Charlie Elliott to Cedar Creek

May 14

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Lake near our campsite at Charlie Elliott

After another night and morning of rain, we finally emerged from our tent and set off towards the next town.  Our first stop was a gas station, where I tried to phone my step-mom to wish her happy Mother’s Day, but there was no phone service and I kept getting cut off.  Dallas and I shared some tuna and crackers before continuing.  We rode south to Monticello and looked around for a place to eat, but everything in the town was closed.  We ended up eating at Dairy Queen and then riding another half mile out of the way to pick up groceries.

Sign painted on a building in Monticello

We made it to Cedar Creek before dark despite being slowed down by muddy dirt roads and hills. Instead of finding a place in the woods, we set up our tent behind an A.M.E. church.  After setting up, we heard sounds coming from inside the church.  There were no cars outside, but it sounded like someone was dragging a chain, or pulling something heavy up using a chain and pulley system.  The other negative to our location was the bright floodlight that beamed upon our tent all night.  The place honestly creeped me out, especially when I had to leave the tent to pee in the middle of the night and was all alone, surrounded by the cemetery, the dark empty road, and the forest behind the open field where we were camped behind the church, which continued to make strange sounds at 10 or 20 minute intervals.  It also rained intermittently throughout the night.  Needless to say, I did not get much sleep that night.

About Sarah

Sarah grew up in Cranston - just south of Providence, Rhode Island - and developed a love for travel, music, and outdoor sports at an early age. She had started bicycling long distances at age 12, as a participant of the MS150 bike tours to raise money for the MS Society. She didn't use her bike regularly until she built her own while studying in Montreal and found it an excellent way to get around the city. After graduating from McGill and moving back to Providence, Sarah started working at Brown University's office of Environmental Health & Safety as the Biological Safety Specialist. She was living 4 miles away at the time, and for the first few weeks was driving to work. She made the switch from driving to bicycling when she realized that she could get to work faster, avoid parking tickets, and integrate a few miles of training into her day. Bicycling was better for the environment and better for her own health and mood. She found that she had more energy and felt much happier once she started biking to work. When her car broke down several months later, she never bothered replacing it. After 4 years of working in Biosafety (and on her master's in Environmental Studies), Sarah left her job to pursue her passion. She has been working various jobs in the bicycle industry since June of 2011, including pedicab driver, bicycle tour guide, bike mechanic and traveling bicycle advocate. In between seasonal jobs, she has done a few long-distance bike tours, which is the main reason for this blog. Her dream is to eventually ride around the world and sail across the oceans.

Posted on 14 May 2012, in Bicycle Touring, New Orleans to Newport. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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