Catching up!

Budgie will no doubt be disappointed that I skipped so may days of the actual trail part of his fabulous biking trip.
Day one SUNDAY 7 Sept or departure day soon became a day of screeches of delight. First involuntary stop was a blues band performance - it seems - for Budgie alone. It was hot walking in DC, maybe it was cooler cycling, and definitely cool to be surrounded by mossy grassy nature and some performers of note! Sleepover was Leesburg
The big surprises, I think, were the mozzies and other kreepy krawlies. DC and the 1st World can control critters to a point, but in the end - mosquitoes yearn for a lekka South Aftican tent to be abuzz in. Luckily, malaria not part of the picture!
Day two MONDAY 8 Sept - more screechy delights from Budgie, who is at a campsite with a cranky water pump, that sounds to me like something from a Karoo sheep farm. Cold water, the basics .... that's what it was to be all about.
Day three TUESDAY 9 Sept - started with lots of to-and-fro frustrated missed calls between me and Budgie. I only knew by late in the day that he had had another most mid-American experience: He'd been cycling in the rain - some warm-hearted people took him in and offered a hot meal and a cool sweat shirt! (Now he has three items of clothing on the trip: padded bicycle pants, the sweaty shirt and the sweat shirt). More spindly spiders, I think and a man whose only worries is that it takes a week to buy a firearm in the US of A .... problems, problems. "So, why do you need a gun, lots of criminals?" - "No, not bad - the criminals are all in jail!"
Day three WEDNESDAY 10 Sept - it's happening right now, and the next update will be tonight!