We've looked at Blogs from both sides now

Blogging is a great way to keep people informed as to what we're up to, but it has its downsides as well. Before departing, we looked at a number of bicycle blogs to get an idea as to what people write about. It's amazing to us that a person will ride 60~80 miles a day and still have energy left over to enter their thoughts. Also, as we have been camping everyday, we're finding that computer access is not as simple as we had first envisioned. With the advent of WI-FI and the popularity of portable computers, there are far fewer internet cafes to be found. That doesn't mean it's impossible, just more difficult. So until we develop a different routine, our entries may be a bit sporatic, but we will try our best. With that said, we don't intend to become a slave to the blog or computers, as that is the antithesis of why we're on the trip.

A Day in the Life of BOB and Olga

We generally wake up between 5:30~6 AM with the early morning light and bladders that need to heed natures call. Preparing breakfast, breaking down the campsight, and packing the bike takes about 2 hours, so we hit the road between 8-9 AM. Our initial plan called for us to average 40 miles a day, taking a rest every 5 days or so. What we've found is that the distance we travel is predicated upon the location of the next logical campground. Sometimes that's 30 miles down the road, sometimes 50. We've also discovered that we're stronger than we thought, and we haven't had the need or desire to take an extended rest day. For instance, today we rode a scenic 30 miles along the Maine coast to Portsmouth NH, getting into town around noon. We checked into a hotel, did laundry, went to a museum and wandered through the picturesque town for the remainder of the day. We pigged out on a lobster feast and are resting comfortably in an overstuffed bed. Tomorrow, we'll check out around noon and ride another 30 miles to a campground in Kingston NH. In essence, that is a "rest" day for us, and right now it feels fine. But we digress.

We generally shoot for arriving at our nights lodging around 4:00 PM. This gives us time to set up camp, prepare supper, clean up, shower (to date, all campgrounds have had shower facilities, some free but most charging 25 cents for 2~6 minutes of hot water), sit around the campfire and just plain relax. The sun has been setting around 7:45 PM and for us lights out has been between 9~10 PM. Sleep comes easily and quickly. The nights have been mild, and the tent stays dry and cozy for the most part. (more about that in a later entry...Tropical storm Ernesto was a doozie!).

Each day we shop for food, generally in the afternoon. We also pedal by a number of farm produce stands that have a coin box and operate on the honor system. Currently, the corn, cukes, and tomatoes are in season and are outstanding. The day's routine is predicated on the length of the ride. Like we said, a 30 mile day gives plenty of time for sightseeing, goofing off, lollygagging and the like. A 40 mile day means 4+ hours in the saddle, so breaks are a little shorter, or we don't stop at every historic site. A 50 miler means we're riding, just taking seat breaks, food stops, and shopping for the next meals. 60 miles? Well, we haven't gone there yet, and hopefully won't need to, but you never know.

Now that we're out of Maine, there will be less camping options, meaning more motel or B&B stays. That will translate into more free time, but we truly enjoy the camping. This time of year, the campgrounds in New England seem to be empty. We've stayed in locations that have 60 or 70 sites, and only 3 campers. But there's more to this story. Stay tuned...