Today started out cloudy but we’re optimists so we did the laundry anyhow. If it didn’t dry today, there is always tomorrow. Just as we finished another muzungu peddled in on a well-used touring bike loaded with camping gear and spare tires. Tim, no last name given, is from Virginia and is a naturalist from The Nature Conservancy. Small world. His specialty is an endangered southeastern woodpecker, slight better off than the ivory-billed woodpecker. He is on holiday in Africa and has pedaled over 500 miles in Uganda alone. He wanted to see what kind of work we were doing at the Center. Like Robert Frost, he had miles to go before he sleeps and rode off.
We spent the rest of the morning organizing the supplies. Disney Animal Kingdom supplied the materials but over-estimated the scope of the program, JGI’s resources, the skill of the Forest Service teachers, and the level of learning the Primary 5 students have, so much of what we sorted was in our room, not even in the center.
The afternoon was sunny so after lunch we got out the motorcycles for a test spin. The bike that was left here, big surprise, was nearly empty and the new one had only a couple of liters of petrol. We rode out and fueled up and picked up some fruit and veggies. Connie carried the load home because this was my first day ever on the road, my first time beyond third gear and cruising at more than 20 mph. I actually topped out at 65kph, nearly 40mph and I survived. It was fun but I still have a lot to learn. Shifting was rough, turn signals forgotten, and I was so locked on the road, I didn’t use my mirrors enough. Cornering is OK but slow speed short-radius turns suck. I even passed a slow moving truck!
