On this tour, Nancy Howard and I have been occasional riding partners – and we rode together during our “training time” in Venice, FL, as well as on CCST13 (sadly she left in NM after a fall).  When the tour started, she had a splint on her wrist from a fall in Venice, but, through determination, she rode some or all of the miles daily for several weeks. Since then, she has had intermittent physical problems that have curtailed her riding miles, though her spirits have remained high.  She penned this wonderfully comical poem about her latest “problems.”

GREEN ROOM MUSINGS

When cycling through the countryside

And a bio break is needed

Be careful where you stop and go

This counsel should be heeded

The “Green Room” offers great relief

When nature’s call is pressing

But three leaf plants and creeping bugs

Can make the moment stressing

A hasty squat in verdant woods

Has left me red and swollen

Poison Ivy and mystery bites

Have led me to this poem.

I’m off the bike these many days

No spandex ’til this passes

Prescription drugs and lots of creams

No venturing near grasses

So in my car I drive the tour

Until I have a healing

With Maine’s steep hills and winding roads

A car ride is appealing

So when you feel the need to use

The Green Room’s easy access

Remember, stop and look around

Protect those precious assets.