Fountain Inn, SC

One thing I love about Bike & Build is that we don't ride on interstate highways. Instead, we take backroads, state highways, and Main Streets. This means I get to see town centers and not so many Waffle Houses. After lunch today, I rolled into the tiny town of Fountain Inn just as the heat picked up to the high 80s. In the town center, a few riders on swings called me to hang with them. They had already jumped in the fountain, and I quickly jumped in myself. It was so refreshing! However, I must have gotten ahead of myself, because I forgot to take my cell phone out of my back pocket. Whoops.

I was drying my phone while I was swinging afterwards, but then decided to go find some dry rice. I crossed the street and entered Catherine's on Main, which I didn't expect to be a really fancy bistro with every table filled. As I entered the restaurant, a man sitting at the head of a long table was looking at me while pointing and curling his finger. I approached him and he said in a very regal way, "Are you with them?" motioning to the other Bike & Builders splashing in the fountain across the street. He seemed displeased and very official, like he could be the mayor of this little town. I couldn't really deny it because we were in matching jerseys, but I charmed him and everyone at his table by telling him all about Bike & Build. Then I finally got to ask the waitress for dry rice, and she went to get some in the kitchen. Then I wasn't really sure what to do with myself, as I was standing in a fancy restaurant in full cycling gear and I'm soaking wet. So I did what anyone would do... stand in a corner facing the wall.

The waitress hooked me up with some rice in a ziploc bag, which was super nice. As I crossed the street to get my bike, I noticed a policewoman walking behind me over to the fountain and swings. She kind of scolded us and then called The Fountain Guy - apparently the fountain is brand new, and jumping in the fountain is frowned upon in Fountain Inn. We got out of punishment by charming them about how we are sweaty cross-country cyclists that just needed a break. We rode the last 25 miles with dripping wet clothes. My phone is still in the bag of rice.