1768 miles. 26,472 feet of elevation gain. 5 states.
This morning Liz made me breakfast. Eggs toast and coffee. After we ate she drove me to a grocery store to resupply. It was a really neat store with quite a few things I’ve never heard of. Of course I wanted to try everything I never had before. I obviously couldn’t pack the polish seafood that looked so good so I settled on a loaf of Lithuanian bread. I spent 19 dollars and got about 4 days of food maybe 5 days because of whats left of that cheese will go nicely with my bread. I also still have peanut butter. I got 4 packs of pasta sides and a few tuna packs bread and granola. Im really glad she took me and it was cool seeing part of the town. Thank you Liz! After we got back , I packed up my food and got ready to leave. Liz has a beautiful bike. A full carbon Specialized Dolce I think. She rode out the first 5 miles with me. I Was definitely envious of her light weight bike. With the carbon frame and compact gearing her bike would probably weigh around 21 pounds. With all my gear and water mine is right around 100 pounds. But she went slow enough I could keep up and I had a lot of fun riding with her.
Today was about the perfect day for riding. Blue sky, cooler temperatures, a light tailwind and flat roads with decent shoulders and no traffic!
I had planned on getting to Brattleboro VT. today. Nearly fifty miles but only 1200 feet of elevation. Around 2 I left the road and went down a little bank to sit by a stream that was out of sight of anyone passing by. I ate bread and cheese for lunch and with the sun shining on me grew so sleepy I had to hang my hammock for a little siesta. The little nap turned into a long nap that left me a bit groggy so I decided to stay here tonight. I had a relaxing day after only riding 28 miles.
I came across acres of tabbacco. Definitely not something I think of as being grown in Massachusetts.
There’s a small area along the Connecticut River that has been growing broadleaf tabbaco for hundreds of years. It is used to wrap cigars mostly. Google says; HATFIELD — Tobacco farming has been tied to this Valley town’s agricultural identity for at least 150 years. In fact, at the turn of the 20th century, Hatfield was the largest producer of tobacco in the commonwealth. Though its heyday has passed, the tradition remains strong in the town’s collective memory and some family farms are keeping it alive.
Dinner was more bread and cheese. I wasn’t very hungry since I haven’t biked much today
its all good Matthew you deserve a siesta that becomes a long nap! I never saw tobacco growing before!
It was so great to meet. We really enjoyed hanging out and getting to know you. Thanks for stopping by!
It was a pleasure! Thank you guys
It was so fun to chat with you Matt at the start of the Canal bikeway. We were doing a 55 mile event that started in Hatfield. Beautiful route, lots of farms along the river valley.
It was nice meeting you guys. And thanks for telling me about the R2T Facebook group!