Ride Day 1

I woke up in the morning at Dave and Lisa's to find my rear tire at less than optimal pressure as I headed to the post office to send a package back to my house and forward some World Bicycle Relief materials for the shows in New York to my grandparents house in NJ. Feeling hopeful I pumped the tube back up and set out for mailing and some breakfast. As I returned to my bike from a delicious bagel and coffee at City Feed, I found the tire to be in a declining state and pumped it up for the ride back. At least the tube had the good nature to go out while I still had access to a floor pump, which made the change quick and relatively painless, the same can not be said for our packing and departure. As with any first day, getting organized after a late nite provides a unique challenge. Panniers are secured, checked and re adjusted, loads are shifted, in our case, the trailer is agonized over so as not to strew guitars all over the road and the decision on proper attire changes by the minute

Loaded up and ready to head out, mother nature decided to remind us of her disposition by shedding a few rain drops on our party. Still fairly warm we headed out from Jamaica Plain towards Sutton. Rain gear changes were made an easier decision during a quick stop to re-secure the guitars and make minor saddle adjustments before heading up our first hill of the journey. Following mostly smaller roads we did have a few run-ins with the infamous New England traffic circle, which if you think they are difficult to navigate in an automobile with 200 horse power, I recommend you try it with an 80 pound bicycle plus a trailer with motorists doing 50mph around you and not being too pleased that you are in their way while out for a late lunch and afternoon late'. As the roads contined, the rain did likewise at an increasing rate throughout the afternoon, and into the evening as we all found our loaded legs and settled into a maintainable pace. One stop for coffee and a sandwich along the way was our last bit of sunshine which was much appreciated.

On a side note: it was very cool to follow much of the Boston Marathon Route albeit backwards out of the city. I was reminded of all the times I have ridden it the other way to cheer on my friend Shaun, definitely brought a smile to my face and made the darkening skies less foreboding.

We rolled into camp about dusk with the rain becoming steadier and our hands and minds becoming less useful. The highest campsite was picked in the hopes of staying dry, which doesn't work out too well if your tent works more like a sieve than an umbrella. Fortunately we have 2 tents along for the ride, so the wading pool became an elevated gear storage while the three of us settled into the other tent for a cozy night of listening to the rain and hoping for sunnier skies in the morning.