I awoke to the sounds of sniffing. I heard a creature liking its lips. I jostled. Then came a growling sound. I turned on my headlamp to see the outline along the tent wall of what must have been a raccoon. I got up, made some prefunctory loud noises and hoisted the few paltry snacks I had with me from a tree. The geese along the riverside hissed and squealed, attempting to stake their claim against other scavengers.
I fished out the pair of ear plugs I bought in Rockwood, put them in and fell back to sleep. Between freight trains and wildlife, I've have yet to find a peaceful night in the outdoors.
In the morning we continued west on the North Bend rail trail. Along the path are old train tunnels which are pitch black and 20 degrees cooler inside. I've learned to keep my headlamp near by so I can get i can fire it up a few feet from the entrance and continue riding without breaking pace. Inside you see nothing but a two foot shard of light in front of you and, if the tunnel is straight a light at the end. My arms instinctively tighten up when I'm passing through. They are the only things keeping me from going over the handlebars.
Our plan was to follow the trail for 17 miles to Walker and then ride south another 40 miles into Ripley, WV. Neiher of us had much energy in reserve from the night before and the tough trail riding made the thought of another 40 miles on the road unappealing.
Rain srarted coming down while we were on the trail and we quickly decided to make it a short day by riding another 20 miles to Parkersburg, WV.
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