Rollin' Hills in the Volunteer State

It's interesting the things that happen on Bike & Build that you would never think possible. For example, on Monday morning thirty people managed to sleep in. That's right, thirty. Our wake up time was 5 am so that we could avoid most of the heat that comes later in the day. Well, by this point just about everyone was assuming that someone else would set an alarm. Surely we wouldn't all lie in our sleeping bags with little regard for the time? Right? Wrong. Fortunately, we did manage to wake up around 6 and still beat most of the heat. The ride was a nice one, with only one climb about halfway through to get over a ridge. The only reason this hill was so bad was the heat, which beat down on us as we trudged up the incline, making us literally rain sweat as we sprinted from overhanging branch to overhanging branch, hoping to avoid the warmth of the day. After that climb, we descended down into a valley and rode along some rolling hills (kind of a recurring theme of Tennessee) into Dunlap, where we stopped for some much-needed ice cream. We chit-chatted with the owner of the shop while we downed our scoops of rocky road, strawberry cheesecake, and praline pecan and then headed on our way to invade another National Guard Armory. Although the climb earlier was hot, it was definitely much warmer by the time we arrived, and we were grateful that this armory did not have a broken air conditioner. The staff of the armory were also very kind to us and gave us some MREs to snack on and also some cots for the evening. I was on laundry crew this week, so I spent the rest of the day washing clothes and then headed back for the first dinner that we prepared ourselves: spaghetti and rice, yum carbohydrates! After that, I quickly headed to bed, exhausted and ready for today's ride.

The town of Dunlap is seated in a valley, formed on one side by a ridge and on the other by the Cumberland Plateau, a large flat area that towers about 1,800 feet above the side of Dunlap. To reach the top of this nice hill, we took a lesser-traveled thoroughfare known as "Daus Mountain Road." Now, if that name didn't intimidate you slightly, perhaps the 1,200 or so feet that you'd climb in the first two miles would. Nonetheless, we were determined to reach the top and head on to our destination. The road snaked upwards at such a sharp angle that for the first mile it felt like your bike might tip over backwards. We pedaled and pedaled (or rather, moved our legs in a circle at a painfully slow cadence) until finally we reached the end of the steep section and then pushed on to the top. Interestingly enough, when you get to the top of a climb like that, all you can think is,"Hey that was fun. I feel great." All thoughts of the anguish and heavy breathing that you just put yourself through quickly disappear, and you are all smiles. After a quick lunch stop, we finished our ride into Sewanee, which is apparently The University of the South. I was not aware that there was only one, but it does seem to be a nice place. After setting up our tents on Lake Cheston, we ventured into town to explore the campus and enjoy a nice restful afternoon. The outdoor organization here on campus, led by a cool guy named John, gave us some advice about the town and got us in to shower at the local gym. Tonight, we have dinner provided by the mother of a girl who did the southern route in 2006, which should be absolutely fantastic. It's always good to talk to people in the local area and just learn about the experiences of others, so that'll be fun. Tomorrow we continue our trek onwards to Memphis (day off) by way of Pulaski.