What a gorgeous ride this morning down route 800. Absolutely beautiful and the hills were breathtaking - the kind of ride a person experiences only rarely. To be totally honest, the hills weren't all that bad. Maybe 12 consecutive days of riding will do that for you.
Though, those 12 days didn't help in the last 10 miles into Marietta. It was unbelievably hot and those last few miles are a concrete jungle, with Interstate 77 creating a long strip of fast-food restaurants and complicated lane-changes. I was very glad to make it into the old downtown area.
That's where we are staying tonight - the historic Lafayette Hotel. I'll say this about the place, it sure is old. Actually, there really is a strong sense of history in Marietta - even the young desk clerks admitted they have new respect for history after working in the hotel.
Tomorrow we ride early, so that I can hustle off to Columbus, catch an evening plane to Dallas, speak at the Associated Press Sports Editors conference, jump back on a plane to Columbus and then drive to Huntington, W.Va., where I will meet up with Denny the photog again.
And then, Sunday morning, we're on the road again. I hope you'll still be with us.
10:33:18 PM 
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