Lazy Days

Days 23 and 24. After the long windy day on Monday, I woke on Tuesday to more wind. I had decided early that I would stop, and probably stay, in Aberdeen, 25 miles away. Even before I left it felt to me like I was wimping out. I tried to convince myself that there were just things I needed to do: rest more, eat a good meal, find a bike shop, catch up on my blog. And those things would take time.
I finally found Tour de France coverage on the ''Vs'' channel. No one had come to kick me out of the room, so I watched the recap of the Tour so far. That done, I took off for Aberdeen. The ride was flat and uneventful. On the outskirts of Aberdeen I saw a building taller than two stories, a novelty out here. Further on there were stores upon stores, strip malls, and recognizable franchises. I rode half way through town and turned north to find a bike shop and a Chinese buffet I spotted on Google Maps. As I was picking out new tires and new chain lube, the owner of the shop told me that a few years ago some guys came through on bikes. They had been on the road three days, heading west. They came into the shop and told him, ''You're buying our stuff, and we're getting on a bus.''
I rode the rest of the way through town, and finally found the motel area. No luck. Everyone booked up. Finally, at the Super 8, the manager called another Super 8 in town, and I was able to reserve a room. Unfortunately, it was a couple of miles back the way I came.
(Continued)