("Cliff Notes version: An exhausting day to re-start our tour. Heat, Humidity, Sun, long & steep ascents. What's not to love?)
In contrast to the weather forecast which called for a hot, humid but dry day, a slight rain developed in the early hours of Saturday morning and later, as we packed our final items at home, we were dealing with heavy rain. However, by the time we swung onto the Mass Pike westbound, the rain had stopped and the sky brightened ahead.
Just after 11 a.m. we set off from a busy street in Northampton which links the end of the rail trail we had finished 2 weeks ago, to a short 4 mile extension heading northwest. We both agreed that this was a fortunate start to the day as the slight but constant uphill grade enabled us to warm up our muscles and get back our pedaling-cadence after our long break. The clouds had cleared completely, and the morning was getting hotter.
Just after 11 a.m. we set off from a busy street in Northampton which links the end of the rail trail we had finished 2 weeks ago, to a short 4 mile extension heading northwest. We both agreed that this was a fortunate start to the day as the slight but constant uphill grade enabled us to warm up our muscles and get back our pedaling-cadence after our long break. The clouds had cleared completely, and the morning was getting hotter.
| Climbing out of Northampton |
Like much of this part of the state, the road view is mostly of dense forest and the occasional stream, with widely spaced homes of all sizes and conditions set on large lots. I get the feeling that ride-on mowers were developed with these folks in mind.
After 8 miles or so of riding this slow, but mostly gentle incline out of the Pioneer Valley, we hit the heavy Saturday lunchtime traffic in the bustling little town of Williamsburg. Since the time was 12:30 I thought it might make a good stop for lunch, but Elizabeth wanted to get more cycling done before the hottest part of the day. Since the next town was only about 8 miles away, I agreed. We got off our bicycles at the town library, so that Elizabeth could use their facilities. While I waited for her, a neighbor engaged me in conversation....a smartly-dressed and coiffed woman in her 70's, she had recently had a stroke, her husband was presently at the dump, they were headed off to a Graduation Party for one of her grand-children...oh, by the way, she has 10 grand-children and 4 great-grand-children, her own son died last year of a heart attack at 52, but she has 3 daughters also....all this family history I heard from a total stranger in the time it took Elizabeth to pee!
We were only on Route 9 (which crosses the State roughly east to west) for 1/2 a mile before turning onto Route 143 towards our new lunchtime target of Chesterfield. Our bicycling map does not show contour lines nor elevations. Instead it indicates uphill grades with arrowheads of varying thicknesses...and the route to lunch showed nothing but a series of bold uphill arrowheads!
After 8 miles or so of riding this slow, but mostly gentle incline out of the Pioneer Valley, we hit the heavy Saturday lunchtime traffic in the bustling little town of Williamsburg. Since the time was 12:30 I thought it might make a good stop for lunch, but Elizabeth wanted to get more cycling done before the hottest part of the day. Since the next town was only about 8 miles away, I agreed. We got off our bicycles at the town library, so that Elizabeth could use their facilities. While I waited for her, a neighbor engaged me in conversation....a smartly-dressed and coiffed woman in her 70's, she had recently had a stroke, her husband was presently at the dump, they were headed off to a Graduation Party for one of her grand-children...oh, by the way, she has 10 grand-children and 4 great-grand-children, her own son died last year of a heart attack at 52, but she has 3 daughters also....all this family history I heard from a total stranger in the time it took Elizabeth to pee!
We were only on Route 9 (which crosses the State roughly east to west) for 1/2 a mile before turning onto Route 143 towards our new lunchtime target of Chesterfield. Our bicycling map does not show contour lines nor elevations. Instead it indicates uphill grades with arrowheads of varying thicknesses...and the route to lunch showed nothing but a series of bold uphill arrowheads!
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| Heat sag? My hand was literally 3 feet from these cables. |
The map did not lie. Meantime, the temperature had climbed to 90 degrees or so. It was humid. The sun was beating down on our side of the road, and shade was at a premium. Our pace slowed dramatically, as we repeatedly paused to drink more water and catch our breath. Sometimes in shade, but at other times not. There was much more walking of the bicycles than riding them. We were not even rewarded with wide scenic views to appreciate the fruits of our labors, the dense forest restricted our sight in all directions. Though I did see one of the largest deer I've ever seen in my life. He tip-toed out into a clearing near the road shoulder where I had stopped for a breather. After seeing this haggard, red-faced, sweating, heaving animal (me) he bolted back into the forest.
As we finally crested the final peak, and saw the welcome sight of center-of-town buildings, I ran out of drinking water and eyed my last cup or so of Garorade. The relief of seeing the center of town faded a bit when we could see NO retail stores of ANY kind. And we were too "beat" to go on a scenic tour of Chesterfield, to look for anything. We needed food, drink and rest NOW! An unsuspecting driver pulled up at the stop sign and was roped into answering the critical question "Where are the shops?". He pointed us in the direction we were already headed, to the General Store about 1/2 mile DOWNhill. Yeah! Thankfully we found it readily...and it was the ONLY retail store we ever saw on our ride thru town. We had taken just short of 2 hours to complete the previous 7 miles, and had gained about 1200 feet in elevation since setting off in the morning from Northampton.
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| A mirage arising from our 'desert' of hot blacktop? NO! Our Oasis! |
The General Store was in tatters (as you can see from the picture) but it looked beautiful to us! Not only did we find lunch there, they sold gallon plastic bottles of Spring Water from the cooler to replenish our hydration packs and bottles. Tables and chairs were available to relax and enjoy the air conditioning. The senior citizen who ran the store chatted to us between serving the steady stream of clientele. He looked at our afternoon route and predicted a very steep climax to our day. Mentioned something about the steep grade testing the lower gears of his car......
It is amazing how quickly the human body can recover from exhaustion. We emerged from the General Store an hour later in much better shape than we had entered, and our spirits were high as we descended steadily for 2 miles, losing a total of 500 feet in elevation. The descent was so steep in parts, we paused several times for a few minutes to allow our brake pads and wheel rims to cool. The rims were much too hot to touch. We were also treated to beautiful valley views on our way down to Chesterfield Gorge State Park. Probably a beautiful spot, but we had neither the time nor the energy to stop!
The final 2 hours were spent reclaiming the height we had cheerfully surrendered after lunch...plus a couple of hundred feet more! Early in the ascent we tried multiple times to phone Ava to schedule a pickup but were stymied by a lack of cellular coverage in this sparsely populated and hilly terrain. So we plodded on in a reprise of the morning climb...steep grades, blazing sun, hot and humid weather. As we neared the top of the final hill, a fire engine overtook us, horns blaring, lights flashing., spewing a jet blast of hot exhaust fumes...but only going a few mph faster than we were!
It is amazing how quickly the human body can recover from exhaustion. We emerged from the General Store an hour later in much better shape than we had entered, and our spirits were high as we descended steadily for 2 miles, losing a total of 500 feet in elevation. The descent was so steep in parts, we paused several times for a few minutes to allow our brake pads and wheel rims to cool. The rims were much too hot to touch. We were also treated to beautiful valley views on our way down to Chesterfield Gorge State Park. Probably a beautiful spot, but we had neither the time nor the energy to stop!
The final 2 hours were spent reclaiming the height we had cheerfully surrendered after lunch...plus a couple of hundred feet more! Early in the ascent we tried multiple times to phone Ava to schedule a pickup but were stymied by a lack of cellular coverage in this sparsely populated and hilly terrain. So we plodded on in a reprise of the morning climb...steep grades, blazing sun, hot and humid weather. As we neared the top of the final hill, a fire engine overtook us, horns blaring, lights flashing., spewing a jet blast of hot exhaust fumes...but only going a few mph faster than we were!
Our first day "back in the saddle" ended in the little village of Worthington Corners. Almost a Norman Rockwell scene with the brightly painted Country Store fronted onto the Town Green, townsfolk setting up tables and chairs for a summer evening "Cabaret" under a canopy on the lawn of the white Congregational Church while across the Green a family had their Yard Sale wares on a driveway, hoping to capitalize on the "crowd".
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| Even this fire engine struggled upward, as Elizabeth looks on (distant left). |
Our first day "back in the saddle" ended in the little village of Worthington Corners. Almost a Norman Rockwell scene with the brightly painted Country Store fronted onto the Town Green, townsfolk setting up tables and chairs for a summer evening "Cabaret" under a canopy on the lawn of the white Congregational Church while across the Green a family had their Yard Sale wares on a driveway, hoping to capitalize on the "crowd".
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| On the Worthington Corners Common |
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| Elizabeth & Ava shop for our evening beverages |
Nice work team McRae! Looks like you had sooooo much fun. Wish I was there. Hey, when you finished your trip maybe you'd like to come back and do this stretch again with me?
ReplyDeleteKeep the feet and legs moving.
Jack