(Oops. I put this aside to reread and it got lost in the busyness of my life at home. It's now been several weeks and this is still pretty much how things feel.)
We've been off the bikes for a week, and home for five days. All my dreams are still about being out on the bike. The second night on my own bed, I woke up feeling not at all sure that I knew where I was, but slowly, slowly, things are starting to feel normal. If there is such a thing.
Last night as I settled down to read, I saw a big flash of light. Bruce had seen a couple, too, so we climbed up in the big window seat to see what was going on. The sky was clear above us. The moon was almost full, and was shining down. There was a thick blanket of fog, very low to the water. We could see the tops of the Bay Bridge's lighted cables. But within a very few minutes, I saw a huge lightning bolt strike somewhere in or around the Marina. Hmm. I really though we were home, but home never has that sort of weather. We continued to see flashes of lighning, although no more were as close or as vivid. After all the summer's weather excitement, I felt almost guilty, as though the more severe weather had somehow followed us back.
Even before we left, I wondered what it would feel like to have done this. Would we want to toss our bikes in the Atlantic and be through? Would we wish we could simply turn around and ride back to the west coast? Would we be physically exhausted, or stronger than we could have imagined at the start? Would we be really, really excited to be able to change into different clothes?
So I gave it a week, and here's what I have been thinking.
Our routines are so well established that I fell back into mine pretty easily. I remembered all my passwords at work. I knew which bus lines I wanted to take if I wasn't riding my bike. I even remembered most of the places I had left things in the house, and since we had only gotten the drawers built fairly recently, that was not something I could be too sure of. I went to tap today, and my feet don't seem to have frozen up from three months of bike shoes. Home is very welcome. Getting back is every bit as good as I expected it to be.
I did not want to throw the bike in the Atlantic. I actually felt quite sad about ahving to leave it to be shipped home. Fortunately, my other bike is here so I have been able to commute on it and go out on my first Velo Girls ride in months.
Some days, I almost feel as if it didn't happen. Then someone asks me a question about the trip, and I start answering and the memories flood back and fill my brain. I am once again in the Michigan Upper Peninsula, or discovering North Dakota, or Montana. I am thinking of views, of special places we stayed, of spectacular birds, of (the relatively rare) good meals, long days, short days, hard days, easy days.
Then I get back to work and it is once again as if I had never been away.
So, the big questions:
Would I do it again?
No. Too long to be away from home, from friends and family, from other things I really love to do, like tap, and my work.
What would I do differently on another bike tour?
I'd attach more importance to support. On a long distance ride, I would like to have more flexibility in the schedule. On the other hand, having all those reservations was very reassuring. But the trips I would choose first right now would have us stay for several days, maybe even weeks, at a single place, and do rides out from it, or maybe even rides from nearby locations we could drive to. I would like to get to know areas more thoroughly.
How soon would I think of doing another long bike tour? How long would it be?
I'd be ready to go almost any time. It would be anything from a long weekend to a 4-6 week tour.
Where would it be?
Almost anywhere. There were several parts of our route that we would like to see more of. Eastern Washington, Montana, Minnesota & Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula, New England. It would also be fun to do more exploration of the west coast. I would like to complete the parts of the coast we have not yet ridden - Seattle to Mendocino. Bruce would probably choose to do the new Adventure Cycling route in the Sierras. I would like to spend some time in the deserts, especially in Arizona and New Mewxico. France. Italy. Australia. I guess we have a lot of riding to look forward to.
Am I glad we went?
Absolutely. This is an amazing country. I have a better sense of its size and diversity, of the amount of space we still have dedicated to wilderness. I am more than ever certain I am lucky to live in the San Francisco area, but also more certain that I am lucky to live in the United States. We met people everywhere we went who were kind and thoughtful. We tend to think diversity means the cultural and ethnic diversity we enjoy in our area; I have now seen firsthand that there are lots and lots of life elements in rural states that would feel very unfamiliar to us. We should not underestimate their importance.
What about the clean clothes?
I hope I will never again take that for granted!!!!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
4200 miles, some details
Days away: 98
Ride days: 68
Highest miles in a day: 99
Lowest miles in a ride day: 10
Average miles per day (all): 43
Average miles per ride day: 62
Total pedal strokes: 1,470,000
Total calories burned: 96,600
Rest days: 30, including Vermont wedding time and Connecticut babysitting
Different places stayed: 72
States visited: 10, including Ontario
Days per state:
Washington, 10
Idaho, 1
Montana, 22
North Dakota, 12
Vermont (no riding), 5
Minnesota, 6
Wisconsin, 5
Michigan, 14
Ontario, 4
New York, 10
Massachusetts, 6
Connecticut, 3 (no riding)
Named passes climbed:
Rainy & Washington, 5477'
Loup-Loup, 4020'
Wauconda, 4310'
Marias, 5213'
Kings Hill, 7385' (highest altitude reached)
Bike issues:
3 new tires, 2 flats (Winnie), 2 new tires, 4 flats (Bruce)
2 tune-ups & chain replacements each, one new big ring (Winnie)
No big problems on the road
Weather issues:
3 days of mostly rain, 4 with significant showers, several with minor showers
2 days when thunderstorms took us off the road
Extreme heat & humidity in parts of North Dakota & Minnesota
1 tornado siren
1 tropical storm
Health issues:
Almost none. 1 minor cold, 1 brief episode of conjunctivitis, occasional mild tingly hands, plenty of saddle sores (went away as soon as weather cooled down), plenty of sore muscles, although they, too, had pretty much disappeared by the end. No falls.
Best food: Whitefish, Minneapolis, Blue Mountain Lake, Natick (not much in the most rural areas)
Places we'll want to see again: eastern Washington, Montana, especially the areas near Glacier and Choteau, Michigan upper peninsula & Lake Michigan shore, Minnesota, especially near Xanadu & Minneapolis, Wisconsin, the Adirondacks, western Massachusetts. In other words, almost everywhere we went.
Favorite hotels, motels, B&Bs: The Listening Inn, Horse Creek B&B, Bullfrog B&B, DelMonte Lodge, Freestone Inn, Lodge at Sand Point, Pine Butte Guest Ranch, Bunkhouse B&B, Hemlock Hall, Xanadu Island B&B, Great Northern Motel, Edgewater Inn, Garden Gate B&B, Inn on the Harbour, and there are lots more we would be happy to see again.
Best birds: eagles, bald and golden, ospreys, evening grosbeaks, lazuli buntings, Wilson's phalaropes, pileated woodpeckers, sandhill cranes.
Best views: Northern Cascades, parts of Montana, Great Lakes where shoreline was accessible, Highway 12 between Miles City & Baker, Montana.
Interesting people: the Glacier waiter who planned to sail & paddle a kayak from there to his Florida home; the quietly amazing couple at the Listening Inn who know their land & its creatures incredibly well, the 82-year-old woman who runs a B&B alone & made us breakfast on the wood stove, the guy in the Cascades who spends much of his year wandering on his Bike Friday, stealth-camping & doing an occasional Couch-Surfing night, and so many others.
Best people out there: Aline & Jim, Willie, Kitty, Stephanie & Ben, Liz & Raven. Without them we would have struggled far more to get comfortable with the trip, would have eaten far less well, would have feared the weather more, would have so missed the chance to have their company!
Ride days: 68
Highest miles in a day: 99
Lowest miles in a ride day: 10
Average miles per day (all): 43
Average miles per ride day: 62
Total pedal strokes: 1,470,000
Total calories burned: 96,600
Rest days: 30, including Vermont wedding time and Connecticut babysitting
Different places stayed: 72
States visited: 10, including Ontario
Days per state:
Washington, 10
Idaho, 1
Montana, 22
North Dakota, 12
Vermont (no riding), 5
Minnesota, 6
Wisconsin, 5
Michigan, 14
Ontario, 4
New York, 10
Massachusetts, 6
Connecticut, 3 (no riding)
Named passes climbed:
Rainy & Washington, 5477'
Loup-Loup, 4020'
Wauconda, 4310'
Marias, 5213'
Kings Hill, 7385' (highest altitude reached)
Bike issues:
3 new tires, 2 flats (Winnie), 2 new tires, 4 flats (Bruce)
2 tune-ups & chain replacements each, one new big ring (Winnie)
No big problems on the road
Weather issues:
3 days of mostly rain, 4 with significant showers, several with minor showers
2 days when thunderstorms took us off the road
Extreme heat & humidity in parts of North Dakota & Minnesota
1 tornado siren
1 tropical storm
Health issues:
Almost none. 1 minor cold, 1 brief episode of conjunctivitis, occasional mild tingly hands, plenty of saddle sores (went away as soon as weather cooled down), plenty of sore muscles, although they, too, had pretty much disappeared by the end. No falls.
Best food: Whitefish, Minneapolis, Blue Mountain Lake, Natick (not much in the most rural areas)
Places we'll want to see again: eastern Washington, Montana, especially the areas near Glacier and Choteau, Michigan upper peninsula & Lake Michigan shore, Minnesota, especially near Xanadu & Minneapolis, Wisconsin, the Adirondacks, western Massachusetts. In other words, almost everywhere we went.
Favorite hotels, motels, B&Bs: The Listening Inn, Horse Creek B&B, Bullfrog B&B, DelMonte Lodge, Freestone Inn, Lodge at Sand Point, Pine Butte Guest Ranch, Bunkhouse B&B, Hemlock Hall, Xanadu Island B&B, Great Northern Motel, Edgewater Inn, Garden Gate B&B, Inn on the Harbour, and there are lots more we would be happy to see again.
Best birds: eagles, bald and golden, ospreys, evening grosbeaks, lazuli buntings, Wilson's phalaropes, pileated woodpeckers, sandhill cranes.
Best views: Northern Cascades, parts of Montana, Great Lakes where shoreline was accessible, Highway 12 between Miles City & Baker, Montana.
Interesting people: the Glacier waiter who planned to sail & paddle a kayak from there to his Florida home; the quietly amazing couple at the Listening Inn who know their land & its creatures incredibly well, the 82-year-old woman who runs a B&B alone & made us breakfast on the wood stove, the guy in the Cascades who spends much of his year wandering on his Bike Friday, stealth-camping & doing an occasional Couch-Surfing night, and so many others.
Best people out there: Aline & Jim, Willie, Kitty, Stephanie & Ben, Liz & Raven. Without them we would have struggled far more to get comfortable with the trip, would have eaten far less well, would have feared the weather more, would have so missed the chance to have their company!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Made it!
What else is there to say? Late this morning we found a long pier jutting out into the Boston harbor and realized we were there at last. Or there already. Perhaps a little of each. We got a couple of pictures and moved back towards our regular lives. If you can call riding in Boston traffic anything like regular.
Right now we are in New Haven. Willie is asleep in the next room and Lillian is right next to me, working on getting sleepy. I couldn't have a better ending to our adventure.
Miles today: 30
Total miles ridden: 4200
Right now we are in New Haven. Willie is asleep in the next room and Lillian is right next to me, working on getting sleepy. I couldn't have a better ending to our adventure.
Miles today: 30
Total miles ridden: 4200
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The bird with the turquoise eye
I couldn't sleep very long this morning. It's all too exciting. We are in a very comfortable room, but I woke up thinking about our plans for the day, and our plans for tomorrow, the very last day of the ride.
Our first plan was not exactly exciting - unless it's exciting to visit our last laundromat for quite a while. We got directions from people at the hotel. They told us the shuttle driver could take us, but he had one more trip to make first. We started to walk there, but before long the shuttle pulled up beside us! The driver did not think we should have to walk. He's a nice guy from Brittany. He said he was pleased to have met us - now he had an interesting story to tell when he got home for dinner.
Once we had all that taken care of, we went over to the Wellesley campus. It is a beautiful school, and the weather was just right for a nice walk. We rode our bikes over. I had called the campus police; they kindly offered to house the bikes while we walked around Lake Waban. They really liked the idea of our trip.
We found lunch in the ultra-modern student center. Wellesley really has done a good job of integrating new with old. The food service is vadtly improved from our day, too. It was ok at Wellesley compared to other schools, but now there are all sorts of choices and apparently great flexibility in time.
After lunch we walked around the lake. I don't know how many times we took that walk while we were in school. It is a very good one. Not very long, maybe a couple of miles. There is now a boardwalk section that lets you look down into the reeds. The Honeywell estate still has the topiary hedges we remember so well; there is still the nice little stone bridge between the college president's house and the rest of the campus.
Naturally, I looked for birds as we walked. I was sort of surprised when Bruce noticed three double-crested cormorants resting on a fallen tree. Maybe the storm blew them in? Next time you see one of them, take a look. They are almost entirely black, with the dull yellow throat area (most of the time). Their eyes are a startling turquoise. A woman walking the other way seemed slightly interested. Then she looked through my binoculars & was amazed.
A couple of turtles, a family of swans, and we were back to pick up the bikes. The campus policewoman at the desk was busy working her way through a wave of students seeking their id cards, but not busy enough to fail to announce to the group what we had been up to. The students seemed, at first, to think she was joking. Then they began to stare and comment. So we left an admiring little crowd behind.
This evening we had dinner with Elisa & Michael. Elisa and I worked together a long time ago. Her second daughter was born very close to the time I had Elizabeth, and that probably was the thing that brought us close. We have stayed in touch ever since. She has been living in Massachusetts for several years now & we have managed to see her during Ride FAR. I feel so very lucky to have kept connected to lots of people over time. We really had fun this evening, and she found a great place for dinner, too.
So we are full and happy, and even more excited about tomorrow. It will be a shortish day, maybe 25 or 30 miles. Then, if I feel a little sad, I can remind myself that we spend tomorrow evening with Lillian and Willie. The perfect ending.
Miles today: 13
Total miles so far: 4170
Our first plan was not exactly exciting - unless it's exciting to visit our last laundromat for quite a while. We got directions from people at the hotel. They told us the shuttle driver could take us, but he had one more trip to make first. We started to walk there, but before long the shuttle pulled up beside us! The driver did not think we should have to walk. He's a nice guy from Brittany. He said he was pleased to have met us - now he had an interesting story to tell when he got home for dinner.
Once we had all that taken care of, we went over to the Wellesley campus. It is a beautiful school, and the weather was just right for a nice walk. We rode our bikes over. I had called the campus police; they kindly offered to house the bikes while we walked around Lake Waban. They really liked the idea of our trip.
We found lunch in the ultra-modern student center. Wellesley really has done a good job of integrating new with old. The food service is vadtly improved from our day, too. It was ok at Wellesley compared to other schools, but now there are all sorts of choices and apparently great flexibility in time.
After lunch we walked around the lake. I don't know how many times we took that walk while we were in school. It is a very good one. Not very long, maybe a couple of miles. There is now a boardwalk section that lets you look down into the reeds. The Honeywell estate still has the topiary hedges we remember so well; there is still the nice little stone bridge between the college president's house and the rest of the campus.
Naturally, I looked for birds as we walked. I was sort of surprised when Bruce noticed three double-crested cormorants resting on a fallen tree. Maybe the storm blew them in? Next time you see one of them, take a look. They are almost entirely black, with the dull yellow throat area (most of the time). Their eyes are a startling turquoise. A woman walking the other way seemed slightly interested. Then she looked through my binoculars & was amazed.
A couple of turtles, a family of swans, and we were back to pick up the bikes. The campus policewoman at the desk was busy working her way through a wave of students seeking their id cards, but not busy enough to fail to announce to the group what we had been up to. The students seemed, at first, to think she was joking. Then they began to stare and comment. So we left an admiring little crowd behind.
This evening we had dinner with Elisa & Michael. Elisa and I worked together a long time ago. Her second daughter was born very close to the time I had Elizabeth, and that probably was the thing that brought us close. We have stayed in touch ever since. She has been living in Massachusetts for several years now & we have managed to see her during Ride FAR. I feel so very lucky to have kept connected to lots of people over time. We really had fun this evening, and she found a great place for dinner, too.
So we are full and happy, and even more excited about tomorrow. It will be a shortish day, maybe 25 or 30 miles. Then, if I feel a little sad, I can remind myself that we spend tomorrow evening with Lillian and Willie. The perfect ending.
Miles today: 13
Total miles so far: 4170
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Ride FAR
We had to start by washing the bikes off. Tom Swamp Road definitely left its mark. The short additional distance we rode to our place last night made my brakes shriek and my gears slip. A little water and chain lube fixed things and off we went. Our first ten miles went slowly. More of those short, steep hills kept coming up. They really are quite steep. There was one yesterday that reached 14%. I almost couldn't do it with my loaded bike. I was at CP6 and managing all of about 3 1/2 miles per hour. Today was not quite so tough, but not easy either. We stopped to get water and mail cards in the first little town, talked to a couple of other cyclists & went on. More climbing. I began to wonder if we would get to Natick in time for our planned dinner with the Ride FAR group.
Pizza in Princeton, only 22 miles out. Then, at last, we began to go downhill. We added lots of miles fast and had a good time doing it. Actually, the climbing was good too, it was just taking too long. I had told Bruce I would like to stop for ice cream along the way. Then, after lunch, I got distracted. Things started to feel familiar - a real sense of deja vu. Bruce spotted an ice cream place, and I knew. I really had been there before. We were, for a short distance, actually on the Ride FAR route, and this was where we'd had lunch on the last days! Even though I wasn't very hungry yet, this had to be today's ice cream stop. Bruce took a picture to show at dinner tonight.
Soon after, we reached busier areas. We are getting closer and closer to Boston and the towns show it. More traffic, more choices of routes. We spent much of the afternoon following the turns we had figured out last night, and they worked fine. Our hotel is on a street that is not good for bikes. We managed to reach it within less than a block of our goal.
Our big deal today was to have dinner with a group from Ride FAR. In case you don't know, that is the AIDS ride I have done three times in the past. It was in alternate years, and this was to be one of them. Suzy, the woman who created and organized the ride, found that it would just be too much. She has a six year old daughter and is to publish a book soon. Deadlines loom. So the ride is no more. I was sorry to hear that, but also relieved. I have never loved fundraising and although the idea of training for a 500 mile ride by riding over 4000 miles had a certain weird appeal, I am not sorry to be closer to the end of my big adventure. But the people I have met are wonderful, and it was very exciting to get to see some this evening. One, Lee, showed up on his bike. Suzy and her sister, Meredith, brought their kids (and the kids somehow managed to get two years older since I last saw them). Lorene, Charles, Kim, Jonathan. A real treat to get to catch up a bit. Also nice to talk to local riders about our possible routes over the next couple of days.
So our next-to-last official ride day has been quite a success.
Miles today: 62
Total miles so far: 4157
Pizza in Princeton, only 22 miles out. Then, at last, we began to go downhill. We added lots of miles fast and had a good time doing it. Actually, the climbing was good too, it was just taking too long. I had told Bruce I would like to stop for ice cream along the way. Then, after lunch, I got distracted. Things started to feel familiar - a real sense of deja vu. Bruce spotted an ice cream place, and I knew. I really had been there before. We were, for a short distance, actually on the Ride FAR route, and this was where we'd had lunch on the last days! Even though I wasn't very hungry yet, this had to be today's ice cream stop. Bruce took a picture to show at dinner tonight.
Soon after, we reached busier areas. We are getting closer and closer to Boston and the towns show it. More traffic, more choices of routes. We spent much of the afternoon following the turns we had figured out last night, and they worked fine. Our hotel is on a street that is not good for bikes. We managed to reach it within less than a block of our goal.
Our big deal today was to have dinner with a group from Ride FAR. In case you don't know, that is the AIDS ride I have done three times in the past. It was in alternate years, and this was to be one of them. Suzy, the woman who created and organized the ride, found that it would just be too much. She has a six year old daughter and is to publish a book soon. Deadlines loom. So the ride is no more. I was sorry to hear that, but also relieved. I have never loved fundraising and although the idea of training for a 500 mile ride by riding over 4000 miles had a certain weird appeal, I am not sorry to be closer to the end of my big adventure. But the people I have met are wonderful, and it was very exciting to get to see some this evening. One, Lee, showed up on his bike. Suzy and her sister, Meredith, brought their kids (and the kids somehow managed to get two years older since I last saw them). Lorene, Charles, Kim, Jonathan. A real treat to get to catch up a bit. Also nice to talk to local riders about our possible routes over the next couple of days.
So our next-to-last official ride day has been quite a success.
Miles today: 62
Total miles so far: 4157
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Cyclocross?
New England is really beautiful for riding. Really just about perfect. The weather warmed up quite a bit after my morning note, but never got hot. Our route took us up and down hills, through lots of woods, along little rushing streams with tiny waterfalls, through picture-postcard farms. Easy to understand why so many bike tours come here. I was almost sad to think we are so close to the end of the trip, and very glad we had split this section in two so we had lots of time to enjoy it.
There is one dark note. Some of the pavement is atrocious. Not most of it; most is average and some is perfect. But occasionally, and especially in a couple of Berkshire towns yesterday, it was scary. Those big cracks in the road that are just longing to eat a skinny tire or two. Not terrible on a climb, but what a wasted descent when you have to keep a death grip on the brakes to keep the rubber on the road!
But I want to record more about our Bullfrog stay. Our hostess told Bruce when he made the reservation that she bet she was older than he. When he acknowledged his 59, almost 60 years, she said gleefully that she has a son older than that. So when we arrived pretty much as scheduled and could not get an answer at the door, I was a little bit worried. We rang the bell, and eventually I stuck my head in the unlocked door & called out. Nothing. Was she all right? What should we do? Then we heard some construction sounds out back so we walked around. There was a guy working on the roof who stopped and showed us to the front door and told us our room was upstairs. We would see our hostess when we got back from dinner; she had just made a quick trip up to the farm.
So we rode back to the little restaurant on the lake, had a very nice meal, and stopped at the little store to pick up a pint of ice cream to eat back at the inn. Sure enough, Lucille was there. She had been to harvest corn. The storm had knocked it down & it would quickly rot when touching the ground. So she was cooking & freezing it, having already canned several pounds of tomatoes and green beans. She stopped long enough to join us in eating ice cream and we had a great talk. She is fascinated by our trip. In recent years she has done week-long Elder Hostel bike tours in Europe (but, she said apologetically, no days longer than 43 miles). She said her kids don't like it when she trains for them on the fairly narrow and well traveled road out in front of her place. So she gets up at dawn to ride so the few cars up that early will get to expecting her.
She has five kids in the area and several grandchildren, mostly grown. Her house is in perfect order. She seems to have unlimited energy and a cheerful approach to everything. She made us a wonderful breakfast: black raspberries and peaches to begin, all local, followed by homemade sourdough toast with rosemary, eggs, local sausage and whole wheat pancakes, all prepared on her woodstove as we watched. We had more fun conversation as we ate. I could have stayed all day.
But we headed out, and before we knew it were crossing the Connecticut River. It is very, very full. We stopped on the bridge for a bit to look. The trees are in water almost up to their lowest branches. The water is very muddy and there were plenty of logs & branches rushing downstream. The water racing under us emerged with ripples and little whirlpools. I can hardly imagine how it must have looked on Sunday evening.
But our roads were dry and peaceful, and I began to fear we would arrive long before check in time. We went by parts of the Quabbin Reservoir & took a side road to get a better look. We found an alternative to the route that would get us off a busy road and closer to tonight's place. Left on Athol Road, right on Tom Swamp, we're there.
Wait. Tom Swamp? Will we never learn???
It looked ok at first. A local road that still had a fair amount of tree limbs on it from the storm, but a few nice houses, a day care center, then, well, then the pavement ended. Bruce kept riding but I got off to walk. It was pretty rough. Bruce soon decided to go back & ask a guy we'd seen mowing his lawn if we would actually get through ok. I kept walking. Yes, we would get through, but there was one area where the water covered the road for a hundred feet or so. Ok, I kept walking. Bruce has bigger tires & some off road experience, so he kept riding. For a while. It eventually got beyond any road bike's comfort zone & he did quite a bit of walking, too. When we found the pool across the road ( by then I had passed several large but easy to walk around puddles & had gotten my hopes up), we knew we'd be getting our feet wet. Bruce offered to get the bikes through. I took off my socks, felt very glad to be wearing my rubber Keen sandals, and plunged in. It was actually sort of pleasant. The day was quite warm, the water was always a comfortable temperature, and it only took a few minutes.
After that, we just had to walk the rest of the way through to the main road. Which turned out to be close to another mile & a half of occasionally steep, always rough road.
We weren't early arriving.
Well, I really do think the adventure must be about at an end. We hit the suburbs tomorrow. Meanwhile we are at a very nice, rather fancier B&B tonight. They also serve dinner, so no more need to try to master local navigation.
Miles today: 45
Total miles so far: 4096
There is one dark note. Some of the pavement is atrocious. Not most of it; most is average and some is perfect. But occasionally, and especially in a couple of Berkshire towns yesterday, it was scary. Those big cracks in the road that are just longing to eat a skinny tire or two. Not terrible on a climb, but what a wasted descent when you have to keep a death grip on the brakes to keep the rubber on the road!
But I want to record more about our Bullfrog stay. Our hostess told Bruce when he made the reservation that she bet she was older than he. When he acknowledged his 59, almost 60 years, she said gleefully that she has a son older than that. So when we arrived pretty much as scheduled and could not get an answer at the door, I was a little bit worried. We rang the bell, and eventually I stuck my head in the unlocked door & called out. Nothing. Was she all right? What should we do? Then we heard some construction sounds out back so we walked around. There was a guy working on the roof who stopped and showed us to the front door and told us our room was upstairs. We would see our hostess when we got back from dinner; she had just made a quick trip up to the farm.
So we rode back to the little restaurant on the lake, had a very nice meal, and stopped at the little store to pick up a pint of ice cream to eat back at the inn. Sure enough, Lucille was there. She had been to harvest corn. The storm had knocked it down & it would quickly rot when touching the ground. So she was cooking & freezing it, having already canned several pounds of tomatoes and green beans. She stopped long enough to join us in eating ice cream and we had a great talk. She is fascinated by our trip. In recent years she has done week-long Elder Hostel bike tours in Europe (but, she said apologetically, no days longer than 43 miles). She said her kids don't like it when she trains for them on the fairly narrow and well traveled road out in front of her place. So she gets up at dawn to ride so the few cars up that early will get to expecting her.
She has five kids in the area and several grandchildren, mostly grown. Her house is in perfect order. She seems to have unlimited energy and a cheerful approach to everything. She made us a wonderful breakfast: black raspberries and peaches to begin, all local, followed by homemade sourdough toast with rosemary, eggs, local sausage and whole wheat pancakes, all prepared on her woodstove as we watched. We had more fun conversation as we ate. I could have stayed all day.
But we headed out, and before we knew it were crossing the Connecticut River. It is very, very full. We stopped on the bridge for a bit to look. The trees are in water almost up to their lowest branches. The water is very muddy and there were plenty of logs & branches rushing downstream. The water racing under us emerged with ripples and little whirlpools. I can hardly imagine how it must have looked on Sunday evening.
But our roads were dry and peaceful, and I began to fear we would arrive long before check in time. We went by parts of the Quabbin Reservoir & took a side road to get a better look. We found an alternative to the route that would get us off a busy road and closer to tonight's place. Left on Athol Road, right on Tom Swamp, we're there.
Wait. Tom Swamp? Will we never learn???
It looked ok at first. A local road that still had a fair amount of tree limbs on it from the storm, but a few nice houses, a day care center, then, well, then the pavement ended. Bruce kept riding but I got off to walk. It was pretty rough. Bruce soon decided to go back & ask a guy we'd seen mowing his lawn if we would actually get through ok. I kept walking. Yes, we would get through, but there was one area where the water covered the road for a hundred feet or so. Ok, I kept walking. Bruce has bigger tires & some off road experience, so he kept riding. For a while. It eventually got beyond any road bike's comfort zone & he did quite a bit of walking, too. When we found the pool across the road ( by then I had passed several large but easy to walk around puddles & had gotten my hopes up), we knew we'd be getting our feet wet. Bruce offered to get the bikes through. I took off my socks, felt very glad to be wearing my rubber Keen sandals, and plunged in. It was actually sort of pleasant. The day was quite warm, the water was always a comfortable temperature, and it only took a few minutes.
After that, we just had to walk the rest of the way through to the main road. Which turned out to be close to another mile & a half of occasionally steep, always rough road.
We weren't early arriving.
Well, I really do think the adventure must be about at an end. We hit the suburbs tomorrow. Meanwhile we are at a very nice, rather fancier B&B tonight. They also serve dinner, so no more need to try to master local navigation.
Miles today: 45
Total miles so far: 4096
Worst weather to best weather
Irene finished up with Williamstown in the middle of the night. By the time we got up, the sky was mostly blue. For the first time in months, I was happy to have blankets (using them because the AC is too high doesn't count). We had another great breakfast and went on our way.
We did a quick, final tour of parts of the Williams campus. The field that Bruce had seen under a few feet of water when he walked around Sunday (after the threat of wind had passed) was mostly back in sight. Then we rode to North Adams in search of lunch. A few wrong turns, a few places we hoped to see that were no longer in business, and we went on to Adams. There we found a nice little bakery that served lunch and raspberry turnovers - no ice cream, but one has to accept a little variety on a trip like this. Then off into the Berkshires.
More climbing than we have done since Washington, which rather surprised me. I had expected that in the Adirondacks, but they seem to have crept up on us more gradually. At least, there were lots of short, steep hills thete, but no climbs that continued for a mile or so. We had a couple of those, then we were at the top. They can't climb that much when the highest place in tbe state is shorter than Mt. Diablo. So having reached the summit we rode rollers for a couple of hours and were there. We stayed at the Bullfrog B&B in Ashfield. It's yet another place I am so glad to have been! We also had quite a nice dinner at the Lake House in town. I'll say more about the Bullfrog later. There was no phone or internet service there and I don't know about tonight. I am writing a quick update here as we sit on the eastern shore of the Connectucut River having a snack. I didn't want to risk going two days with no post.
Both yesterday.and today have perfect riding weather - sunny and a tiny bit crisp & cool. A beautiful way tofinish up.
Today we will end in Petersham. Tomorrow Natick. A day to walk around Wellesley, then Boston. That'll be it. Hard to believe.
Miles Monday: 46
Total miles so far: 4051
We did a quick, final tour of parts of the Williams campus. The field that Bruce had seen under a few feet of water when he walked around Sunday (after the threat of wind had passed) was mostly back in sight. Then we rode to North Adams in search of lunch. A few wrong turns, a few places we hoped to see that were no longer in business, and we went on to Adams. There we found a nice little bakery that served lunch and raspberry turnovers - no ice cream, but one has to accept a little variety on a trip like this. Then off into the Berkshires.
More climbing than we have done since Washington, which rather surprised me. I had expected that in the Adirondacks, but they seem to have crept up on us more gradually. At least, there were lots of short, steep hills thete, but no climbs that continued for a mile or so. We had a couple of those, then we were at the top. They can't climb that much when the highest place in tbe state is shorter than Mt. Diablo. So having reached the summit we rode rollers for a couple of hours and were there. We stayed at the Bullfrog B&B in Ashfield. It's yet another place I am so glad to have been! We also had quite a nice dinner at the Lake House in town. I'll say more about the Bullfrog later. There was no phone or internet service there and I don't know about tonight. I am writing a quick update here as we sit on the eastern shore of the Connectucut River having a snack. I didn't want to risk going two days with no post.
Both yesterday.and today have perfect riding weather - sunny and a tiny bit crisp & cool. A beautiful way tofinish up.
Today we will end in Petersham. Tomorrow Natick. A day to walk around Wellesley, then Boston. That'll be it. Hard to believe.
Miles Monday: 46
Total miles so far: 4051
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)