Tour Day 62 Knocking On Doors Aug 26 2010

Today was a compelte disaster until the very end of the day.

Everything started out normal I woke up ealrly so that I could get on the road 30mins early knowing that boston was going to be a pain in the butt to navigate through. I was about 5 minutes down the road when the road became complete mayham. I was so glad that I had decided to pull into my love shack hotel when I did, not only for the traffic but also because it gave me a chance get a map.

I had my trip planned for the day get on the 99 and that will take me pretty much straight through Boston. Well I was wrong. When I got near Boston my plan went out the window. The roads I was searching for never came, and my map was rendered useless because it showed no side streets only major routes. So I stopped and asked a trooper before I got to far and he said go the other way. So I went the other way then got a bad feeling so I went back the way that I was coming. Now I do not know how this happened but after 30minutes of heading in the general direction I wanted to go I got back on to route 138 which was my goal. Now I fallowed the signs and went where the arrows were pointing then all of a sudden the arrows stopped. I was again left not knowing where I was going and just heading in the general direction of where I wanted to be.

This time I wised up and asked a firefighter with a cup of coffee in his hand instead of a busy troop. Thankfully this man was a little more helpful and got me going the right way to blue hill, which was where I wanted to get to because that where my route picked up again.

Even with the few minor backtracks I was still on schedule. I was taking my time and plunking away at the kilometres with no problem. Boston as a city was very nice to looks at. If it was not an old brick building it was a new glass building.

This is where things took a huge turn for the worse the route that I had planned along the 138 turned out to be a complete mess. Without warning it launched me onto the interstate. I panicked cars were whizzing past me at mach 10. They were driving in the emergency lane. It was just a mess. If I turned around I defiantly would have got hit so I made the choice to go the 3 miles to the first exit. And get off there.

Well as I am pulling off the interstate I see blue lights behind me. The state trooper comes out and does his job. I tell him that I wanted to be there as much as he wanted me there but if I would have defiantly got hit if I turned around. I also admitted what I did was wrong, but it was for my safety. He went back in his car did his paperwork and came out with a nice $50 ticket. That’s fine it’s not the best situation but I will deal with it. (Dad it has already been paid online $55 Canadian).

Two miles down the road I go to put my ear buds in and one had fallen on the road on the off ramp. Strike two for luck. Now I need to try and hunt down an extra earpiece for these, which is proving harder, then I thought. Lets hope that radio shack has them because best buy did not.

Strike three came when I went to buy graceries. I went to pay and I knew that I had a $100 bill that I had to break so I went to use it and it was not in my wallet. Now I am pissed because now I am $150 in the hole, and my daily cost was through the roof because as much as I hoped groceries and things would be less expensive here they are infact the same if not more expensive.

I was pretty rattled but I had to keep moving. I figured that the day could not get any worse. I was partcially right because once I got to prvidence in Rhode Island I promptly got lost again because wouldn’t you know it the sign marking disappeared again. I asked one old guy for directions and he ended up sending me north. I ask the guy in the north and he said I am screwed. Ignoring these facts I went with my gut. I pulled out my compass and went in the direction I knew I had to go. Low and behold it worked. It to some hard work and metal toughness because I started to second guess my every move, but made it.

After a quick lunch I was on my way and behind schedule at this point. I kept trucking down the road and 150km came and past. There is no camping within 25 miles of here so I had to do something I haven’t done yet… bang on some doors.

I see this side street with a lakeview and say to myself this looks promising. The first lady I ask said she was leaving tonight so that means no. She also said that it was a good community and I should have no problem. The next house was 2 minutes away and had a guy picking twigs on his lawn.

This is where I met rob. He was enitially sceptical but after seeing my id, my card, and after talking a little bit he welcomed me in like family. I got a nice hot shower, a flat piece of land for my tent, and even laundry. Best of all I have people to talk to tonight. So Ron and Claudia when you read this thank you.
Trip Distance: 153km
Ride Time: 7:28hr
Avg. Speed: 20.48hr
Total Distance: 9080km
Distnace: South Kingstown, Rhode Island