Update #9 Lions and Tigers and Bears-Oh my! (by: Heather)

No worries, they haven't seen anything like lions, tigers, or bears. I do wonder if they have seen any wild life. Something to ask our sleep deprived, bored, and hotel hungry crew next time. =)

They are in the thick of the Talladega National Forrest (in Alabama). It is pitch black. Thank goodness for the awesome lights Andy has on his helmet and bike! Also, the road quality is less than to be desired. I could hear Andy in the background saying, "The poor road quality has to do with the roads going STRAIGHT up." I guess they just can't escape those darn mountains. Then the phone cut out. FYI-rural Alabama doesn't have the best cell phone connection. Just in case you are planning a visit soon.

When I called Mick at 10:28 pm they were stopped for a break. Andy was getting some food and taking a short rest. They were at mile marker 390. I asked if they were going to do a little dance when they hit 400 and Mick said, "I will do a dance when we hit mile 516." I get it, he wants to save his booty shakin' for just the right moment. "Shake your a**, sho me what you workin' with! Shake your a**, sho me what you workin' with!" Alrighty then. Eye on the prize. Eye on the prize.

Not sure if you all know this, but the Heart of the South 500 mile bike race is actually 517 miles long! There was some serious road construction and they had to lengthen the course for safety reasons. Isn't that a kicker? Not only has it been raining on our beloved team for what seems like an eternity, but they have to go longer than anticipated. (They did know this before heading down to Birmingham this week).

Weather update: Blasted! Bugger! Frick! It is "misting" on them. I didn't get a chance to ask anymore about the weather. We changed subjects VERY quickly so as to not test karma. Must be mountain mist; because I just checked weather.com and the radar is clear clear clear. Is there such a thing as "mountain mist?" If not, it is something now. You know why? Because I said so-that's why. No more rain I said.

I am off to take a short nap.