Big Boys Rewards

Day 3
From Windsor Locks, Connecticut
To Poughkeepsie, New York
Mileage estimated 87
Mileage actual 90
Top speed 47.2 mph
Riding time 7 hours 17 mins


Today was a good day. The weather was a lot more manageable and whilst the route was long and tough, I did not suffer as much as yesterday.


The day started off with some attempts at education during our early morning/breakfast discussions and the class seemed to go quite well. Subjects covered were the origin of Mother's Day - Mothering Sunday and the family returning to their 'Mother' church for the day - not the one dreamt up by the card manufacturers; the origin of Boxing Day and finally the thing that cures every child's ailments wherever they are - 'Mum Spit'. You know, there's a hair out of place, you've got a mark on your cheek, your collar turns the wrong way. What cures them all? "Mum Spit!" A quick lick of the fingers and all problems have gone - as long as it's your Mum that does it. (Apologies, Mr. Kay) They did all take some explaining but when I had finished, I did think I had got somewhere and the group seems to be making progress. I haven't dared try them with 'It's crackin' t'flags' yet, even though the weather has been quite hot.


We left the hotel at 6.45am to the now familiar fresh and crisp day but with the threat of thunderstorms along the way. At 7.03am we passed a display showing the temperature at 70 degrees. We were soon into rolling countryside and that of course means uphills and downhills. The big difference today was that the uphills were not too steep but carried on for a distance; the other side to that, of course was that the downhills were the same. After the climb and a short plateau, there was sometimes a sign that urged caution to wagons going downhill. On seeing that, your correspondent's heart had a little skip, seat position was adjusted, crouch over the handlebars was adopted and then cling on for a controlled descent. My 'flight recorder' showed that I got over 40 mph on 11 occasions today, so my clothes were pretty dry due to the high wind. Round this area, then, are some hills with a bit of pain to get up them, but then there are lots of 'Big Boy's Rewards'. I loved them!

We actually had to put on rain gear this morning as a few heavy drops started to come out of a very grey sky. Fortunately we were less than half a mile from the first SAG stop which was located at a shopping area where there was a solid substantial roof awning for us to shelter under. When we left the SAG the shower had passed over and that was it for the day as normal sunshine was resumed.




The terrain changed over the day from woods and forests to woods and fields and this made the road feel a lot less claustrophobic. As yesterday, rivers, lakes and reservoirs appeared without warning and they were wonderful sights along the way. This one is the Savile Dam and Barkamstead reservoir just outside the town of Barkamstead.

Once again, though, the locals have taken a perfectly good English name, i.e. Berkhampstead, and changed it so it is unpronounceable. More work for the missionaries.

Here's another couple of signs. What do these mean? They had me confused for ages! Has Norfolk been sinking since 1770? And who or what is 'Thickly Settled'? Answers gratefully received.

We moved on to yet another state today and crossed the line into New York, New York, so good they named it twice. There was actually a 'Welcome' sign there and the first town was Millerton. There were some pleasant murals decorating the shop walls there. Unfortunately one or two of them had some fierce creatures that did not like cyclists - well, male cyclists at least.





So tonight we are staying in the Grand Hotel at Poughkeepsie, pronounced Po-kip-sy and very grand it is as well. We have a comparatively short (that usually means more climbing) day tomorrow of 68 miles. Most people are getting their legs in now. I am riding with a couple of ladies from Michigan called Ann and Connie, a man called Johnnie from Alabama and another man called John from Connecticut. We seem to be about the same ability and are getting along fine. We stopped to help Patty (the Yee-Haw lady from Florida) when she had a puncture. Patty seems to have her own cue sheet somewhere about her which leads her everywhere but the route and she is always looking for a lake or a river to go swimming in. That made a lot more sense when I found out today that her second name is Tuna. (Honest!)



Looking forward to tomorrow after a good day today.



Thanks to all of you who are sending in comments; I am trying to keep up with them as I go along and it does me good to see that you are interested in what's happening on the tour Down the East. Please keep them coming and tell your friends to read along if you are enjoying this. Me, I only live it and write it!