Entering Selina

Day Eleven
Distance Travelled: 74.4 Miles
Time in saddle: 6hrs 32 Mins
Overall Distance Covered:883 Miles
I woke up at 6.00am, I thought I'd overslept, I scurried around like a demented hamster trying to find my glasses to look at the watch....don't get old. I had great sleep. I managed to have a soak in the bath last night, glorious but I was really tired so I was falling a sleep by 9.30pm. I had a shave this morning and cut my ear…I know I wonder how I do it as well. I put a large piece of toilet paper on my ear; at least two sheets. It looked like an head bandage. I sorted out all my gear ready to go and decided to have breakfast in a cafe before I went. As I entered the cafe, which was crowded with men all dressed as cowboys, it went really quiet, as usual. They were all looking at me in a peculiar way, especially the waitress who came to serve me. I thought it was because I was dressed in Lycra, not usual attire around these parts. It was only when I was eating my breakfast that I realised that I still had this massive piece of toilet paper wrapped round my ear…. covered in blood. My god you can’t take me anywhere can you. The breakfast was the best I’ve had since I got here. Great stuff.
Everyone had large ten gallon hats on and big buckles on their belts. It looks as if the bigger the buckle the more important you are. If I had the time I would love to get a front gate, paint it gold and put it on my belt. That would show the how important I am, or is it impotent, I can't remember. When I was little my mum used to say that it was for stirring my tea with anyway...I still can't get to the sugar at the bottom of the cup.
I passed a sign pointing to a town called Landfill, I didn't go it was rubbish.....sorry, I'm tired and my jokes get worse when I'm tired.
I got some great messages last night. It is amazing how they make me feel. It puts at least another three to four miles an hour on my peddling. Today has been the easiest days riding so far. It's been ridiculously hot, in the 90s and there were some hills but it didn't seem to matter. I think that I may be getting stronger, both physically and mentally.....I've always been mental. I've been absolutely buzzing today. I have no doubt that I will have some bad days before I've finished but bring them on and lets deal with them. I have some fantastic support from everyone at home and as I keep saying it will get me to the finish line...that I am sure of.
After cycling for about thirty miles I decided to stop at a town called Holden. the only shop in town was closed down. There was a woman in her garden so I asked her where the nearest shop was, she said"twelve miles down the road". I cycled onto Scipio, which wasn't much bigger. I eventually went on to Salina, which is rather nice, in a western kind of way. I was going to cycle on and camp out in the wood but I want to check my camera. I've had trouble with it since the night out in the desert. It might need another cleaning. A car pulled up along side me as I got to the traffic light in the centre of town. A guy with his son asked me what I was doing. They pulled over and we had a chat, great people. I can honestly say I have not met any bad people on my travels so far...there is still time but the good experiences are always going to compensate for the bad. As I cycled into town my phone rang. It was Ste Kemp, another great friend who I might not see for a while but when we do its always interesting. We had a chat and it was great to hear from him. We have had some great adventures throughout the years. We used to do a lot of walking in the Lake District....good times. He more than anyone probably knows what I'm going through and I appreciate his messages of support.
The mountain of the Rockies are visible in the distance. once I get over them it;s down hill for a while, that I am looking forward to. I am just going to make sure that I have my camera and phone with me this time.