East Thetford Vermont to Lincoln New Hampshire 49 rainy miles. 3592 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
A thunderstorm rolled through camp about 3 a.m. this morning and gave Camp happy a good soaking. I stay dry in my little tent but the rumble of thunder and the wind kept me awake the rest of the night. By 6 a.m. I heard Paul and Alex starting to pack up and get ready to leave. It was still drizzling and dark clouds filled the sky. We rode into town and stopped at a small cafe for fresh blueberry muffins. We crossed the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire (photo) where they have beautifully preserved covered bridges (photo). We follow the river north to Orford, Piermont, and Haverhill. Willie does not seem to mind warm rain bath as we climb the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I stop for lunch and find Paul and Alex under a park shelter near a trailhead to the Appalachain Trail. We are joined by several hikers and trade stories and some laughs. Just after we leave the shelter and start to climb, the sky opens up. As we gain altitude the rain becomes cold and the wind gets nasty. As I approach the summit i notice my fingers are numb. Willie begins to hurk and jerk whenever I shift. I start thinking bad things are about to happen. That’s when I noticed my plastic lunch bag wrapped around his rear cassette gears. I stop and flipped Willie on his back. The cold rain runs down my helmet and then down my back. Its raining so hard I can’t see Alex or Paul just down the road. I finally get the bag untangled and ride over the summit and decend the last six miles into town. I get the last room at a Comfort Inn, take a nice warm shower and then I am joined a very wet Paul and Alex. They are grateful to have a warm dry place to share for the night. The only one that seems to love the rain is Alfred. He seems to be in his element. After all he is ” the solid guy”
Take care, Freebird

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android