June 2, 2015
East Windsor to Sturbridge
Where next? A 1/4" of rain was expected today, so we decided to go see Sturbridge, only a slight diversion from our original route but fewer miles and less time in the cold and rain. We also needed to figure out Jerry's graceful exit, as he will head home on June 5th and then leave for a planned trip to California. We will miss him!
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It was 48°F out when we woke with a steady rainfall. So we took a leisurely breakfast. Very leisurely by our standards, and did not depart the hotel till almost 11:00 AM. Sturbridge was only 40 miles, so there would be plenty of time.
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We made our way south along Main Street and then turned east into a very farmish (is that a word?) land use with plenty of agriculture. The roads were quiet, and the rain was down to a light drizzle.
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But the hills kept coming. Nothing too major, but the area east of Ellington was rougher with long, relentless climbs . . . not overly steep but long.
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We finally made it to Stafford Springs, the halfway point. I was a little ahead of the boys, so I explored the town a bit, looking for a coffee shop with hot chocolate.
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I did find one. A good one, in fact! With lots of good vibes. And other cyclists (at least one), always a good sign. Leslie is on a tour with WomanTours. I had seen her bike out front as I parked mine and found her sitting solo, enjoying coffee and a sandwich.
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The boys arrived in good order but with a mechanical challenge. One of Happy's screws holding his rear rack had worked loose. Not the one that had been fixed in Jacksonville (which was the left rack attachment), but the same screw on the right side. There was, of course, much discussion and Google searches for a hardware store. Then I remembered we had spare screws with both Jerry's kit and Happy's. So that saved a trip to the hardware store (three miles off course) and some heartburn and allowed us to plan the remainder of the day (as in where we would stay).
The climb out of Stafford Springs was tough. My bike was not willing to shift into my lowest chainring (the so-called granny ring), so I really had to power up a steep grade. I could manage this for a day but would need that gear at some point . . . meaning another trip to a bike shop to check it out AND buy that replacement tube!
After the climb, we continued on through Nipmuck State Forest and more hills. Eventually we arrived at the state line with Massachusetts and took our ceremonial pictures.
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At this point, we were in easy striking distance of Sturbridge, except that our route took us to a dead-end road. Butterworth does not go through to Vinton Road as shown by Google but instead becomes a dirt country road that a tractor would have trouble navigating! So we re-routed around Hamilton Reservoir.
That turned out fine except Google sent me up Douty Road which, is probably one of the worst, unexpected climbs I have experienced. And no granny gear. I made it up three-quarters of the way before petering out. But no walking. I started again but had a rough time getting the momentum required to get the pedals spinning but eventually topped out the hill.
The following road, Stallion Hill Road, was a breeze. All downhill to Sturbridge. A long downhill. Which I enjoyed. Afterward, except for a wrong turn that added about two miles to my trip, all turned out well. Happy and Jerry forewent Douty Road and proceeded up to Route 20 and straight to the hotel, so they arrived about the same time I did (I had gotten a little ahead of them). Later, a filling dinner within walking distance of our hotel.
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 2,258 miles (3,634 km)
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