We started this morning late. We slept in, had homemade omelets, french toast, and yogurt with fresh berries for breakfast! The woman that runs the B&B with her husband talked with us for along time about her husband who is as we speak kayaking the coastline of Maine. She was telling us about logistics and how her husband doesn’t quite know when he’ll finish and when she’ll need to go and pick him up. She said that they are already a day behind schedule due to wind and weather conditions. Matt and I told her how hard this summer trip has been trying to meet up with folks and project our finish date. Unless we can literally bike to a house, we usually only know a day or two of where we will end up and even that can change. We thanked her kindly for the room and breakfast, and she wished us well on the last few days of our trip.
After packing everything up, we headed south toward our first great climb into Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. Bread loaf sitting at 3800 feet was just what we needed to start the day. Saddling up into granny gear we cranked up toward the top where I was all too excited to see the 12% downhill grade sign. The morning was overcast and windy and at the top of the mountain, Matt and I quickly put every layer we had on for the descent. A wonderful winding glide down protected on both sides by thick forests. We quickly rode through the towns Rochester and and Stockbridge and then headed east into Bethel. We decided to push on a few more miles and resupply at the local co-op in South Royalton. I had tried to contact the campground that was listed to make a reservation for that evening, but there was no number or online presences. Rumor from the girls who worked at the co-op told us that hurricane Irene flooded the entire area and that the campground was completely underwater. With the sad news, we decided to head over to the Crossroads bar and grill for $.50 wings. We asked the waitress if she new of any place to throw a tent for the night and she told us that people were still camping at that campground, but that if we went down there and it wasn’t okay, that she had land that we could camp on.
We quickly finished dinner, packed up and headed toward the campsite. On our way Matt got a photo of the waterline from hurricane Irene. The road we were on was at least 8 feet under water. We found an old camping sign and followed the dirt road down toward the White River. There were a few abandoned cars and some RVs, and so we pitched the tent and settled in. One of the men in the RVs called us over to see otters playing on the banks of the river. Using his binoculars we were able to spot three cute little fury ones. This camping spot right along the river was beautiful and I only hope that this campground will flourish again.
Today we left the great lakes of New York and entered into the Adirondacks. It is so refreshing to be back in the mountains, although so far they have been much gentler than what I imagined. Perhaps these are still considered foothills of New York. A beautiful ride today through the preserve following Moose River Road. No sightings of the great moose yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Every small pocket of water, I bike past that is overgrown by plants looks like a perfect place for a moose, but usually I only see a few ducks.
I woke up to a beautiful red head lying next to me. His eyes were open and he whispered ‘Happy Birthday!’ I had forgotten about my birthday. I knew it was coming, but like so many other places and dates, I didn’t actually remember, until he said those words. Today, was like any other day, though, except I was turning another year older. We broke camp quickly, and as I was spreading peanut butter across an everything bagel, the lady who was staying in her camper asked us if we wanted any fresh brewed coffee! Matt said yes extremely fast and I said I’d share with him! She brought out the coffee and told us her and her husband summer up here at this park and then spend the winters in Clear Lake Florida. She said there are a few other couples that they have been doing this with since they all retired. Over the warmth and deliciousness of the coffee I immediately started to think of my girlfriends back home and how we have always envisioned living in a communal type setting. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the distant future for us. As we finished the coffee and loaded the bikes, I noticed, couples walking over with mugs to sit in all the lawn chairs outside their RV. They were all having their morning coffee together. It was so nice to see, and as I returned the mug, I couldn’t quite help but get a small taste of their Lake Ontario RV community.