Burned all my matches about 30 miles in and paid for it dearly. Tried a change to my normal route to Edisto Beach. Took Old Jacksonboro Rd off of Hwy 165. This segment runs parallel with Hwy 17 above it. Everything was fine until Old Jacksonboro Rd crossed New Rd. At that point it turned from pavement to a deep soft sand road. My 32c tires sunk in the sand like a hot knife in butter. Got off the bike and walked. Tried hopping on every 100 meters or so hoping the surface would harden. No luck. Decided to cross a clear cut section to get over to Hwy 17. That was a mistake too. The ground was covered in limbs and stumps. Had to carry the bike as I traversed the obstacle course. It was still dark. Lucky I didn’t sprain an ankle or get bit by a snake. After a 100 meters it looked like it was turning into wetlands and was not passable. Turned around and got back on Old Jacksonboro Rd. Eventually made it to Hwy 17 only to take one more wrong turn before finally getting on the segment of Old Jacksonboro Rd below Hwy 17. It is paved except for 100 meters before connecting to Hwy 174. Needless to say all the hike-a-bike and sand spin outs burned all my matches. My matchbook didn’t contain many matches as I didn’t get much sleep.

Made it to the beach but was tired already after just 52 miles. The ride home was a struggle. Exhausted mentally and physically, legs cramping and temperatures rising. Not much fun.

My plan was/is to complete 4 century rides in a row over this long Labor Day weekend. 50/50 chance of riding a century tomorrow. We’ll see.

Ride on. ☮

• century