Day 26: Interlake RV Park (East of Rhinebeck, NY) to North Granby, CT

June 7, 2008

77.52 miles, 6:13:16 Ride Time, 12.45 Average Speed, 42.64 Maximum Speed

The weather and terrain changed dramatically today. It was hot, humid, and hilly - the most physically challenging day of the trip yet.

It took me a while to get everything together - I was definitely out of practice with the whole camping thing. I was further delayed by fooling around at the campground recreation hall - charging some electronic stuff, drying clothes, etc. I didn't start riding until about 8:00, by which time it was already extremely muggy. Quite a contrast with yesterday, when I wore arm warmers and a jacket most of the day.

There were a few hills before Pine Plains (pop. 2,569), the first of several attractive, apparently thriving small towns I saw today. I really liked the looks of the place.

I encountered the first big hill of the day when I turned onto Winchell Mountain Road. As I stopped and wrung the sweat out of my jersey, I was reminded of Clinch Mountain in Virginia almost exactly two years ago. This wasn't that tough, but it was bad enough. I felt dumb when I got back on the bike and rode about 100 feet to find a cool, shady cemetery at the top of the hill - that would have been a much better place to have taken a break than on the side of the road, attempting to keep the bike from falling over on the steep grade.

Millerton was another charming little town. I talked to a local cyclist outside a gas station (one of many Gatorade stops today), and then, interestingly, to a couple of 13-year-old boys who asked me if I was "on a trip". It's rare enough see kids riding bikes these days (as these were), and even rarer for them to be interested in what I'm doing.

I crossed into Connecticut, and stopped in Lakeville (you guessed it - a quaint, picture-postcard little town), and stopped briefly to talk to a group of anti-war protesters. They were an interesting group - one guy was alternately beating on a drum and blowing on a conch - and I decided to ask one of them to take my picture with them. I'm too self-conscious to do that very often.

Hills, hills, and more hills. I must have really gotten soft after all that easy riding in the south. I passed through Canaan and then East Canaan, and then, when I arrived in Winstead (where I saw the first fast food places of the day, including the first Dairy Queen I'd seen in what seemed forever), I stopped to call Helen, my host for the evening.

I must have sounded pathetically hopeful when I asked her if the hills were about over for the day; she hesitated and said something like "Oh, there might be just a few more before you get to our place."

In fact, the last part of the day had some of the toughest climbing yet. I'd like to know what some of these grades actually were. I would rank Connecticut the second-hardest terrain I've ridden in - the area around the Viriginia/Kentucky border on the TransAmerica Trail is still the toughest.

I eventually found Kelly and Helen's place, although not before missing a turn, thus requiring me to climb an extra half mile of hill. (After that, Helen actually rode out in her car and directed me the last couple of miles to their home. Very thoughtful).

When I got to Kelly and Helen's home, I immediately drank an entire pitcher of lemonade. Despite numerous stops at gas stations and stores, I had trouble staying hydrated today. It was the hottest, most humid day of riding in a long time.

Later, another touring cyclist arrived. It was Claude, from Quebec, who had been touring for eleven (!) months. His adventure made my tour seem mild - he was doing mostly stealth camping (he preferred cemeteries), and was making his own route using state road maps. He had some interesting stories.

After an excellent dinner of lasagna, I retired to a spare bedroom for the night, where Kelly and Helen's cat, Mrs. Pollifax, joined me a few times. She seemed interested in the contents of my panniers, probably because they had been in a campground the night before and still had a wild scent on them.

Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 1,856 miles (2,987 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0