I just finished writing about 6 paragraphs and then it just.....disappeared. Is that a way to reintroduce me to reality?
Since I didn't blog yesterday I'll review. We did 77 miles through the lovely hills in upper New York, around Mohawk country. I kept my eyes peeled for Daniel Day Lewis but he never showed. There were historical plaques everywhere (please no dentist jokes - although reading your comments is a crowning moment in my day!) We had a storm following us at about 8 mph and felt a few sprinkles, but never really got wet. The cloud cover did cool us down and held the humidity level to a comfortable 96% Entered the town of Troy and wandered downtown in an area that was ripe for development. The brownstone buildings had the most beautiful masonry and other than some coffee shops and art galleries, there was not much going on. We checked into the hotel and walked back down for some food, and found a great local pub (Watson and Holmes) which had the quintessential New York barkeep, complete with an attitude and a ruddy complexion. I did laundry, went for a late night swim and rehearsed the skit with Bill, who had not only memorized the thing (so much for a head injury!) but timed it in his room. This guy is taking this seriously.
Today we had a beautiful ride through the green hills of upper NY and into Vermont. The minute we crossed the Welcome sign, I swear to God, the forest became more lush, the houses more few and quaint, and labs and golden retrievers bounded joyfully through the meadows. Ok, no dogs, but you get my drift. I have been in Vermont before, and BG, even though the Fall Colors are not happening now, the beauty is still great. Truly one of the most immediately beautiful places I have ever been. It felt good to climb again- about 15 miles of up, then down into the bustling tourist town of Brattleboro, with too much quaint to handle. We ate at a bakery recommended by Jim our mechanic (who lives in Vermont), visited a local bike shop, then headed to the hotel.
It's funny being around this group. The first month we talked about our seats constantly (how bad, what treatments seemed to help) and now all we talk about is food. A bunch of us ate at the bakery so we discussed our entrees. On the 2 mile ride to the hotel some folks stopped at an ice cream shop, then when we got to the lobby we read the board (tells us what time is dinner and our entree choices) and talked about those, then hit the vending machines. Seriously. BS has already noticed how much and how quickly we eat breakfast. Gary calls breakfast "throwdown", as in, what time is throwdown tomorrow? In our skit Bill will discuss the 5 important things discussed at each route rap: breakfast time, where we can get food along the route, dinner time, where we can get good ice cream, and oh yeah, the route.
Tomorrow is another climbing day and we will enter New Hampshire, but don't worry - I'll find some maple candy before we leave this fine area. Take care, and wishing you all sweet thoughts. MA
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3 comments:
Now you're talking my language - sweet food! We just got home from a trip to the newest Golden Spoon, so I still have sweet on my taste buds. When (if?) you get home, I have a wonderfully simple soup recipe to share - (not sweet, but goes well with my homemade zucchini muffins).
Kam met-up with Karch at 3am this morning at Fort Bragg in the Redwoods. They were due on a train at 8am to take them to a trailhead and then backpack with Boy Scouts. Mack, Karley, and I are going to a park tonight to listen to the Pacific Symphony perform for kids. ...kind of like a Hollywood Bowl deal, but at a local park (Irvine) with playground, duck pond, the works. I'm enjoying my time home and realizing, already, that this 40hr work week is going to get me seriously out of shape. I guess being a stay-at-home mom for 6 years was a lot more physical than I imagined. Now I just sit on my rear (maybe you have good 'seat' advice for me).
Great to hear the description of Vermont, again. What a great way and place to conclude a life experience. Is anyone recording these skits? My guess is that there is a You Tube spot for you all. I'm so glad you've now got the company of BS.
Cheers at breakfast for some Belgian waffles, authentic maple syrup, and a strong cup of black coffee. Can't wait to read the scoop in your next dish. Can..dy I come up with anything better?!
Keep smiling- they'll all want what you've got!
~Tenley
Dear MA (Manchester Approaching)
I admit it. I was unfaithful. And it’s your fault. I went on line yesterday to get my daily Fix. You hadn’t posted! I kept checking throughout the day. Nothing. I got more and more nervous and irritable. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to go to second best – bamacyclist. Ah, some relief. Mike told us you lucked out on the weather. Thunderstorm came in just after you got to the motel. Good Timing. Must have been fun experiencing the thunder/lightning from cozy interiror
Vermont sounds wonderful. Particularly with all the historical plaques and places. I’ll leave the dentist alone, but did BS ask him for a retainer?
Glad Bill is OK and looking forward to the skit. Of course you guys are food conscious – burning up all those calories. It’s like eating 20 pancakes for breakfast. How waffle would that be? Any way you can record the skit?
Be careful out there, but have fun, enjoy and continue to appreciate.
MA:
I know the feeling... today we left the hotel, wandered about downtown Chicago, and after a bellhop's recommendation, we had a great breakfast at Tempo Cafe about 4 blocks from our hotel. Seems like we've dodged the rain as well - a few drops yesterday at Wrigley Field, then some scattered showers later with good rainfall overnight, but it's clearing now, in time for our architecture boat tour. But hey, is this my blog or yours?
Reading all those dentist jokes has been numbing, but you didn't say anything about hair jokes so I guess I can still ask if you got a Mohawk cut to match the countryside?
I can certainly understand why you're all talking about the food at this point of the trip - my guess is that you've got about 70+ totally numb rear ends by this time anyway, so nobody is feeling any pain anymore....
It's hard to believe that you've gone this far, and the worst part is to read that you're looking FORWARD to some climbing!! Yikes, you've gone over to the other side!! I imagine by now once you get pointed in the right direction (thanks, HK!), you are pretty much on auto-pilot. Hope you treasure these last few days, and we look forward to seeing you....
(And hope you've received all the cards - by my reckoning, you should receive the last one today...)
Love,
Gyurka
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