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Published: June 27th 2006
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Determined to put a lot of miles under my feet i don't hesitate to pack up my meager possesions as I wake at the early hour of 5 am, even before the faint alarm of my wristwatch is sounded. The idea of biking or walking for up to 15 hrs a day and sleeping for only 6 is hard to stomach, but the human mind will convince the body of almost anything when there is a clear goal presented. I unlock my bike from the concealed fence behind the police station and I am on the road long before any substancial traffic.
An hour or so easily passes and I am absolutely enthused that good progress is being made so early. Upon reaching Llangollen the idea of grabbing a 'spar cola' is persisting, but its still too early even for convenience stores to open. The locals probably use 'spar cola' as the butt of jokes about bad tasting pop, but little do they know there's a boy on a bike who spends a lot of time thinking about it. Maybe i'm addicted to sugar and simply in withdrawl.
After admiring the river for a few seconds my bike soon finds itself travelling east in a very determined fashion. It makes perfect sense to do the bulk of biking before the sun is at its strongest, even though the sun in England is never really all that intense. A few more hours and i'm past the english border and on the streets of Oswestry for some greatly need nourishment. The food I buy is already becoming consistent, which is very similiar to the way I conduct other aspects of my life. This usually consists of some discount pastries, apples, milk and 2 litres of water.
There is no time to spare in my first english city, which is primarily indistinguishable from any Welsh city. Hours of biking and walking slowly bring me closer to the city of Shrewsbury, but the heat diminishes my water supply extremely fast and I am forced to ration myself water. I make stops at a restaurant to fill water bottles with tap water and an empty unlocked church to use there bathrooms. In anticipation of running out of water I pick up half a bottle of water alongside the road and thankfully do not use it.
Shrewsbury is probably my favourite town encountered thus far and maybe it's just because its a nice day, but everyone seems so cheerful and happy. None of my friends have heard from me via email so one of my main objectives in any city is to find some internet access, preferrably free. The library closes minutes before i arrive so i am forced to wait until another day. This library actually used to be the school that Darwin went to as a boy, however it has slowly been adapted into a library. Since there are quite a few hours left in the day I decide that I will continue travelling to the next town, but not until after something warm to eat at Mcdonald's. One of the girls cleaning tables gives me my first flirtatious smile in days and it is something i sorely miss.
With the sun inching towards the horizon I arrive in Wellington, a city which shares the namesake with a cute little town near my own. It is virtually the same city as the fairly significant Telford, and they are seperated by a path of a few miles. My bike tire slowly deflates in the midst of the short trip and it appears as if I have gotten another flat tire. I keep saying the word 'blimey' aloud in different sentences shortly afterward, but with a kind of Hugh Grant dopiness. A minute or so later a man who by all standards looked quite normal approached me and asks me possibly the strangest question I have ever heard.
' Excuse me sir' he asks , 'just wondering if you have had extensive plastic surgery'. I try to pass it off as nothing and simply laugh, say no and walk away. However its something I try to wrap my mind around for a few hours. Does this strange man find me attractive or does he think i'm some kind of montrosity of botched face fixes? I would consider myself quite normal looking by many standards but after this I find myself reassesing.
In the distance an Asca grocery store can be seen so I push my ill bike and myself to its doors. Along the way i scout out a good place to spend the night and keep it in the back of my mind. The Asca is closed as is the mall alongside it. The Mcdonalds once again becomes the best place for bathrooms and cheap food. I get my usual pound saver and proceed to call home to Canada from the phonebooth outside and convince my mother that I'm quite alright and staying in wonerfully nice places. I don't lie when describing what i'm doing, but leaving out parts of the truth is definetely for their benefit.
The place to sleep i had seen earlier is really just a grove of trees kind of close to the highway but its highlighting feature was the fact that I could possibly sleep in a little later than usual. It is also at the bottom of a large flag pole mound and it briefly crosses my mind to sleep atop this and look down on the city, but rolling down a 25 foot escarpment while asleep could conceivably happen. After some strategic branch placement i settle down and watch the cars go by and close my eyes. Finding another bike shop will be a pain, but the chance to check and send emails is exciting. Tomorrow should be a busy day and maybe i can soon sleep in a bed.
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