Massachusetts Musings...

Hi y'all

Greetings from Williamstown, MA. We crossed across the state line yesterday afternoon on what was a very cold day and the mercury didn't get above 6 degs C (about 40 F) all day. Today has dawned blue skies and sun - something that has been a rarity the last wee while - but there is a frost. All across NY State people told us that this was exceptionally cold for October, which was nice to know but doesn't help as you cycle out into it!!
What has been exceptionally warm is the hospitality we have received this last week or so. On Wed/Thurs last week we stayed with Bill, Jen and Ivy (and their 3 dogs, rabbit, lizard, frog, birds....)in their lovely home in Saquoit for two nights where we relaxed and were fed like Kings. Bill and Jen were motorcyclists we met huddled around a fireplace back in early August just after we crossed the Tioga Pass in Yosemite and it was snowing! They had given us their contact details and Bill had promised us a steak dinner if we ever visited. He follwed through on his promise with the biggest steaks I've ever seen, and amazing chicken for me the only non-steak eater at the table! We were joined that night by their friends Becky and Jim and their kids Austin and Chloe and another friend Chad. Was great to hang out and to be able to make a Pavlova for dessert and make sure they knew it was a NZ and not an Australian dish!! Austin, only 8 years old, was a very quick kid and by the end of the evening had our accents mimicked perfectly!!
There was a light dusting of snow as we pedalled away from Saquoit on Friday morning having been loaded up with Bill's own Maple Syrup and Jen's homemade jams. I hope we will meet again someday. Some beautiful but cold cycling followed! That night we stayed with Eric and Miriam - the daughter of our Michigan friend's (Drew and Steph) neighbor - in Canajoharie and enjoyed their comapany a lot and on Saturday a.m. were sent on our way with a pancake breakfast and a fresh loaf of bread for lunch that Eric just whipped up as we ate breakfast!
On Saturday afternoon we happily cycled through our 3,000 mile mark (4,800 km)just as we arrived on the outskirts of the Albany accomodation we had arranged through warmshowers.org. This was with Andrew - who kindly met us out on the bike path and put us back on it yesterday morning. Andrew fed us a fanastic pasta dinner (thanks Barbara!) and Matt their cool 16 yr old son cooked us pancakes for breakfast as we cycled off yesterday morning. The day remained grey and cold and included our first real hill climbing for quite some time(into the Berkshire Hills on the NY/MA border). We are staying in a motel now and it was great to have a spicy Thai dinner last night to help warm up!
All this hospitality the last week or so has been very humbling - from people who are essentially strangers but have generously opened their homes to us, fed us incredibly well and in all cases gone out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and know where we were heading next.
We have taken up space in their homes and interupted peoples routines & plans (Bill even took a day off to show us about - thanks mate - you're a star). It is a good lesson and challenge for us (whenever we may have a home next!) to do the same.

Last night Nicole and I relooked at our plans and have this morning decided that our intentions of getting to Boston and Cape Cod and making it back to NY City by October 31 were not realistic. There was not enough space in there for rest days and any contingencies (like the fact that my gear shifters broke yesterday and I had to cycle the last 15 or so miles with only 3 gears!). We also need some days to organise Phase Two of our journey back West - which involves buying a cheap car & the necessary paperwork etc associated with that. So...we have decided to now head south to NY City and get there this weekend. We are then very fortunate to have friends an hour West of the city (in New Jersey) where we will perch for a while and get a car sorted out & organise what to do with our bikes. If we can do that in good time we will hopefully be able to drive out to Boston and/or Washington DC before heading back to NY City Nov 3.
Is great to have a visible sun in the sky today. Hope it's shining wherever you are too! Marty