SELKIRK, NY
DAY 10 JUNE 6 86.6 MILES
I thought of that while riding my bicycle.
Albert Einstein (In reference to the Theory of relativity)
Yesterday, my rear tire went flat partway through the ride. Then, the front one flatted today. They had taken quite a beating since the start of the trip. I was pleased that they had lasted that long since they had about 500 miles on them when I shipped the bike to Maine. There were 4 new tires in my luggage and now 2 of them are on the bike.
The New England roads are terrible compared to those in Florida. Logically, however, they have to be. The long, hard winters take their toll and create serious cracks and potholes. When those defects are filled with tar or asphalt, they create bumps; sometimes only 10 to 20 feet apart. I am surprised that we do not fall asleep at night with Bump...Bump...Bump going through our brains.
Of course, not all of the potholes are filled. I don't want to say that they are large but, one time when I was partway across one of them, I realized that I was riding across the roof of a Mini-Cooper.
Today represented my first encounter with a loose, barking dog. I don't know the breed but it had reddish hair, four legs, a mean sounding bark and it could run fast. If that occasion presented itself, we were advised to shout in a loud, firm voice, "No, No, Go Home!" I did that and, amazingly, it worked. He quickly stopped and headed back to his yard. And I continued to pedal on my way.
Nothing perks me up like a bowl of ice cream. In mid-afternoon, spotting a store with an "Ice Cream" sign is like a magnet to me. They were out of bananas but the clerk agreed to make me a large brownie sundae with all of the trimmings. It was a sight to behold. I regret that I did not snap a picture. With 63 miles already on the computer, the remaining 20 plus seemed much easier.
Tip: When climbing an incline or pedaling into the wind, lift some of the weight from your rising pedal. You will be surprised how much it increases your speed.
