Trippin' with Susan Straley

 Life is full. I am getting back into biking with friends, sometimes 30-40 miles.  Between that and preparing meals and taking care of "stuff".  A bike day is all used up. I have set up my kitchen table/sink out in the screen tent.  It's a great place to chop veggies and dine.  I get my exercise going in and out of the trailer a dozen times getting things, putting things back.     The neighbors at the RV park were having Happy Hour out in their front yard one day watching me and marveling on my ability to go up and down so many times as I had to go in and out of Lilac.   That particular evening I was more busy because I was getting ready to have some friends from Windermere (my house neighborhood) over for snacks and Pizza.   Setting out chairs and tables and dishes.    Another thing that fills my life and time is my part-time job. I am working part-time helping out my friend, Jean. Sometimes there is no work, and then there is stuff that keeps me busy for a few days.  I

 OMG!  What a trip! Last I wrote to you I was telling you about the first day of my test fully-loaded bike tour. If you missed that,  here is the link from the post during a break in riding on Monday.  And here is the link to the post sent during the ride on Tuesday. Now that I am at a place with cell service and a bit rested, I will tell you the rest of the story.   I figured out the miles I did that first day:  76 plus miles.  Bike tours do that all the time, sometimes 80 or 90.  But I don't do that, especially not fully loaded with tent and sleeping bag and cooking supplies. George and I did 80 miles one day on our ride from Illinois to Florida.  It was because of an error in my planning.  We were hauling trailers behind our trikes.  Nothing hurt because those trikes are comfortable! We were staying in motels so we were not hauling tents, but I had my laptop.  We were exhausted after 80 miles and we decided to stay an extra day to rest up.  And George kept saying, "I am

 I made it to the falls and pulled into camp at 7:00 p.m. The campground required online reservation and I only had one line of cell service so it took me  half hour to get registered. While biking toward camp I was dreaming of food, a bicyclists fuel, and the last of my snacks and lunch had been devoured a couple hours ago.   I decided I would set up and then ride two miles down the road to get some supper.  But once I was in camp,  there was so much to do.  Then it was too late, I didn't want to ride the country road in the dark after eating.   I got to use my mini propane burner for the first time!  I was glad I had packed a back-packer's meal.  A packet of cajun beans and rice.  I added peanut butter and I my hunger was satisfied. Right now I am writing to you as I am straddling my bike at the intersection of Hwy 2 and Hwy 64.  I was checking the map and saw I had two lines of cell service.  So I thought I would upload some pictures and let you know I am still alive

Sunday, March 29, 2020 The surreal situation, we are now living through a pandemic that has: Put millions of people out of work because businesses have been closed; Overwhelmed medical hospitals as they try to keep their staff healthy while testing and treating those sick with this highly contagious illness; (There is not enough protective equipment.) Orders coming over our cell phones telling everyone 65 and older to stay home!  Shutter in place, don't go out unless it is essential; What is considered essential is grocery trips, pharmacy trips, and exercise in the fresh air. Thank goodness we can go outside and exercise! This amount of allowed (or recommended) activity is so much MORE freedom of movement than what Ann Frank experienced.  Ann Frank and her family were stuck inside in an attic hiding from the Nazis for 470 days. And they had to do it quietly.   For us today, there are no enforcement of the shelter-in-place recommendations, just civic duty.  Of course,