We decided to take it easy today, do a lot of nothing and get organized for the coming segment of the trip. Larry is leaving to go back to Denver for awhile on personal business and I will be peddling forward with the group. I am going to miss him very much, he won’t be here to wake me up at 5 a.m. and I will have to do my own navigation through strange lands and about a million other things.
It’s going to be a challenge for me, but I think I can do it. The good news is I will now have 2 lockers and lots of room in the tent. I’m getting bids for installing indoor plumbing and a decent closet.
Speaking of plumbing, we were impressed with the nice condition of the university dorm rooms. We are staying in single rooms, that each have a bed, shelving, desk and a closet with a mirror and sink in it. (no air conditioning nor screens!) For shower and toilet, we (5 of us) share a single toilet and shower/bath room down the hall. The rooms are carpeted and look fresh and new. The shock came today when we discovered that what we thought was an “old” building is really only 8 years old. The building was built in 1992. I have only one question, where the heck did they get the 40 year old plumbing?
The water in the bathtub does not mix. When you put the cold and hot water on, it comes out of the tap, cold on one side and hot on the other. Lord help your poor skin if you put it under the hot side! The sink in the closet has two facets, when you brush your teeth it is necessary to mix your own water, that is unless you can stand ice cold water on your teeth. Considering modern plumbing has been around for quite some time now, why are the Brits still using this stuff? I don’t get it.
We found a bike shop today just a few blocks away from the University. It was a delightful experience having a pleasant mechanic replace my chain while we made small talk. He was a young kid, impressed with the trip and full of questions. When he finished the job, he went off and washed his hands, no complaints! The owner gave us a couple of bike trail maps of the area and sent us off with a big “Thank you”.