Monday, 22 May 2006

Sebage Lake to Recompense Shore

The rain came down heavy at 6:30 pm last night and continued all night. I was struggling to sleep again; a combination of the noise of the rain and my coughing. It's a funny thing, during the day when I'm cycling, I'm fine, but when I lay down in the evening I start coughing and getting all congested. It's soon gone when I start cycling again. By 2 am the rain had eased off and by 4 am it had finally stopped. I had pitched the tent in 'configuration 1' (Tall and boxy - which give me lots more room inside) and this time it coped much better with the rain. It's still a lot more basic than a commercial tent and the hammock inner was a little damp from splashing water.

The morning was cool but by 8 am just before I set off the sun appeared to brighten up the day. For the first few miles my cycle computer refused to work, so maybe yesterday's problems were caused by water in the system rather than the battery. (or both) I stopped at a little general store cum diner to sort it out (and have a cup of tea of course)

For the first time on this trip I found myself battling the wind in the more open areas as it came down from the north. Much of the route so far has been in the woods - there's no shortage of trees in New England. I had decided to have a easier day and catch up with my blog/emails. In North Windham I asked directions to the library and then went on a wild-goose chase looking for it. Maybe I was being impatient and didn't travel far enough, but the road stretched into the far distance and there was no rotary I could see. (Rotary = roundabout) Everything is so spread out here; it's no wonder the Americans have a reputation for using the car instead of walking, you'd just have to. It's not uncommon for even a small town to be several miles wide. The only way you can tell where the centre of town is - there might be an intersection with a gas station. Having said that, there's still a preponderance of gas-guzzling SUV'son the road.

I decided to carry on to Gray to use the library there. I saw my first live wild beaver on the way, but sadly a car scared it off before I could get a picture. The library in Gray was easier to find, but it was also closed on Mondays. Instead I went off in search of a diner and ended up at Cole farms for their lunch special of Maine fried shrimps with fries and coleslaw. Surprisingly it was a sensible portion on a small plate. ($4.95) Plus tea and tax $6.10

This was definitely the hilliest day so far. It was difficult to know what to wear, one minute I'd be sloggin uphill in the sun, sweating and swearing and feeling unfit, and then I'd be zooming downhill with a chill wind blowing through me. One particular hill was very steep and had me promising to shed some weight. (from my luggage)

I had thought of camping at Bradbury Mountain State Park, but it was so early in the day that I carried on to Freeport, where I found the library open and spent the next 2 hours slow typing and doing some research. (tents and ferry times) To make the alterations I need to my tent will need a sewing machine so I am thinking of posting my prototype home and buying a lightweight tent here. I went to L L Beans store to see what was available. A good quality tent here is so reasonable - no, make that cheap! I asked what their opening hours were, and was told that they 'never close'. Imagine that, a 24 hour camping store. I said I'd wheel my bike in and camp in their tent department. I also checked out the North Face store, and they have a sale on, so that's even cheaper. I'll check the specs and decide tomorrow.

When I was cycling around Freeport, a couple stopped me and the man asked: "Do you know where my wife can smoke?" I struggled to keep a straight face. Do I look like I live here? What was I supposed to say: "No, surprise me!" or "On her death bed?" Life is crazy. In Starbucks they had a plaque on the wall next to the restroom (There's a euphemism for you) that said obviously 'restroom', but it also had braille on it too. How's a blind person going to find the plaque?

From Freeport I headed out to the Flying Point campsite, although the only campsite I could find was called Recompense Shore - and it was a really beautiful spot. Right next to the sea with a liitle beach and a sun sinking slowly down.

Distance: 45.6 miles
Cycling time: 4:35
Total distince: 263.1