Stirred awake about 5:30 by a golf cart headed to the bathroom across the way. I saw him sometime in the night, too. He needs to walk more. And see his doctor.
It was brisk outside. I slept well but made sure I stayed tucked inside my sleeping bag. No extreme measures were necessary to stay warm such as extra clothing or a hat. My bag is good to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Later I heard Fred realized too late that he should have slept in his long johns. Next time...
How brisk was it? I wore my spiffy new compression tights that Pam bought me a little while back, over my riding shorts. On top I wore a synthetic short sleeve t shirt and my long sleeve synthetic top, my yellow nylon vest and my long sleeve nylon jacket. (It's not like I have a large wardrobe with me.) Socks and biking gloves completes the ensemble. It would hold me for a while. As I warned up I could start peeling off layers. I knew I would be chilly for a few miles.
Yesterday's breakfast stop was not a trend setter. But, we did have a camper bring us some food. As she was lumbering to the bathroom, she stopped to chat a bit. Next thing I knew she was bringing us some breakfast goodies. Cold protein shakes and protein bars. Part of her camping cuisine. Her gracious offer was welcomed. It wasn't pancakes and bacon, but it wasn't bad and it was free! I poured down the cold drinks. Gay passed on the goodies. Not his style. Fred took what he wanted and we were soon off to the town of ... Mesick.
Man was it chilly. I was borderline shivering until we began climbing which started soon enough. Like Winnie the Pooh, I climbed and I climbed. And as I climbed, I sang a little song to myself." The climbs weren't long but we had a long series of ups and downs where the ups were longer and higher than the downs. It's a little infuriating as you look for paybacks (downhill) to compensate for the uphill.. Sheez. The upside is that I got to shed some of my ample layers.
Eventually we made a turn. We finally had a following wind. Most of the time. We still had climbs, but earned plenty of downhill paybacks. Man did that feel good. Warm sun. Following wind. Easy climbs. Sweet downhills. Ahh.
We made a few stops at stores along the way. Nothing really stands out in my mind but we did get to chat with a few people. One group of guys on motorcycles were particularly interested. They were amazed that a bunch of senior citizens could be pulling this ride off. We told them we were amazed, too.
We finally arrived at Mesick (not a misspelling). We found a primitive campground on a lake just out of town. It's nice but no showers. Into the lake for a bath. Had an ice machine and pit toilets. No electricity/wifi but a good signal. It's time for dinner.
Total route mileage today = 82
Total route mileage to date = 1,335
Thanks for reading.
Cheers.
KPW
23 years ago today, Pam and I closed on our house. We've enjoyed a great life together there with our awesome kids. I look forward to my return in a few weeks. XO
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