Yesterday was a blast. The morning rain in Brattleboro burned off quickly. We launched by 7:30 and rode in a drizzle for a little while. Rather than grab breakfast in Brattleboro, we rode for an hour and stopped in at Jamaica Coffee for a pre-made breakfast sandwich. With mine I had a large fresh cup of Jamaican coffee. Eric had his first of many Cokes and a homemade frosted cookie. A feast fit for kings.
I forgot to mention that I bought a new summer motorcycle jacket the other day. It is well padded but still lightweight and has a thin mesh that made it ideal for yesterday's low 90's temperatures. I probably didn't need something so fancy. I don't think in my entire life I have purchased another piece of $270 clothing. It's worth it though. I feel liberated. That $25 thing that I bought off of Craigslist and have been wearing for three years feels like a straight jacket.
After breakfast we meandered up Rte 100 for five hours winding through 150 miles of sheer beauty! Constantly changing views as we mostly hugged the eastern slopes of the Green Mountains.
Through the day we went through old N.E. villages like Jamaica, Wilmington, Weston, Rochester, Warren and Waterbury enjoying the towering church steeples, rickety old general stores, old covered bridges, and green leafy foliage. I know I say this after most of our rides but this two-lane road has to be one of the most scenic roads in New England, if not the entire country.
We had lunch at Sugerbush. What an incredible respite for Eric to savor his chicken curry wrap and me, my Vermont country salad. Other than a gardener tending to her roses and a US Air pilot vacationing from Arizona with her kids, we had the patio to ourselves. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra was having its dress rehearsal for last night's season-opener at the adjacent tented amphitheater. Being serenaded by a high-quality symphony under blue skies and overlooking Sugerbush mountain is something I would have preferred to do with Margot. Instead I had to endure Eric's stream of insults and political rants. It didn't matter though. I was able to block him out and soak in the moment, both real and imagined.
From Sugerbush we continued North to Waterbury before cutting east on dirt roads over the Green Mountains. It was unfortunate that we brought the intercoms on this trip. No fewer than a dozen times did I have to hear Eric complain about our taking these breath-taking mountain passages rather than Highway 89 or 91.
We pulled into Waterville Valley at 5:30, ten hours and 290 miles (our longest one day trip ever) after leaving Brattleboro. Sore, fatigued and parched, we couldn't wait to jump in the river for some rejuvenation.
Typical of Eric, he had made no mention of the fact that Celia and he had arranged for a dinner party and that the guests were arriving at 7. Instead, during the course of the day, we talked about what we should do after we arrived. We discussed going for a swim, taking a bike ride and possibly going out to dinner in town or in Plymouth. It's not that he had forgotten about the dinner party. He intentionally omitted it from the discussion. I'm not quite sure why he does these things. Maybe its for the shock effect or maybe it's for some other reason. I'm not sure. It does however, keep our times together interesting.
I gave myself a pep talk about maintaining my energy for the evening. It turns out it took little effort. The dinner guests were lovely, a mid 70 yr old couple and their 17 yr old grandson Sam, who was visiting for the summer from Montana. They, Eric, Celia, Maggie and I covered a host of subjects and ended the evening by watching Sam's video-editing projects on YouTube. A very nice night from start to finish.
I crashed in bed around 11, I think. I am certain that I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Today we are off for a day of fishing, swimming and camping on Moon island in Squam Lake. I can't wait.
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