No wonder I ended my ride at Union, Connecticut the last time I did this. No. Wonder. The 23 miles from Thompson to Union are the equivalent of biking up App Gap, towing a very heavy trailer. At least I was smarter today, and I had planned on ending the day in Union. But I forgot just how freaking hard it was to get to Union! At least I can say the conditions were good, until the very end, when it started raining.
The ride started out perfectly. Cloudy and a little cool, with little to no traffic. Some hills, but I was feeling good after my night at the B&B, and I was ready to go. I had a couple of bad sunburn spots from yesterday, but my friend Kevin had given me some stuff to put on it that worked great. I had no problems at all with the directions, which was something I really needed to improve upon, since my last ride. I almost missed the turn from 200 onto Buckley Hill Road, but I realized it and turned back. There weren’t a lot of flat areas from that point on, and I never saw a store. Luckily, I had plenty of water and snacks.
The hills just kept coming, one after another. I was going very slowly, which explains why it took me the better part of the day to go 23 miles. Truck traffic and no shoulder became an issue, the closer I got to Union, but they were respectful of my situation. I can’t imagine what I must have looked like, chugging up those hills with my trailer. The last time I did this, I remember it was very hot, which made it even worse. At one point I had to go down the steepest hill of my ride so far (9% grade) and I was terrified. It was spitting rain, so my brakes were wet. I used my old trick of singing Christmas carols very loudly as I go down the hill. It really took my mind off my fear. My fear turned to frustration as I noticed that I now had to go up the same type of hill I just hurtled down. This would continue repeatedly for quite a while.
I finally made it to Union, and stopped at the bait shop for a cold drink. A friendly man named Moose chatted with me for a while, and then asked “Didn’t you have somebody with you last time?” I replied, “You actually remember me from 5 years ago??” I had no idea I was so memorable! He told me the road gets flatter after Union, and I wanted to give him a hug, but I didn’t. It’s raining and cold tonight, so I’m at a cheap motel. Not sure where I’ll stop tomorrow, but I’ll try to get a little more distance.
Some of you may be wondering, “Is Katy still looking for donations?” The answer is absolutely yes. I really want to make it to Key West, and it’s expensive. $5 can get me a burger from a food truck, and $50 can get me a night in a cheap motel (or two nights at campgrounds). Please consider donating to this ride.
My GoFundMe page is: www.gofundme.com/katys-2018-xcountry-bike-ride.
I’m so grateful to everyone for their emotional and financial support. I’m not stopping at Union this time! I’m going all the way!!!
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