Shadow Warriors Ride Again (I Think)

Monday, Columbus Day: The Shadow Warriors are all set for a 250 mile ride through Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Well almost. Just two warriors were scheduled to go and one (Painter) bailed out at the last minute with some lame excuse about having to work. Where is his priorities? He can work anytime (independent contractor) but not on play time.

Well there I was with a bike full of gas and a carefully planned 250 mile tour of the hill country. In frustration I slept in until almost 8:30 then I was off on my lone adventure. As I rode I said to myself: "Self; since it is just you and the road and have no deadlines or encumbrances at all you should go to the Bat cave and take Bat Woman for lunch. Good Idea I told myself since it will be only a slight detour from the projected route." Off I rode to the Bat cave.

Little did I know that the Bat Woman is a very busy entity and doesn't have time for nice things such as lunch. Worlds to save and all that. Arriving at the Bat cave and discovering this fact I elected to accompany her in one of her immediate task. Subsequent to finishing this task Bat Woman informed me that she had a very special and dangerous task to perform later and she wondered if I had the right stuff (will couch potatoes do?) to accompany her. Not to reveal the wimp that I am I accepted the challenge.

Swoosh!!! Off to my bike to get my Super Suit or "Potato Man" outfit. Equipped with a hardhat, light, rubber rain suit, and biker boots I was ready for action (NOT).

Finally the hour arose when the adventure was to commence. Bat Woman started with prayer (some of us needed it more than others) and off we went diving into the remote parts of the Bat cave. First we climbed a small waterfall, slithered through some sticky mud, and skidded down a slippery slope into the darkness. After a time of walking and crab walking we arrived at a vertical crevice. I said: "Where do we go now?" Bat Woman said: "Up there." Up there just so happened to be about twelve feet up a one foot wide crevice. Bat Woman said: "This is how I do it" and up the crevice she went. I was next and discovered that potatoes do not climb nearly as well as bats. Bat Woman who is always prepared let down a slimy bat rope that felt like a spider web, however, it was just what the Potato needed for the ascent.

After looking in a room with a 600 year old foot print we came to the next major obstacle. Bat Woman said: "Just slither across this narrow ledge like this." Swoosh!! She was gone and looking at me said: "Your turn." Slithering across a ten foot long and three foot wide muddy ledge leaning into the abyss is not my idea of fun but I managed it at great effort, however, not without consequences for by this time the rubber suit was taking its revenge on me. I was severely overheating and couldn't defog my glasses which meant that I also couldn't see very well (bat vision or sonar would have been great right now).

Onward we went to the last main room which I elected to sit out due to my overheated condition (baked potatoes get smashed easily) and it was reported to be a difficult room to enter and return from. The break was just what I needed. Soon the adventure ended. Leaving the cave I resembled a baked potato covered in gravy (mud). I think I hauled it all out.

The adventure was over and I said my adieus to the Bat Woman and her domain. Happily I rode Shadow home for a good soak in the hot tub. It felt good to do something beyond my normal abilities. I owe it all to Bat Woman and my Super Suit.