Friday, May 18
Charlottesville, Va.
0 miles
I’m reprinting day-to-day journal entries here from a cross-country bicycle tour my friend Bruce and I took in 1984. Read more journal entries at TransAmerica Tour 1984.
Gene’s Journal
Six days into our TransAmerica bike tour, and we’re already taking our first day off. The first five days have been a shakedown cruise — the last days of training and the first of our trip. I feel that our journey begins in earnest tomorrow.
We spent the night at Ann’s apartment. Her brother is one of Bruce’s good friends. After lolling around our hostess’ apartment for a while, we boxed up some clothes to send back home. I sent back an extra sweater and other clothes that only filled space and added weight to my panniers. Why did I pack so much crap? Maybe I can cheat gravity a little as we head into the Appalachians.
We stopped at a bike shop to get Bruce’s front pannier fixed (the cotter pin keeps falling out). When one of the mechanics ran out for a bite at McDonald’s, the other shook his head and said his co-worker doesn’t care about what he puts in his body and should be more careful about what he eats. Later, Bruce and I remarked at how often we eat fast food, and now we won’t be able to enjoy it.
After she returned home from work, Ann took us to a camp store for a couple of necessities (I tried not to add weight back to the panniers) and we ate a huge dinner at an Italian restaurant.
Headline: May 18, 1984 —
Saudi Arabia tells the US that it’s worried that Iranian air attacks
on Kuwaiti and Saudi oil tankers in recent days
risked widening the Iran-Iraq war …
(No Bruce’s Journal today)
Note: I had a small transistor radio with me with earphones that I listened to occasionally, and we heard music when we went into diners and stores playing “Top 40” radio stations.
I still recall arriving in Southern California whenever I hear “When the Doves Cry”; that song was playing everywhere there that summer. What were the other Top 40 tunes of 1984, you ask? According to The Eighties Club:
You can find all Top 100 songs at The Eighties Club.
Tomorrow
Day 7: Climb a mountain, meet the Cookie Lady
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