July 8, 2005

Riding down memory lane - - Rain, rain, and more rain!

While we are eating the breakfast provided by the motel, we check the weather on the lobby computer. The radar and the forecast shows that we are in for a wet day today. It’s not raining yet but it’s not too far away.

Motels that provide touring cyclists continental breakfasts don’t fair too well. We estimate that we consume 6,000 to 9,000 calories a day and it’s good to get a good foundation of energy in the morning. It’s usually two or three cereals, a couple of bagels or english muffins, a couple of donuts, two or three glasses of orange juice, and if they have Belgium waffles, a couple of those each also. Then for the road cycling jerseys have three pockets in the back and they are usually filled with bagels, muffins, and donuts or whatever.

We roll out at 8:00 and get less than three miles and Nick’s wheel breaks another spoke. We pull into a car dealership for a good safe place to make the repair. We are on a raised sidewalk in front of the window of the waiting room for those who have their cars in for repairs. Looking in I see a few curious people watching the repair. It goes pretty fast and we are back on the road in about fifteen minutes. It’s a cool morning in the low 60’s and we have about ninety miles to ride to get to my son Jason and his wife Erin’s new home in Salem, NH. I look forward to seeing my wife Joan who has been staying there for the week, as well as Jason and Erin and my grand daughter Corrie (ten months old) who I hear is becoming much more mobile. I look forward to seeing the things she has learned since I saw her last.

The route brings us through Athol, MA. Tim spent many summers there as a boy up through his teen years as his aunt has a cottage on a lake south of Athol. If we had more time or planned the night stops a bit differently we would have stayed at the cottage, which is about five miles south of Athol. It has started to rain before we reach the area. When it rains it slows us down considerably for safety reasons. It is difficult to see potholes, manhole covers, and other road debris that can cause us problems. The rain often washes sand, gravel, and glass closer to our riding area forcing us to sometimes ride to the left of the white line separating the shoulder from the road. This requires more caution for vehicles coming up on us from behind. We all have our blinkie lights on.

Connecticut River Looking North

Approaching Athol we ride beside the Millers River. I ask Nick if this reminds him of anything. His immediate response: “Idaho”, which is what I was thinking.

At one point we pass a bowling alley on the left. Tim recalls a teenage years date with a girl who spent summers at a nearby cottage. Just as when you drive by an area that produces memories, it is the same on a bike only more intense as you have more time to look around and reflect. I kid Tim a bit about his teenage date. He is good about it and chuckles. We stop in Athol for second breakfast at a place I stopped last year on a solo ride to Jason’s. I only had a muffin break then but the place was packed then so I know it is a good place to eat.

Break at Athol, MA

There was some going up hill getting to Athol and it goes up more as we leave. It’s now raining steadily and as we gain elevation to about 1,000 feet it gets foggy. We are in the low-lying clouds. Also it is much colder. The temperature is in the upper 50’s when we stop for a snack break. Just as we leave it is pretty foggy. If it stays like this we will have to reassess our plans to get to Jason’s today. Rain is one thing, fog is something else. As we descend about 400 feet the fog goes away but Nick gets a flat on the descent.

It’s raining pretty hard when we decide to stop and get something to eat at around 3:30 with about thirty miles to our destination. It’s looking like Nick was right, we should have gotten up at 5:30 instead of 6:00 to get an earlier start.

Tim is having a rough day today. He didn’t experience the cold and rain in Idaho, Montana, and the beginning of North Dakota. It isn’t so much a physical thing as a mental one. We encourage him, make light of the conditions, and limit his pulls. We resurrect our old mantra: “If it doesn’t kill you - - it makes you stronger.”

At one point a car pulls out in front of me and I swerve right to avoid a collision. Nick says it’s a kid who just didn’t look left. We pull over and put our camping headlamps on our helmets and I put my bright day glow cycling jacket on over my rain jacket. As I am leading, I turn my head so the headlamp shines toward traffic entering from the right or left. We wave at every car preparing to enter the road and when they wave back we know they see us. We are navigating solely by use of the GPS and it is sometimes tough to see the screen with the rain on my glasses and the screen. We stop often to make sure we are on track. There is a left hand turn that we have to make to cross the Merrimack River near Lowell. I say: “We have to take a left turn at the next light to cross the river.”, to which Tim replies: “This road is a river.”

As we approach upper Massachusetts the route takes us pass a number of ponds and small lakes. It reminds me of Minnesota except that in Minnesota it didn’t rain. It’s really pouring now. Nick and I have worn down our rear break pads today from using them extensively on the down hills to limit our speed for safety’s sake.

Entering NH in the Rain

Once we hit New Hampshire the roads are really smooth and we have wider shoulders. There must have been some fresh paving as I get some road oil in my right eye and have to stop to clean it out as the rain keeps washing it off my eyebrow and into my eye. I told Nick and Tim of the last hill which goes up to where Jason lives. I am glad I did as it is not much of a hill and they were expecting much worse. No one complains.

Everything and everybody is drenched when we pull in Jason’s garage. We have road grime, sand, worm segments, and everything else on us that washes up from wet roads when you ride. I long to give Joan a big hug and kiss but that will have to wait until after a shower.

Just getting in for the day ... we're quite wet!

Nick says that this has been the worst day of the trip. I silently concur. It is good that we have a warm dry place to wash and dry our clothes, and hang our rain gear to dry out. We are all glad that this day of riding is over.

We are now set up for a twenty-five to thirty mile ride to the Atlantic tomorrow. There is no reason to get up real early. I make some notes and pass on writing my log tonight as I want to spend the time with Joan, Jason, Erin, & Corrie. I really enjoy the evening.