for disc brakes), and not too courteous drivers. I cannot count how many times I was nearly hit by motorists who never thought that it would be a good idea to move over a few inches away from me.

For the most part, I've met some nice people along the way. I stayed with several Warm Showers members including one in Roanoke, VA who thought that my nickname was "Abby Normal". Along the way, I've met some nice pastors including one basketball playing pastor in Boiling Springs, NC. I only had one really bad experience with church people and that was at the main Baptist Church in Lymon, SC.

"Alice", my recumbent, is doing okay. I cannot believe that I've got almost 7,000 miles on it since April 20th. This month alone, I've ridden over 1,200 miles so far this year. I do need to do some minor repairs. One of the things that I need is to get some new disc brake pads.

The next mission trip will start in about a month. I'll by riding through the Gulf States. Depending if any hurricanes come through the area, I plan to spend most of the time in Mississippi and Louisiana to see how the recovery effort is still going on after Hurricane Katrina.

I'll try and post and update as often as I can if my plans change. The next update should be posted between September 02nd and September 09th. Hopefully, I'll have more to write about by then.