Biking

Many trips we have done have been more than day trips, some even lasted almost a month. We became dedicated to cycletouring, seeing the country the slow way. After many years, it is still a favorite retreat for me, to take off on my bike with my tent and all and thumb my nose at society for a few days.

Our first really big trip was from St. Étienne, Québec to Stratford, Conn. We had done others, weekenders, long day trips and all, but to take off for a week in one direction was brand new to us.

Naturally, we were debutants. Debutants do things that become tools, and with these tools they learn fast! The thing is, as all of us do, we left with much too much baggage. We had inferior bikes, I did anyway. Back then the bikes were 10-speeds. Mine was a used 10-speed. My son's was a good 10-speed, but lacked in maintenance. We all lacked experience, but it was made up by the ambience of the trip, the discoveries and the sense of freedom.

Biking out of here westerly to Victoriaville is almost lethargic.....the roads are flat, except a slight rise in Plessisville, some six hours out. Funny thing is that as the day wore on, after supper, we got into the hills, and finished up in a park on top of Richmond, Québec... infested with skunks. From Richmond to Sherbrooke it is fairly flat, but leaving Sherbrooke, we turned south and climbed the Dufferin Heights, to the east of Lake Massawippi. For first timers, it was quite a ride. We got caught in a huge T-storm and took refuge in a barn. Got into Stanstead, at the Can-Am border on Rt. 5 at Rock Island P.Q. and Derby Line, Vt. Put our tents up on a piece of grass at a gas station, in the rain.

Route 5 and 5-A are really good biking roads, low traffic, rolling hills and we all enjoyed it. At the 5-A junction we swung along the   shores of Lake Willoughby, coming out at West Burke, Vt. Quite  a day. we got as far as Bradford, Vt. and camped out alongside the Connecticut River.

Next day the Route 5 all the way to Bellows Falls, except for a short ride into New Hampshire to return to the "5" north of Bellows Falls. We camped out in a schoolyard. No rain.

This day we shall split up. My son and his buddy will take the train out of Brattleboro, Vt, as they are working next week. It has been a very pleasant communion pedaling all these miles with them. We will feel a bit alone, but will bring them with us in our spirit.

From Brattleboro, we went across to New Hampshire, and then south to Massachusetts. The rain began after lunch. It will rain for the remainder of the trip. We camped out in some nice person's backyard, under a heavy and constant rain in South Hadley, Massachussetts.

Upon arising, everything, tent, sleeping bags, clothes, everything was soaking wet. We climbed aboard our bikes and headed out. Great riding, nice towns and villages and we got lost a bit near Springfield and wound up on the I-91, and that all the way to Enfield, Connecticut. We then took the Route 5 to Hartford and the Berlin turnpike to Meriden and figured we might as well go the distance, for we were not going to get any drier. We pulled into Stratford, Connecticut, down by the shore at 10:00 PM, after over a hundred miles on the road, in wind and rain. That shower was among the top five showers of my life.