The first day of the Alaska trip

My trip started on Monday, July 1, and it was a decent start on a day where rain was the main theme. I woke at 4, worked for a hour getting things together and in the truck, napped for a half hour and then left at 8:10. I had put a little more water in the batteries so they should be okay until I return. The drive to Blacksburg and then to the West Virginia border left me a little sad, as leaving my lovely state always does, but once I was on 77, the trip was on. I stopped to ride my bike on the campus of West Virginia State University, and that was very pleasant and I just beat the rain. I had almost bought a cargo pod earlier at Sears but it would have taken a lot of work to get it attached so I gave up. Instead, I thought that strapping the second spare on top would open up a lot of space and I did it just before my bike ride. I pushed the kayak and kayaking gear up to the front and had plenty of space for most of the other gear (tent and sleeping pad, fishing gear and waders and wading shoes, hiking boots, yoga mat and blocks). The tire on top will also give me a place to put a small gas container and that will be a good idea. After the adjustments and the ride, I began to drive on I 64 and head toward Cincinnati. I should have checked my GPS in Charleston and I think it would have told me to go north there, but I stuck to I 64 and ended up driving in the rain for many hours, finally stopping at Batesville, Indiana where I found LaRosa’s Pizza to be quite good. The side salad had a garlic-stuffed olive in it and the roasted garlic on the pizza was delicious. I settled into the comfort inn and then walked a bit with an umbrella in the rain. This morning I went back to work on my novel and I have about 3200 words.