Month: September 2017 Page 1 of 4
Camping on the East side of America is rediculously expensive and trying to eat your pasta and sauce with a plastic MacDonalds fork that only has 2 prongs remaining is not easy.
The further East I went into Long Island I was passing through farms, wineries and garden centres – colour every where. Since coming through Pennsylvania there has been much more colour and plants in people’s gardens and it has continued the further East I’ve come.
The wineries had signs indicating whether or not bus tours and / or limos were allowed to visit or not – I saw a number of limos doing the rounds – there was no indication of whether sweaty cyclists were allowed to visit or not so I decided to give it a miss.
However lots of the farms were selling their fruit and veg and home made goods – some big markets, lots of little stalls and a variety in between – I could have spent the day just eating. I had freshly roasted sweetcorn at one and it would have been rude not to buy the huge delicious cranberry and orange muffin as well; apple cider doughnuts at another one and I was going to try the pumpkin ice cream at another but the staff seemed to have vanished so that was a no go unfortunately.
Typing this I’m now feeling very hungry.
Just for Nige I thought I would give a wee resume of the weather so far.
Oregon coast fluctuated from warm and sunny to blooming cold and windy and everything in between – much like Scotland really but warmer when the sun came out.
The further East I went the hotter it got and there were times in Washington I didn’t think I could survive the heat.
Lovely and warm in Montana but could be cold at night and then I realised I was at over 6000 feet.
The day I left Yellowstone it peed it down and I got really cold but soon warmed when the sun came out later.
From 1st of September suddenly got chillier but still sunny – long leggings were needed.
In Pennsylvania it suddenly heated up again and the humidity was mental – although not as hot, I think I sweated more and drank more than I did when I was in Washington.
Had my 2nd day of real rain in Pennsylvania – hammered down and I was cycling through rivers it was so wet – this was a Sunday and I saw lots of Amish people on their way to church – some walking – some in horse and buggy – great to see but there was a distinct smell of horse poo and I don’t think it was just rain water I was cycling in.
Since leaving New York City I’ve come through Long Island, New York; taken the ferry to New London, Connecticut; into Rhodes Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and should get into Maine tomorrow and it’s still hot, hot, hot.
Fingers crossed I’ve not jinxed things for the rest of my holiday.
Had planned to type more but overcome with sleepiness (which probably isn’t even a word). Very little sleep last night × good but long day on the bike = very tired cyclist. And why didn’t I sleep? New noise outside my tent last night – not the now familiar crickets and cicadas noise – this one rattled – my Audology chums will know the noise of a high frequency rattle and that’s what it sounded like – at 2 in the morning I was googling rattlesnake information, inc do they sleep at night and it turns out they don’t! Reckoned I was safe in my tent but if there was a snake outside definitely didn’t want to disturb it. Made lots of noise when I got up this morning to put off anything that might be outside and a thorough examination before I got out of the tent – certainly no sign of one. The noise may well have been something else but will never find out but wasn’t a happy bunny last night. Reckon I’ll sleep tonight though.
Good night from Massachusetts.