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Baggage for ten day trip.
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Day 9 1/2: Tolland, CT to North Oxford, MA

Lee received this message around lunchtime today. "I'm sitting in a restaurant on Route 20 and it looks like rain forever. I think I'm just south of Worchester. The address is: Periwinkles Restaurant, 917 Southbridge St., North Oxford, MA 01537." The subject was "Done!"

I left Tolland this morning under an overcast sky with wet cycling shorts and gloves. It felt good for three to four minutes. Not really, but I tried to convince myself. I traveled 42 miles @ 13.1 mph and felt fine; however, traffic was picking up, no shoulder on the road, and it occurred to me that if I was playing blackjack, I would have left the table long ago. Weather projection for Boston was more rain.

This could be the earliest I've ever sent a blog entry, but I have a little extra time. The car GPS sent Lee on a scenic tour through New York City! I'm feeling better about my SOPG and patiently waiting for my connection to Bar Harbor, Maine. It's easier to be patient while having a beer.

One final note about this excursion. You can see from the departure pic that I was traveling light. Under five lbs. for necessities and repair equipment for the bike. The airlines love me!

It's over and out from this road jockey, until next time.
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Day 9: Kent, CT to Tolland, CT

This was just one of those days and you, my friends, will provide the emotional catharsis necessary for my full recovery. I started riding a little before 8:00 A.M. in a slight drizzle and then it began to rain. It was one of those rains I was sure would let up within the next week.

The optimism in me was quickly dashed when in the first couple of miles I was detoured off my route. What's a few extra miles in the rain. As I returned to my planned route, it was time to ride uphill in the rain with morning traffic. Could this day start off any better? The hill was significant by southwest Virginia standards and could hold its own with any I've climbed.

I made it to Litchfield, CT without any serious problems. It should be noted that people come from all over the world to see this quaint New England village. Naturally, my ten feet of visibility through fog and rain in amber sunglasses gave me a unique perspective.

It was on to Torrington for my first scheduled break. I was looking for anything that said, "warm and friendly" and had a caffeine kick. Look quick to the right and Dunkin Donuts is waiting. Turn quick to the right and cross the very murky water running in the gutter. Fall quickly to the pavement as my front wheel disappears into a hidden water hole. I picked myself up and walked back to the water hole. I carefully placed my foot into what I could not see and only my calf remained above water level. I'm pretty sure this concealed crater once held the lost city of Atlantis!

After a short recovery, it was time to peddle on toward Hartford. At this point, I was becoming a little less optimistic about the day. Wouldn't you know it that Route 44 into Hartford was one of the most harrowing rides ever! Let me repeat it was raining, it was uphill for over one and a half miles, commuter traffic, no shoulder, and an 8% downhill grade for two miles! I felt like I was on ice skates for the first time.

You might guess that by now I was wet, very wet and everything that I had with me was wet. This included my smartphone, which I refer to regularly for map information. The map screen developed ADHD and was impossible to control. I road several extra miles with a smile on my face as I tried to use my SOPG. Smartphones are not that smart when they get wet.

It was 81 joyous miles at a 12.2 mph pace. The road grime and grit embedded in my body will last a lifetime. Thanks for listening.

The amphibious cyclist.
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View from the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge crossing the Hudson River.
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Day 8: Sussex, NJ to Kent, CT

It was a long 96 miles @ 13.2 mph. I started early and finished late and I'm tired to the bone. The good news is New York is history. Actually, NY was good until late in the day when the temps and the roads started rising.

I've decided that road names with terms like ridge, peak, good view, skyline, etc. should be avoided if possible. Pleasant Ridge Road was not pleasant after 75 miles. It climbed to the heavens and then just rolled up and down enough to let you know that you should not expect anything good from this cycling life!

This conclusion was wrong because just as my spirits were dashed beyond hope, what did I see? Food! More precisely, it was a diner with pie and Gatorade. It was not just any pie, but lemon meringue pie. Geez, life is good on the road.

Here's to the sweet and sour of cycling.

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Day 7: Bethlehem, PA to Sussex, NJ

It was another pleasant day for riding. I started with about 6 miles on a rails-to-trails conversion which got me headed in the right direction without any hassles with traffic. Now, it was time to start crossing bridges again. First, the Lehigh River in Bethlehem and next the Delaware River. Both crossings were fairly easy compared to the experience of George Washington and my car chase across the Potomac.

The next few miles were congested with traffic and then I made a left turn. All was right with the cycling world. The traffic was light, the road was good, and I was making fairly good time for an old guy on a bike. It was now approaching lunchtime and all I could see was road. Hmmm... I get grumpy without food. I asked a guy working on the road and he directed me two miles downhill. Not happening, unless I'm falling off the bike. It was time to truck on.

I ended up in Newton, NJ for lunch. Great deli and the best part was finding out I only had another ten miles to Sussex. After I arrived in Sussex I found out the town was without lodging. Yours truly was running on empty and it was hot. Time to gear down for a long sustained climb up to the highest point in NJ. About half way up the climb I have a vision. Not a religious thing, but a food thing, ICE CREAM! A farm serving ice cream appeared. A chocolate shake might just bring me to the top of the climb. It was worth a try and I might add that it worked.

I logged 79 miles at 13.5 mph. The day was hot and the last miles were long, but I'm safely tucked away in my motel room and looking forward to crossing New York tomorrow.

This is soda jerk Mick looking for a shakey shakey.
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Day 6: Lititz, PA to Bethlehem, PA

Today I traveled through the most beautiful countryside. No really! Wonderful farms and rolling hills that seemed endless. Since I was trying to dodge many of the larger cities, this was partly out of necessity.

Several people were helpful along the way and that contributed to a good ride. It got very hot in the afternoon and I arrived late in the day, so I was trashed! The delay was not the distance traveled (70 miles), but a slow pace of 13.1 over the rather steep inclines. By the end of the day these climbs hurt.

I would sound like Lee if I didn't give at least one negative. The hassle of the day was a thousand turns. I had to stop and change from sunglasses to my Rx glasses, mop my brow with my bandanna, get out my BlackBerry, get to the map ap, find my location, check the road signs, and then reverse the process. I spent a lot of time standing or sitting beside the road. No way SOPG was going to work today.

This is the optimistic cyclist signing off for another day.
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