Water you crazy?
This entry was posted on 5/19/2006 6:19 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Things have resumed. I rode a very short ride to Waltham,
Massachusetts, and tomorrow, a loooong ride to Rhode Island. I'm
trying to make up a little time after such a lengthy delay in
Westford.
"I'll rest on Friday, and be out on Saturday. What's that? Torrential
downpours? Hmmm.... Maybe I'll leave on Sunday. Flooding, you say?
I'll be back on the road Monday morning. State of emergency?! How
about Tuesday? No? Hmmm..... Well, foreward my mail down here, because
it doesn't look like I'll be moving any time soon."
My rest day turned into a rest week very quickly, but was not entirely
unproductive. I did some interviews for a couple newspapers, I
exchanged some of my supplies for gear more suited for travel, I got
my picture taken with Curious George, raised some money, and I also
painted a bench for my aunt.
I'm still trying to regain momentum after the flood. Sleeping in a
real bed for a week has reminded me how cold and unpleasant camping
those first nights were. However, sleeping in a tent without a
sleeping bag certainly keeps you riding. That way you're extra tired
when the sun goes down, and you're so uncomfortable enough in the
morning to hit the road before the morning rush hour.
Unfortunately, the map I brought only has Vermont, New Hampshire and
Maine on it, so I'm taking my navigation day by day. It's more
stressful that I'd thought, not knowing where I'll be the next day,
but I have to remind myself, "Hey, it's an adventure!"
I'll be making some phone calls to see if there's a couch I can sleep
on tomorrow night in Rhode Island, but either way, the show will go
on.
Before I go, I will share a story from the road.
I rode through Minuteman National Historical Park. It was really,
really cool. I was enjoying the sights, but really just passing
through (because I didn't have much of a clue as to how far I was from
Waltham). I was also enjoying the level terrain. I guess that's why
they call Massachusetts folk "Flatlanders" up in Maine.
But, something went wrong with my saddle. The super-special Kris Holm
Fusion air saddle had peeled up in the back, and was sliding off the
saddle frame. So, I stopped at a location in the park with the
intention of performing the repairs.
But, while I'm here, I might as well check out Paul Revere's capture sight.
As I read the assorted tourist information they had, a middle-aged
couple named David and Maitri Mudd walked up to me.
"Is that your unicycle?"
We talked for a few minutes. Like so many others, they'd come to the
Boston area for their daughter's college graduation this weekend
(graduating from Sarah Lawrence in New York, but when are they going
to be on the eastern seaboard again?)
They'd come from Washington State, and they were so friendly. They
wanted to contrubute to my trip, but since their daughter is just
getting out of school, also deeply in debt, the woman offered what
they could- A delicious pastry taken from their hotel.
I tried to calculate a dollar amount that they contributed to me with
the pastry. On one hand, it was small, so certainly less than a
dollar. But I can't short change the Mudds- it was a *really* good
pastry.
I'm off to get some dinner, and prepare for a daunting ride tomorrow.
Take care, everyone!
Max
