After that things went fairly well. I was up, fed, and packed and out the door just before 7am.I rode out into essentially empty streets in Adelaide, although they did fill quickly enough after that! My only setback initially was a very low back tire, which of course was remedied easily enough.
About 3km into the ride I had to pull over and give in to a full-on coughing, phlegm-spewing spasm... another followed in about 15 minutes. After that I thought I'd hit my stride and the coughing stopped... for a while. But after about 20km it came on again and with a vengeance... this time including a bit of blood, just for aesthetics.
I had to stop and have a serious gut-check moment with myself... and I didn't like what I was finding. Against my own better advice I pushed on. As I later learned my cyclo-computer was way off, probably reading MPH instead of km PH, but I was only averaging 10-12 km according to my computer. I suspected something was amiss, due to the good cadence and higher gears that I was trying to maintain. Over time, I just steadily slowed and worse yet began to cough more regularly, and with increasing ferocity.
At what my computer indicated as 30.28 km, I was done. I thought perhaps I'd "hit the wall" and needed to eat, especially since I'd been ill. I stopped at the Liberty Service station, and had a bit to eat and a coke. I felt measurably worse instead of better after eating!
The woman working the counter asked if I was alright, to which I simply replied "No." I went outside and sat in the sunlight (it was actually cold), and thought about my options with my knees drawn-up and my head in my hands. I must have been the most pathetic-looking creature in the region at that moment, as "Karla" the sheep dog came up unbidden and just put her head in my lap. I nearly broke down.
For the first time in my adult life I was unable to go on just on guts alone. It was an awful revelation for me, and I even hesitate to write it.
I made a few phone calls on my mobile, and then owned up to the fact that not only couldn't I go on, I couldn't ride back either! Well, I thought I'd just call a taxi, and have them deposit me back at the YHA- WRONG. First off, I couldn't ring them on my mobile phone, and then had to ask the VERY kind counter women Janet, who of course turned out to be one of the owners no less, to help me find a taxi company. Then I had to ask her to show me how to use the phone- I must have looked like an imbecile! After an age of arguing on the phone, I learned that no taxi company would come out that far to get me!!! "That far" I protested on the phone, "Its only 30km!" I was told that it was 48km, but of course I knew better... in either case, no yellow cavalry was coming.
So I thought I'd rely on human kindness, and started to ask anyone stopping for gas for a lift. I offered to pay for their tank fill, and give them $50.00... no takers. I even went next door to the pub and offered $100... still not the slightest interest! Bin Laden would have had better luck securing a ride back to Adelaide!!
Two hours into my humble-pie eating world record attempt, I was still unable to find a ride. Janet had been joined at the counter by Nikki, and they were both becoming genuinely concerned- and you know that was very nice.
I took stock of things, considered trying to bicycle back, and then rang one of the taxi companies again. Through dogged persistance I managed to convince the dispatcher to send someone, and I didn't mind waiting. This turned out to be good, because I still had well over an hour to wait!
The cab ride itself was actually delightful. The cabby, whose name I will not even try to re-create out of respect, turned out to be an engineering grad student from India working on alternative energy solutions. He was fascinating, and speaking with him gave me another glimmer of hope for humanity!
I carefully checked the mileage on his odometer, and sure enough it was 48 km...
So, it's been a day of being WRONG.
I was initially WRONG about an obvious criminal. WRONG about the state of my health. WRONG about my abilities. VERY WRONG to assume that road train drivers would at least try to give you a bit of room, or alert you to their presence. But most of all, WRONG to assume that the day was a total loss! Once I got over my self pity, the other challenges were actually rewarding, and of course as always I met some very nice people!
Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor.
As for everything else, it can wait. It is such a privilege to be here, at this place, at this time, and in this form, that I'm actually a bit awe-struck.
