Middlebury, VT People converge on the house on the hill. Tasha, Frank’s daughter, arrived in the wee hours. She sleeps while I raid the kitchen for BF. On the couch, as I have occupied the hide-a-bed. The kids are fetched from their Father’s. I think of a book title, ‘Dancing with the Unmentionable’. Then Tasha’s…

Middlebury, VT A priceless day with my Aunt Julie. She cooked me eggs-in-a-hole, which I had never had. We walked the nature trail around their property in the rain, storm debris and blowdowns strewn everywhere. The rain and wind continued through the day. The power was out in the entire region, so we lit candles,…

Middlebury, VT I attend a small-town Presbytyrian funeral at which Julie is nervously preparing to sing. The music begins as people sit, she sings a lovely Bach piece with organ and cello. Then there’s a long, ackward silence. I have no idea what’s going on. Then the family comes in with the casket. The minister…

Newcomb, NY to Middlebury, VT $14 :: lunch, ferry, ice cream 80.80 mi :: 6.83 hr :: 37.9 mph :: 11.7 mph :: 5684 mi No more rain but trees dropping water in the morning. I have spent a good 15 hours in the tent, and only had a gulp of water for breakfast. I…

Newcomb, NY Luckily it didn’t rain on me in the night. I awake to low clouds, some sprinkles. Have breakfast in bed – oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries. I ride up the trail a ways, determined to give a go despite the ominous weather. When the trail gets too rough, I hang the food bag…

Woodgate, NY to Newcomb, NY $26 :: Fuel, BF, topo map, grocs, ice cream 93.87 mi :: 7.35 hr :: 37.9 mph :: 12.3 mph :: 5602 mi Rather than ride the 4 or 5 miles of trail back to the highway, I continue, figuring I’d hit a road before long. After about 1.5 miles,…

Mexico, NY to Woodgate, NY $10 :: BF, milkshake 78.87 mi :: 7.07 hr :: 30.6 mph :: 11.0 mph :: 5509 mi As if that spooky forest wasn’t enough, in the night I stretched my arm over my head & poked my finger on something. When the pain increased, I realized I’d been bitten…

Sodus Pt, NY to Mexico, NY $36 :: BF, tacos, grocs, ice cream, movie! 67.44 mi :: 5.36 hr :: 35 mph :: 12.0 mph :: 5430 mi A gloriously lazy day. Winds from the NW provided more help than hindrance, a few steep hills, many stops. After breakfast in Wolcott, explored Fair Haven Beach…

Eagle Harbor, NY to Sodus Pt, NY $29 :: lots of food, new map 83.50 mi :: 7.10 hr :: 27.2 mph :: 11.6 mph :: 5362 mi 5 AM, still dark, I wake up when somebody lights a lighter outside my door so they can see to unzip it. Strangely, my immediate reaction is…

Niagra Falls, ON to Eagle Harbor, NY $26 :: Breakfast, lunch, ice cream, smokes 64.28 mi :: 6.07 hr :: 32.4 mph :: 10.4 mph :: 5279 mi I had a great camp spot – woke up comfy and rested, then slept in for a bit. Spent the whole morning checking out the falls. I’d…