Then I saw this sign which I thought slightly odd in New York State and am no wiser now as to why it was there. I don’t think there are kangaroos in NY state.
Next I saw a big tree which you might ignore most days of the week. When you actually look at it close up it is quite impressive, standing out in the middle of nowhere.
How about a view across a colourful field, with hills and mountains in the distance.
And finally we are back to my old mate, Mater from Cars, who seems to appear every now and then along this journey.
Eventually Irma and me arrived in town and before going to the hotel we headed off to find a bike shop to buy one last tube of Chamois cream to get me to Boston comfortably. I stopped at one shop only to find they only sold high end bikes and no supplies. We chatted a little as they asked the usual questions. After the usual conversation, they pointed me across the road to another bike shop that sold all the supplies and normal road bikes. When I walked in and asked for the cream, the assistant asked if I was with the group going to Boston. Obviously others had been in before me. A customer overheard the conversation and wanted to know what we were doing, and so I repeated the, ‘LA to Boston’ story for him.
After getting to the hotel I had to wash Irma down again. If we get any sort of rain or wet roads we have to wash the bikes because the dirt, sand and debris splashes onto the bike and builds up. It has to be done but is usually the last thing you want to do getting off your bike after riding 90+ miles. Ah well, Irma looks very clean and ready for another ride out tomorrow.
A hundred miles closer to Boston and the big adventure is approaching its end. Today could be seen as a long boring ride up and down the hills along route 20 east. Consistently, I have found it is way more than what it appears. It was another test of determination to persist to the end of a ride that will add up to a much bigger ride when this is all over. It also introduced me to a fellow cyclist with his own battles and reasons to be out on the road pushing himself along. Whether you ride to feel alive, get fit, take your mind off cancer, drugs or drink, cycling is a great way to push yourself physically and mentally for a while on your own. Finally if you don’t close your eyes to what is actually around you, you may actually see the beautiful in the ordinary, like a really nice tree, a fun rusty old truck or a colourful field, as you journey through life’s roads.
As usual when you actual sit back and think about it, today was another good day in the end.
