...was a big disappointment. Or a big relief. Or some of each.
We lay in our cozy room last night, listening, waiting. Irene was due to arrive by early morning. We heard rain, then more rain. No wind.
We got up and looked at the forecasts. Things had slowed down a bit; now she was due late morning. We had a very nice breakfast. It was raining at a rate of two inches an hour. There were lots of flood warnings in the general area. New York was just feeling the force of the storm.
It rained.
It rained some more.
The air was still. The calm before the storm?
The other guest at the B&B we are enjoying is a guy from England who just dropped his son off to begin his studies at Williams. We spent a bunch of time this morning helping him figure out how to get home before Labor Day; his airline seemed to think that was the best it could do. We offered various suggestions & he will now drive to Burlington, fly to Chicago and head back to England from there on Tuesday.
It kept on raining.
Finally, we heard thunder. About three times, and with a little imagination we could see the wind building up. Then that subsided.
By mid-afternoon, I could see on the Doppler radar picture that Irene was already north and west of us. The rain got lighter. At about 5:00, some wind came along. Since then we have had a fairly ordinary rainstorm with gusty winds. The power went out for a couple of hours at dinnertime, there are a few small branches lying on the paths. That's about it.
Tomorrow we will check road conditions & move to our next destination. The weather is supposed to be wonderful.
No miles ridden, hardly any walking. Possibly the least movement I have experienced since my last flight to Australia.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Not a good day
It really had almost nothing to do with the looming hurricane. I did want to keep moving & try to get to Williamstown before the rain & thunder began, so we did make a point of starting out a little earlier. We had a route sheet that we'd cobbled together and Bruce had gone over it using his iPhone map and we had a not-detailed-enough map of New York state. Sort of Impressionist navigation.
It works for art. Not for navigation.
We made our first wrong turn at about ten miles. We figured it out about 2 1/2 miles later, down a bunch of hills. Ugh. So we've lost five miles and probably close to half an hour. I was not happy. But we got back on track, and the roads were great, and the street signs were kindly agreeing with the route sheet for a change. I cheered up.
Then one well-marked turn showed up almost a mile before we expected it. We took it. Bruce said we'd be on it for quite a while, so I took off. We were meandering along the Hudson River - very peaceful & attractive. I had recalculated our overall distance to 71 miles; with that in mind, we were half way there & we would only arrive about a half hour later than I had hoped. Then my walkie-talkie buzzed & Bruce asked me to wait for him; he was not sure we were on the proper road. We'd been going north along the river for over ten miles. Our destination was southeast of us.
20 more miles added to the route???
We were only a mile or so south of an opportunity to cross the river, so we did it and stopped for lunch and rethinking. I looked at the Doppler radar screen including the animated version. A huge, fierce looking system had moved from the very bottom of the area shown to about 3/4 of the distance it had to cover to reach us. That was it for me. 35 miles out, 60+ of the original 66 hilly miles left to go, a hurricane moving right in.
We started looking for rental cars. No one in that area was willing to do a one way rental. We considered closer places to stop, but we are now on a fairly tight schedule & couldn't quite figure out how to make it work. Tomorrow is supposed to produce gusts up to 70mph, sustained winds of 50+. Rain of several inches is likely. No way can we ride tomorrow. We toyed with riding further and looking for options as we went along, but we were as close to a good-sized town as we were going to be. Actually, we were a lot closer than we were ever supposed to be. That was the problem.
In the end, it was also the very inelegant solution. We got a cab. For an exorbitant fee. The ride was well over an hour at taxi pace. Bruce's GPS claims to have traveled over 100 miles since we left this morning, so I guess we were farther off course than we thought.
I was feeling incredibly frustrated by the whole thing. Definitely the low point of the trip. And it didn't help that the rain held off an extra couple of hours and still (it is 8:00 now) is not very hard rain, or that we drove along the roads we should have ridden & they looked great. Maybe we could have made it. But maybe not. At the rate we were going it might have been dark before we arrived. Who knows what other ways we could have screwed things up?
Anyhow, we are here. A bath made me feel distinctly better; a good dinner followed by a reminiscing walk around Williams brought me back to a reasonably cheerful state - or at least I am now ready to move on.
We have rescheduled the remaining days. We will take three days to get to Natick, will still take a day to wander around Wellesley, and will then ride towards the coast near Boston. Bruce points out that Seattle to Boston sounds good.
Miles today: 37
Total miles so far: 4005 - the high point of the day, passing 4000. Boy, am I glad I didn't stop six miles sooner.
It works for art. Not for navigation.
We made our first wrong turn at about ten miles. We figured it out about 2 1/2 miles later, down a bunch of hills. Ugh. So we've lost five miles and probably close to half an hour. I was not happy. But we got back on track, and the roads were great, and the street signs were kindly agreeing with the route sheet for a change. I cheered up.
Then one well-marked turn showed up almost a mile before we expected it. We took it. Bruce said we'd be on it for quite a while, so I took off. We were meandering along the Hudson River - very peaceful & attractive. I had recalculated our overall distance to 71 miles; with that in mind, we were half way there & we would only arrive about a half hour later than I had hoped. Then my walkie-talkie buzzed & Bruce asked me to wait for him; he was not sure we were on the proper road. We'd been going north along the river for over ten miles. Our destination was southeast of us.
20 more miles added to the route???
We were only a mile or so south of an opportunity to cross the river, so we did it and stopped for lunch and rethinking. I looked at the Doppler radar screen including the animated version. A huge, fierce looking system had moved from the very bottom of the area shown to about 3/4 of the distance it had to cover to reach us. That was it for me. 35 miles out, 60+ of the original 66 hilly miles left to go, a hurricane moving right in.
We started looking for rental cars. No one in that area was willing to do a one way rental. We considered closer places to stop, but we are now on a fairly tight schedule & couldn't quite figure out how to make it work. Tomorrow is supposed to produce gusts up to 70mph, sustained winds of 50+. Rain of several inches is likely. No way can we ride tomorrow. We toyed with riding further and looking for options as we went along, but we were as close to a good-sized town as we were going to be. Actually, we were a lot closer than we were ever supposed to be. That was the problem.
In the end, it was also the very inelegant solution. We got a cab. For an exorbitant fee. The ride was well over an hour at taxi pace. Bruce's GPS claims to have traveled over 100 miles since we left this morning, so I guess we were farther off course than we thought.
I was feeling incredibly frustrated by the whole thing. Definitely the low point of the trip. And it didn't help that the rain held off an extra couple of hours and still (it is 8:00 now) is not very hard rain, or that we drove along the roads we should have ridden & they looked great. Maybe we could have made it. But maybe not. At the rate we were going it might have been dark before we arrived. Who knows what other ways we could have screwed things up?
Anyhow, we are here. A bath made me feel distinctly better; a good dinner followed by a reminiscing walk around Williams brought me back to a reasonably cheerful state - or at least I am now ready to move on.
We have rescheduled the remaining days. We will take three days to get to Natick, will still take a day to wander around Wellesley, and will then ride towards the coast near Boston. Bruce points out that Seattle to Boston sounds good.
Miles today: 37
Total miles so far: 4005 - the high point of the day, passing 4000. Boy, am I glad I didn't stop six miles sooner.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Closer all the time
The trip down to Lake Luzerne from Blue Mountain Lake was another great one. Riding through the Adirondacks is just about perfect. It's a summery day, and there was lots of downhill, amd other than one short stretch the pavement was especially good. We reached another cool landmark: we were riding along the Hudson River for quite a while. We just had a very nice dinner in town, and I am sitting outside the library to take advantage of its WiFi. The place we are staying has very little cell reception.
Of course, we are thinking a lot about Sunday. The forecast has been pretty consistent; it looks lime we're in for one wild day, even way back in the northwest.corner of Massachusetts. As we thought of how to reorganize things if Monday turns out to be a tough riding day - could easily be flooding, power outages, trees & branches down - it occurred to me that we could simply ride one less day. I mean, Massachusetts has a coast, doesn't it??? So I mentioned that we could stay three nights in Williamstown, and pick up a car in the Boston area after dipping our wheels in the salt water somewhere out that way.
Well, Bruce is one loyal Williams alum. He has taken to that idea with enthusiasm. No, I am (reasonably) sure he has no particular hopes of playing that dreamed-of golf game on Monday. I doubt the course will be in playable condition. They are talking about 5-10" of rain in ONE day. But we would certainly be able to explore the area some. Maybe help the locals with sandbags or something.
So that idea is gathering strength even as the hurricane probability grows. We'll know more tomorrow when we will be able to make a few phone calls to set up the changes.
Nothing, nothing, nothing will change our arrival in Old Saybrook on Friday where we get to catch up with Lillian and Willie!!! Oh, and Rebecca and Will, too.
Miles today: 65
Total miles so far: 3968
Of course, we are thinking a lot about Sunday. The forecast has been pretty consistent; it looks lime we're in for one wild day, even way back in the northwest.corner of Massachusetts. As we thought of how to reorganize things if Monday turns out to be a tough riding day - could easily be flooding, power outages, trees & branches down - it occurred to me that we could simply ride one less day. I mean, Massachusetts has a coast, doesn't it??? So I mentioned that we could stay three nights in Williamstown, and pick up a car in the Boston area after dipping our wheels in the salt water somewhere out that way.
Well, Bruce is one loyal Williams alum. He has taken to that idea with enthusiasm. No, I am (reasonably) sure he has no particular hopes of playing that dreamed-of golf game on Monday. I doubt the course will be in playable condition. They are talking about 5-10" of rain in ONE day. But we would certainly be able to explore the area some. Maybe help the locals with sandbags or something.
So that idea is gathering strength even as the hurricane probability grows. We'll know more tomorrow when we will be able to make a few phone calls to set up the changes.
Nothing, nothing, nothing will change our arrival in Old Saybrook on Friday where we get to catch up with Lillian and Willie!!! Oh, and Rebecca and Will, too.
Miles today: 65
Total miles so far: 3968
Thursday, August 25, 2011
38 years
Today is our anniversary. That's why we chose to have a rest day, and were glad it happened in a very nice place in the Adirondacks. It was supposed to rain today, but we didn't care. We could just dawdle around & look out at the lake and visit with all the nice people we have met here.
Hemlock Hall serves a very generous breakfast. Like dinner, it is family style. We are directed towards a particular table, and we are placed with different people each time. Everyone here is very interesting. Most have spent lots of time in the area and know of great hikes, or history, or performances, all sorts of details. We decided we would take a short canoe ride and then walk up to the Adirondack Museum, less than two miles away.
We watched the clouds gathering as we paddled. We managed to spot some rain approaching in time to dock the boat just as the first drops reached us. No thunder or lightning today, but the weather prediction had suggested there might be some. Being out on a big lake in a metal canoe is even worse than being caught in a thunderstorm on the bike! So we wandered back inside & got organized to go to the museum.
It's really a good one. It has all sorts of little buildings that show typical Adirondack settings, ranging from a little lean-to set up for camping to a fairly elaborate summer house to a hunting camp. There was an exhibit of early 20th century photographs, mostly of animals at night, then a quilt exhibit, a hall filled with railroad cars including one very ornate private car, and several horse-drawn vehicles. It also had a decent cafeteria where we found lunch & ate looking out over the lake. There were several rain showers but we avoided them for the most part.
We spent some time after we got back looking over our routes. We have no more days of Adventure Cycling routes & that's a little unnerving in this hilly and populous area. We also called ahead to be certain we would be able to spend an extra night in Williamstown if, as appears increasingly probable, Hurricane Irene becomes a factor. Current predictions have it hitting Massachusetts on Sunday. We will be ok if that sticks, although we may be stopping to walk around fallen trees on Monday. Otherwise, we may have to push things back a day. If we do that, we might have to reach the coast near Boston and get a rental car to get to Connecticut.
Then our second great dinner here. One of the families we sat with at dinner last night had spotted cute buttons with bicycles as happy faces (it works, really - they are not yellow & black, and the bikes look like glasses with a curve/smile down below then) and had brought us each one. The group we sat with this evening talked about all sorts of stuff. One woman described her initiation rite into an organization that took her very much by surprise. Another ended up having in her car the very western Massachusetts map we had been longing to see this afternoon & she brought it up for us to use this evening. A very home-like feeling.
Tomorrow will be our last full day in New York.
Hemlock Hall serves a very generous breakfast. Like dinner, it is family style. We are directed towards a particular table, and we are placed with different people each time. Everyone here is very interesting. Most have spent lots of time in the area and know of great hikes, or history, or performances, all sorts of details. We decided we would take a short canoe ride and then walk up to the Adirondack Museum, less than two miles away.
We watched the clouds gathering as we paddled. We managed to spot some rain approaching in time to dock the boat just as the first drops reached us. No thunder or lightning today, but the weather prediction had suggested there might be some. Being out on a big lake in a metal canoe is even worse than being caught in a thunderstorm on the bike! So we wandered back inside & got organized to go to the museum.
It's really a good one. It has all sorts of little buildings that show typical Adirondack settings, ranging from a little lean-to set up for camping to a fairly elaborate summer house to a hunting camp. There was an exhibit of early 20th century photographs, mostly of animals at night, then a quilt exhibit, a hall filled with railroad cars including one very ornate private car, and several horse-drawn vehicles. It also had a decent cafeteria where we found lunch & ate looking out over the lake. There were several rain showers but we avoided them for the most part.
We spent some time after we got back looking over our routes. We have no more days of Adventure Cycling routes & that's a little unnerving in this hilly and populous area. We also called ahead to be certain we would be able to spend an extra night in Williamstown if, as appears increasingly probable, Hurricane Irene becomes a factor. Current predictions have it hitting Massachusetts on Sunday. We will be ok if that sticks, although we may be stopping to walk around fallen trees on Monday. Otherwise, we may have to push things back a day. If we do that, we might have to reach the coast near Boston and get a rental car to get to Connecticut.
Then our second great dinner here. One of the families we sat with at dinner last night had spotted cute buttons with bicycles as happy faces (it works, really - they are not yellow & black, and the bikes look like glasses with a curve/smile down below then) and had brought us each one. The group we sat with this evening talked about all sorts of stuff. One woman described her initiation rite into an organization that took her very much by surprise. Another ended up having in her car the very western Massachusetts map we had been longing to see this afternoon & she brought it up for us to use this evening. A very home-like feeling.
Tomorrow will be our last full day in New York.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Earthquakes? Hurricanes?
Two things we didn't worry about. Now we hear the Washington Monument is closed because of quake damage. Huh? When someone said Washington, I assumed Seattle, but I guess not. Well, I think we can still let that worry go. But hurricane Irene - the first expected to hit the US in a few years and they think it may cause evacuations in Massachusetts about two days after we get there. If it stays on track, it should arrive on our rest day in Williamstown, probably about the best we can hope for. Lots of wind & rain on a day we don't have to travel. Bruce would miss a golf game he is really looking forward to, but he can handle that. So close to our end point - could get complicated. Well, hurricanes are notorious for changing course. We'll just have to pay attention.
Aline & Jim, I hope you and Granddad & Gretl don't experience any problems - hope you are far enough inland. I gather you will begin to feel it very soon. We'll keep our fingers crossed that all will be ok.
For now, though, we are at Hemlock Hall in Blue Mountain Lake. It's a charming lodge with some cabins, very Adirondacks-style. An old clapboard lodge with a great big living room/library, a huge porch where I am sitting in one of a dozen rockers looking over the lake, a little beach and dock with canoes & kayaks we can use whenever we wish to, family-style dinner & breakfast included. The interior includes a lovely old wooden staircase and a big fireplace. There is a huge osprey nest on an island we can see from here. Bruce is in heaven; all his childhood vacations, and his father's and his grandmother's were spent here. He has gone off for a little hike.
The weather has really cooled down. We had learned to like the heat, but the cooler temperatures are more restful. So far, no actual cold, so I am happy.
Miles today: 38
Total miles so far: 3903
Aline & Jim, I hope you and Granddad & Gretl don't experience any problems - hope you are far enough inland. I gather you will begin to feel it very soon. We'll keep our fingers crossed that all will be ok.
For now, though, we are at Hemlock Hall in Blue Mountain Lake. It's a charming lodge with some cabins, very Adirondacks-style. An old clapboard lodge with a great big living room/library, a huge porch where I am sitting in one of a dozen rockers looking over the lake, a little beach and dock with canoes & kayaks we can use whenever we wish to, family-style dinner & breakfast included. The interior includes a lovely old wooden staircase and a big fireplace. There is a huge osprey nest on an island we can see from here. Bruce is in heaven; all his childhood vacations, and his father's and his grandmother's were spent here. He has gone off for a little hike.
The weather has really cooled down. We had learned to like the heat, but the cooler temperatures are more restful. So far, no actual cold, so I am happy.
Miles today: 38
Total miles so far: 3903
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Songs, and another perfect day
When I first woke up I heard something quite loud. It took me a minute to realize it was pouring rain. In a very few minutes, it stopped. We weren't ready to get up for another hour or two, and there was no more rain. I kbow I keep talking about how different the warm rain is. The thing is, this was not warm. Last night would have been right at home in the San Francisco area. 50s overnight with an expected high today of no more than 70. So I was very glad that the rain was through when we backtracked a bit to get breakfast.
After we got back, we found ourselves donning layers we haven't used since western Montana: full fingered gloves, arm & leg warmers, wool socks. And just as we were ready to set out, it rained a bit more. We waited it out and ended up having a completely dry day. This temperature range is really just about ideal for touring, especially now that we are brushing up our climbing skills. Especially since this is the first time in the whole trip that we have done much climbing carrying all our stuff.
It's fun, really. I love having the variety. My legs actually seem less tired when they move differently. It's fun to push a little and remember what a high heart rate feels like. So far they are short climbs, but a few are steep enough that they require a lot of power just to keep the pace over 4mph - in other words, to minimize the chance of toppling over. Bruce's back bothered him some from the steeper climbs, so he is choosing to walk some.
So as often happens in climbing territory, we don't stay together all that much, which gives my mind lots of time to wander, and here's the question that has been nagging me the last couple of days: what brings all those weird song choices to my mind??? I am one who almost always has music of some sort running through my head. Most often it is classical since that's what I listen to most. Also, there are the more lively & (once upon a time) popular pieces I have on my running playlists.
So where did I come up with Rubber Ducky? Yeah, the one from Sesame Street. Or that Carly Simon song, You're So Vain? I mean, I never deliberately listened to that one. I just had to Google it to figure out who sang it. And today it was a couple of songs from Brigadoon, the musical we did my senior year in high school - and I didn't love it all that much in 1969.
If you know how to do it, please insert into my brain whatever it would take to get back to something that actually resides on my Nano!!!
I am happy to say that we had a great diversion this afternoon. If you ever plan to ride around here, be aure to ride Moose River Road. Beautiful! The river is an ideal scenic combination of rocky rapids, boulders, trees & steady water. The road is mostly wooded and very smooth (with a short exception, that does not happen to be within the four miles a sign warns of). It is one of the best roads we have seen all the way across, and we got to stay on it for 8 miles.
We are now in Old Forge in a motel right down by the lake shore. We rode back for dinner at a steak house. Bruce is sitting outside in the dusk calling all his family members who grew up camping here. Tomorrow, more lakes, then a lake-filled rest day.
Miles ridden: 65
Total miles so far: 3864
After we got back, we found ourselves donning layers we haven't used since western Montana: full fingered gloves, arm & leg warmers, wool socks. And just as we were ready to set out, it rained a bit more. We waited it out and ended up having a completely dry day. This temperature range is really just about ideal for touring, especially now that we are brushing up our climbing skills. Especially since this is the first time in the whole trip that we have done much climbing carrying all our stuff.
It's fun, really. I love having the variety. My legs actually seem less tired when they move differently. It's fun to push a little and remember what a high heart rate feels like. So far they are short climbs, but a few are steep enough that they require a lot of power just to keep the pace over 4mph - in other words, to minimize the chance of toppling over. Bruce's back bothered him some from the steeper climbs, so he is choosing to walk some.
So as often happens in climbing territory, we don't stay together all that much, which gives my mind lots of time to wander, and here's the question that has been nagging me the last couple of days: what brings all those weird song choices to my mind??? I am one who almost always has music of some sort running through my head. Most often it is classical since that's what I listen to most. Also, there are the more lively & (once upon a time) popular pieces I have on my running playlists.
So where did I come up with Rubber Ducky? Yeah, the one from Sesame Street. Or that Carly Simon song, You're So Vain? I mean, I never deliberately listened to that one. I just had to Google it to figure out who sang it. And today it was a couple of songs from Brigadoon, the musical we did my senior year in high school - and I didn't love it all that much in 1969.
If you know how to do it, please insert into my brain whatever it would take to get back to something that actually resides on my Nano!!!
I am happy to say that we had a great diversion this afternoon. If you ever plan to ride around here, be aure to ride Moose River Road. Beautiful! The river is an ideal scenic combination of rocky rapids, boulders, trees & steady water. The road is mostly wooded and very smooth (with a short exception, that does not happen to be within the four miles a sign warns of). It is one of the best roads we have seen all the way across, and we got to stay on it for 8 miles.
We are now in Old Forge in a motel right down by the lake shore. We rode back for dinner at a steak house. Bruce is sitting outside in the dusk calling all his family members who grew up camping here. Tomorrow, more lakes, then a lake-filled rest day.
Miles ridden: 65
Total miles so far: 3864
My turn
"Looks like you'll be riding into rain," said our host as we pulled out in the morning. That was fairly consistent with the tone of the place. It was run down, although everything was very clean, and obviously a lot of treasured objects filled every room. At dinner, though, our hostess had made it quite clear that she could not wait to retire: "Oh, how I would love to spend the winter in Tahiti!" "You should go with Joe," said her agreeable spouse. "No! I want to be all by myself. To go to sleep when I like, to get up whenever I choose. Aaaah."
So it was not altogether surprising to hear comments at breakfast - get good mattresses to withstand heavy guests, that sort of thing. I doubt she saw the irony, though, in the fact that her stream of complaints - how bad things have gotten in her homeland thanks to hordes of foreigners, and she was broad-minded enough to list the seemingly all-inclusive nationalities soiling her heritage - was delivered in what, to us at least, was rather a strong foreign accent.
Talk about the wrong line of work!
However, we felt not a drop of rain, and no foreigners or natives tried to steal our bikes or sell us anything dubious. Or anything at all, actually. We were having quite a nice ride when...I got yet another flat. I guess that's at least partly because of the amount of traffic. More broken glass, more wiry bits from tires. We changed the tube & went on. Last night I replaced the rather worn front tire in hopes that the older one's long life was contributing to the wave of tire-changing practice.
Our arrival at Crossroads Inn & Cabins could not have contrasted more dramatically with the night before if it had been carefully planned. Tanya (I could be a bit off on the name) came out to greet us as we rolled in. She gave us each a fancy sugar cookie she had made, decorated and wrapped, along with very nice pens with the inn's name on them. Bruce had called her to find out about local dinner options; there really aren't any, at least on Mondays, so she questioned us carefully to be sure we were ok. We were - we had a big lunch and brought sandwich-makings along for dinner. She seemed almost sad she would not be able to make us breakfast. She let us do our laundry. Definitely one of the best.
The only missing piece was cell service or WiFi. That's why this is a day late. But we were on a lovely lake. There were huge, threatening clouds covering half the sky with the sun shining brightly from the other half. The light on the lake and surrounding woods was very dramatic. An osprey perched on a tree showed its starkly contrasting dark & light colors.
We had both begun to feel we were in very different territory as we rode in. The mountains, not high, but decidedly wilder, the rushing streams, the increasing chance there would be a lake just through the trees. Great riding.
Miles ridden: 61
Total miles so far: 3799
So it was not altogether surprising to hear comments at breakfast - get good mattresses to withstand heavy guests, that sort of thing. I doubt she saw the irony, though, in the fact that her stream of complaints - how bad things have gotten in her homeland thanks to hordes of foreigners, and she was broad-minded enough to list the seemingly all-inclusive nationalities soiling her heritage - was delivered in what, to us at least, was rather a strong foreign accent.
Talk about the wrong line of work!
However, we felt not a drop of rain, and no foreigners or natives tried to steal our bikes or sell us anything dubious. Or anything at all, actually. We were having quite a nice ride when...I got yet another flat. I guess that's at least partly because of the amount of traffic. More broken glass, more wiry bits from tires. We changed the tube & went on. Last night I replaced the rather worn front tire in hopes that the older one's long life was contributing to the wave of tire-changing practice.
Our arrival at Crossroads Inn & Cabins could not have contrasted more dramatically with the night before if it had been carefully planned. Tanya (I could be a bit off on the name) came out to greet us as we rolled in. She gave us each a fancy sugar cookie she had made, decorated and wrapped, along with very nice pens with the inn's name on them. Bruce had called her to find out about local dinner options; there really aren't any, at least on Mondays, so she questioned us carefully to be sure we were ok. We were - we had a big lunch and brought sandwich-makings along for dinner. She seemed almost sad she would not be able to make us breakfast. She let us do our laundry. Definitely one of the best.
The only missing piece was cell service or WiFi. That's why this is a day late. But we were on a lovely lake. There were huge, threatening clouds covering half the sky with the sun shining brightly from the other half. The light on the lake and surrounding woods was very dramatic. An osprey perched on a tree showed its starkly contrasting dark & light colors.
We had both begun to feel we were in very different territory as we rode in. The mountains, not high, but decidedly wilder, the rushing streams, the increasing chance there would be a lake just through the trees. Great riding.
Miles ridden: 61
Total miles so far: 3799
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