The countdown continues...just 10 days to go. The time is absolutely flying. I know that I said that before - but it seems like it just goes by faster and faster.
I spent Memorial Day weekend visiting with my parents and:"the boys" in upstate NY. ("The boys" are two very funny dogs - miniature dachshunds - that think they are people. They make all of us laugh!) And no, I didn't ride my bike there, and I didn't even take a bike with me. I will be passing about 45 miles north of where my folks live on my trip, but it will take me days instead of hours to get there. I'm looking forward to a visit from Mom & Dad in Booneville, one of the small towns in northern NY that is on the Northern Tier route.
It was a total rest weekend, which was much needed. I did spend a bit of time with both the Adventure Cycling maps and regular road maps, and mapped out the remaining part of my trip. In the process, I managed to give myself a good case of eye strain. My eye doctor keeps telling me I probably need reading glasses, and for really tiny print like road maps he is right, although I still don't have problems reading books or my computer. My mom supplied a big magnifying glass - problem solved. I'm taking a magnifying bookmark with me for the maps, and I also bought a tiny pair of reading glasses called GuestSpecs LifeSaver Readers that fit into a case that is not much bigger than a pen. I think I'm all set - I can comfortably read the small print on my maps, and I know how I'm getting from home to the Northern Tier. I'll travel on route 110 to 113 to 119 (west) in Massachusetts. I'll continue to follow Route 119 as it cuts across extreme southwestern New Hampshire, and then I'll cross the Connecticut River into Vermont at Brattleboro, where I'll visit with MarkG and family. Next I'll head north on routes 30 and 100 until I hit Stockbridge, Vermont - which is on the Northern Tier route. From then on I'll be following Adventure Cycling maps.
The weekend was a good opportunity to experiment with my camera too. My folks live in a barn that was converted to an apartment, and all sorts of critters congregate around the bird feeders and spilled (thrown?) bird seed on the ground. I tried to catch a hummingbird with the camera, but they were way too fast for me. I was able to get some pretty cool pictures of chipmunks and little red squirrels using the digital zoom on the camera. The optical zoom is 3x, which isn't bad, but the addition of the digital zoom takes the zoom to 11x which was helpful in capturing the skittish animals!
Dad and "the boys". I asked the dogs if they wanted to join me on my trip - but they said there was no way they would sit quietly in a basket on top of the trailer. Guess it's still a solo effort!
This trip is a first for me in more ways than one. It's my first cross-country trip, but the thing that really feels odd to me is that it's the first time I'll be leaving from my house. Every other trip has involved flying and reassembling my bike before I started. I'll need to head east before I start my trek west - for the ceremonial dipping of wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. Steve, Ellen, and Skip volunteered to drive me to the ocean to start my trip, but the more I thought about it the weirder that felt. That's because I live fairly close to the coast, and because I've decided to head west across northern Massachusetts before cutting across the southwest corner of New Hampshire and then into Vermont. Steve & company would drive me to the beach, and I'd then start back toward my house. I'd probably get a little past there, but not by much - so I'd end up staying not too far from home. That just feels totally weird! I think instead what I'll do is an out and back day trip to the ocean, coming home to sleep - probably a couple of days before my scheduled June 10th start date. Then I'll start heading west from home. Some might call that cheating (sleeping at home again...), but I think it is a good start to the trip
My 'to do' list for the trip gets shorter, then it gets longer again. Things get done, and other things get added. I still feel like I've been constantly running around trying to get things done... my goal is to have a relatively quiet week at home next week, relaxing, visiting with friends, and biking. That should work, since I just have a few things left to do - besides packing, that is! I plan to ease up on the biking mileage too, so I'll be able to start my trip in a rested state.
