Clemson, SC

8.3.2010

Today’s ride was pretty tough. We had a hilly 85 mile ride to deal with, and our pace line had 3 flats in the beginning of the day. We were a little bit behind, so we decided to kick it with the sweeps for the rest of the ride. As we got going we caught up with the pace line in front of us. These guys were attempting to complete the Milk Man challenge. Around mile 10, they each took the maximum recommended daily dose of Milk of Magnesia. The challenge is to travel an additional 50 miles without intentionally or unintentionally relieving oneself. They were struggling a little bit, but we hang out with them for the rest of the day.

Eventually we stopped at a bathroom, and the guys who were doing the challenge were able to take care of business. I was looking for a way to entertain myself while they were inside when I noticed a boat dock leading into a nearby lake. The next obvious choice of action was to ride my bike full speed into the lake. The soggy shoes I had to deal with the rest of the ride was well worth the fun it was doing it.

We got to lodging at Clemson Outdoor Camp, a facility that puts on summer programs for the vision impaired. Since we were sleeping there, we didn’t have to get in the vans to drive to our friendship visit, which meant we had plenty of extra time. We started out with a game of Frisbee golf around the premises of the camp. I was talking with a guy named Marvis, who in addition to throwing an awesome Frisbee, was a sweet breakdancer. He had a good sense of humor too, we were making golf jokes about Tiger woods the whole time.

After dinner, we broke up into smaller groups of 6, and moved around from station to station playing camp games. We started with face painting, where I decorated my visage with a bunch of #9’s. While I was getting my ink done I was talking with a group of teenage girls about what it is like to be blind, about using their canes, etc. One girl named Joanna said that a lot of the kids in her school used to try to jump on her cane when she was using it in the hallway, and that one boy took it and hid it from her. I think that story really emphasizes why it’s so important for our organization to spread awareness about what it is like to live with a disability. I enjoyed hearing about the girls’ pets and hobbies, and we ended the day with an ice cream sundae.

By the time it was time for showers and bed, we were all exhausted from a long day.