Thursday, 31 August 2006

Harmonyville (Vermont) to Ashby (Massachusetts)

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

It had been a lovely clear evening with a pinkish sunset, so the temperature had dropped and it was a cool night. Here the sunsets and sunrises were even earlier and later because of the hills all around. I had a bit of a birthday lie-in then dried the flysheet in the sun while packing up the bike and then set off at about 8:30. Already it was nice and warm in the sun but chilly when cycling in the shade of the trees or hills.

From Harmonyville I cycled south on SR 30 the 17 miles to Brattleboro. I wasn't leaving town without a breakfast inside me. I would never had found the charmingly named Backside Cafe without asking for directions, but dammit it was MY birthday and I wanted breakfast! Afterwards I went to the library to see if I could find any campsites along my planned route through New Hampshire and into Massachusetts. There weren't many choices. Well, really only one.

From Brattleboro I crossed the Connecticut River on SR 119 and into New Hampshire. It was a pretty warm day and I was getting through my water supply so I stopped at the Mount Pisgah Diner in Winchester for a tea top-up. From Winchester through Richmond to Fitzwilliam was quite hilly and the miles went by quite slowly as a result, but heading east i was grateful now for the shade cast by the trees at the side of the road. In Fitzwilliam I stopped at the Sunflower Cafe for a mid-afternoon refreshment break; vanilla ice cream and of course a pot of tea.

The road continued on its hilly way from Fitzwilliam but the shoulder disappeared and the driver became strangely inconsiderate. In a few places along the way the leaves were starting to turn on the trees; in the hollows where the colder air collects and in the waterlogged places or the north facing edges of lakes. After 40 miles in New Hampshire I crossed the state line into Massachusetts, and as the afternoon moved towards evening the temperature started to drop quite noticeably.

The Pearl Hill State Park had been the only campsite I could find along the way which had made for quite a long day, so I stopped in Ashby to buy a bottle of birthday beer and ask for directions to the campground. It's lucky I did as I would never have found it on my own. I followed the recommended short-cut down Turnpike Road, which as the guy has said was indeed all downhill - my sort of road - and it was fairly steep as I hit my highest speed of the day, but also very rough in places so I had to be careful. The sign for the state park was small and just said 'Pearl Hill Recreation Area' - no mention of state park or campground. As I turned into the side road for the last mile and a half, 'kertwang', spoke number 10 gave out, (Actually on of the replacement spokes rather than an original) so rather than having a nice relaxed evening I had to rush to replace the spoke and cook before it got dark. By the time I'd had my shower it was pitch black under the trees and even my head-torch did little in the inky blackness as I edged my way gingerly back to the tent which I only found because of the reflectors of the bike in the torchlight. ($14, showers free)

Distance: 72.4 miles
Cycling time: 6:15
Total distance: 4514.9 miles