how (not to) sleep after a long ride

So, on Tuesday I kept riding.  I stopped along the way and met an attorney from Nashville who is biking north to south on the blue ridge.  And I stopped at a restaurant and had a sandwich.

Then I’m at 78 miles, and I’m still feeling ok.  So I keep going.  100 isn’t too far, i thought.

Well, the last few miles were all uphill. 

Long day short: 100 miles at sunset.

Before it gets dark I need to find a place to sleep.  The first place that shows itself, on a dirt road parallel to the blue ridge parkway, is a seemingly abandoned Methodist church from the 19^th century.  There is a patch of grass next to the graveyard…

I set up my tarp over the bike, eat some trail mix, crawl into the bivy and try to fall asleep.

Turns out, there are multiple reasons why it’s difficult to sleep in this situation.  First: I’m in a graveyard.  Second: the old building looms eerily in the moonlight.  Third: I don’t want to get eaten by a bear.  Fourth: there are DOZENS of spiders crawling all over me and my stuff.  I have never seen so many spiders at once. 

I stayed awake pretty much all night. Until 5am, at which point it was time to get back on the road.

What a creepy night.