When trying to accomplish a big goal it is often that I can forget to stop and appreciate the little goals that have been accomplished or even the beauty that is found in the process of reaching a goal. By our second day of travel I had to start contacting hosts to let them know we were falling behind in our schedule and would not be reaching them on the days I had originally asked that they host us. For one particular host couple this was never a problem and I really feel like they have become my “zen masters” of touring.
I don’t always think I need a “zen master” or believe such mentors to be limited to certain pursuits such as meditation. But cycling IS a form of meditation, relaxation, and this tour is ultimately about much more than a destination. It is about the journey.
Day 3
After a good night’s sleep and the first words of wisdom from my zen masters LP and I started this day off with a bit more of a relaxed outlook and a motto: “slow and steady, consistency is key.” Slowly but surely we made the trek along route 2A through small towns, up and over small and large hills, and with far less frustration than we had previously faced.
As we had previously, with each new town we heralded the cry, “New town!” But this time LP and I were more relaxed and started to
Scarecrow face on side of road
notice distinguishing features of each town, or catalog the dates each was established and then compare them to towns we had previously encountered to determine the oldest and youngest that we passed through.
One such town was Gardner: the chair city. While mostly a manufacturing town it was one of the more notable being earlier in the morning as well as having a giant yellow chair (2-storeys high) right around the corner from this sign.
The Chair City
One trick, or technique, I had read about in my preparations for this trip was that sending stuff home after the first night could be a big morale booster because there is a seeming reduction in weight. While neither our second or first nights involved our own cooking we did camp the first night and then the second I chose to completely unpack and set aside any items that were not used at all (besides camping equipment). These we then mailed home from Templeton, Ma.
Around 5:00 PM LP and I began to see more populous areas and signs that we were nearing the town of Greenfield. The day had been rather overcast and the solar panel I have, was not able to keep my phone charged. Unsure of the next step LP and I stopped at the beautiful Free Library of Wendell. Their website does not even begin to show the beauty of this building. While small, there was a multitude of resources and even a great little playground for LP to run around in while I printed off our final steps to Greenfield and Shelburne Falls, where our second host was waiting.
However, after climbing the hills of Wendell Depot Rd., and then going through Wendell State Forest more hills were really the last things my legs needed. Therefore, around 6:00 PM I had enough battery and just enough reception to call the host and find out just where we were in relation to them. As it turned out we were still 12 miles away and facing some hilly terrain. So, with no campgrounds all that close and at least three hotels to choose from less than a mile behind us, LP and I made the decision to settle into another hotel for the night.
The Hampton Inn of Greenfield, while expensive was the first and closest to have a room available. Much more expensive than the Rodeway Inn of the previous night the hotel staff at this location were incredibly accommodating, kind, and compassionate. Not to mention they were amazed that LP and I had found our way to Greenfield by bike! And, as you would imagine, with greater expense comes greater amenities of which Little Prince was more than happy to avail himself of! The only difficulty we had, was dinner. For some reason, Tuesdays are not a great day for food delivery in Greenfield and with no in-room microwave I had to make do with a coffee pot to heat the water for our dinner. But all-in-all we fell quickly to sleep by the time we had settled down.
Day 4
More words of wisdom and encouragement from my zen masters as well as an email reminder from my thesis advisor convinced me that continuing on as we had been was the wisest course of action. Greenfield is a rather large city in Massachusetts and even has a number of vegan options for food. Therefore, this seemed like a great opportunity to explore the city and rest our legs from the last few days.
One of the great perks of the Hampton Inn was a free breakfast in the morning. With the usual offerings LP and I were able to find some vegan options such as a bagel with jam for him and oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit for me. Then, we packed up the bikes, headed back through the I-91/Rt-2 round-a-bout and into downtown Greenfield. We loaded up on supplied of anti-sting ointment, vitamins, and snacks at Green Field’s Market, a local coop grocery store and then headed to their local library. With only an hour of time on their computers I was able to get much of the
Good Crooks Bk. 1
methodology done and transcribe the survey I will be using next spring while LP found a number of great books including Good Crooks by Mary Amato which he wasn’t able to finish but added to a list of books to look for at the next library we visit (there are sure to be many library visits on this tour).
While at the library there was an incident with another patron (I wasn’t involved) that I had never seen at a library. While largely unaffected, the incident certainly colored my impression of this city and I was pleased with how professional and calmly staff handled the incident. Though it certainly makes me wonder how often these incidents occur!
Conscious of time ticking away and still unsure of where we would be staying that night LP and I made our way down the street to Greenfield’s vegan-friendly Mesa Verde for burritos. I had their kale and sweet potato concoction which I highly recommend while LP had the fajita burrito. Feeling a bit run down from allergies and tired from our days of biking LP asked me to read a few more chapters of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, our current reading which is loaded on my iPad and so lunch turned into a two hour event!
Afterwards I decided to check out the local bike shop for advice on area roads as it was looking unlikely that we would make our warmshower in Shelburne Falls and would instead end up at a campground about 10 miles from Greenfield called Country Aire Campground. The folks at Bicycle World on Federal st. in Greenfield were amazingly,stupendously helpful. They gave me a bunch of free maps of the Franklin County area (super bike friendly by the way), directions on the best way to Lanesborough and EVEN let us use their bathroom before setting out on the road again!
And so, off we went on to Charlemont to spend the night in the same campground as a school group of 8th graders which of course brought back memories of my own class trips in 6th and 8th grade. Some fun times when you have no care for the adults around you and are more
Pirate Ship sailing the sand seas of the Country Aire playground
worried about who-likes-who and how your peers perceive you. To me though, these were ok kids who let Little Prince join in their game and play on the play structure with them while I made dinner. And thankfully they quieted down not long after the two of us had settled in for the night. The campground itself was one of my preferred locations. A little too close to route 2A for me, it was a very large area with a playground full of innovative and distinct structures. The bathroom
Heated bathroom, close to office and rec room
we used was heated (there is an unheated one as well) that was complete with showers and had beautiful wooden stalls in the women’s room. The next morning it was a bit rainy and cold so Little Prince and I went to eat our breakfast under the awning by the bathrooms. One of the owners was nice enough to allow us to sit in their Rec room which was also rather large and held a game called “carpet ball.” I really enjoyed our time at this particular campground, but as I have seen on this trip some stays are too short and so, after breakfast away LP and I pedaled into the mountains of NW Massachusetts.
Elizabeth E. Yahn 