50 States, Day 143

50 States, Day 143 Woodstock to Center Harbor to Tilton, 110 Miles
 
"Try not to become a man of success but a man of value."
~Albert Einstein



 
Time for a lesson on making points with your wife. With a big storm breathing down our neck, I agreed we should go to Center Harbor and visit (PP!) Keepsake Quilting. Halfway there we donned rain gear and stayed the course. In case you didn't know, Keepsake Quilting is really big-national really; QG getting their catalogues for years. Of course, how could you not know?




We pulled into the parking lot and she skipped into the store. I chose to do a bit of walkabout and found a few other Beaten Down Men, Larry and Steve. Larry rode his own adventure in '95, with his son. Larry rode a '78 Beemer (still has it) and his son riding a '75 Moto Guzzi. They toured all across Canada, down to California and back to NH, 10,000 miles. Excellent!

Still resisting the urge to get out of the rain, I walked to the lake and enjoyed flora and fauna, then visited the hardware store for duct tape and ear plugs. What an exciting day, right?




Finally, I ran out of bright things to capture my attention and entered the shop; a huge place with fabric stacked everywhere, to the ceiling, a maze where someone could get...
Oh no! They set up these stores like casinos, where it is a rat maze, and if a woman gets lost, she panics and gets out like Indiana Jones in the jungle by slashing her way through, buying fabric until she can see the exit.
Nooooooooooooooo!




I trotted up and down blind aisles, hitting huge stacks of fabric everywhere. Finally I spotted her, a plethora of fabric under her arm with a one mile smile.  QG in her element. We got out of there without too much damage and headed south. The rains picked up and we bore onward, stopping at a (PP!) Super 8 Motel. Yes. This is an adventure, not an exercise in masochism.

Sometimes I pat us on the back at our adventurous spirit, braving these elements, surviving with tenacity and courage. Then I met Michelle.
He checked in right behind us, and when I strode outside into the storm to get our stuff, there sat...
A bicycle!
This guy rode from Quebec, all by himself, day seven, at a rate of sixty plus miles a day, by himself, on a bike with a little one wheel trailer. Looks like the Gold Wing had a preemie or something. Later I saw him again, wearing a poncho and headed out to dinner. A brave man indeed.

I am humbled. We are not worthy! Michelle my Canadian friend, you rock brother.  Tomorrow, as the weather is due to clear, we tour the state's capitol. May look around for a bike shop with replacement headlights. Both low beams went out, within a few days of one another. Go figure. Meanwhile we ride with the brights on, irritating everyone. I prefer them to be irritated than me be invisible.

See you tomorrow and thanks for following.



 
 

4 comments:

Mel Nason said...

You may be having trouble keeping the earplugs in, but... duct tape? Really???

Unknown said...

WHAAAT? Speak up!
Actually, the duct tape is to repair a hole in the cover from a squirrel eating through it in an attempt to build his nest. Can't you just see him watching us ride away and going, 'Crap! Bad choice of location.'
Stupid squirrel.

Mel Nason said...

Too bad he wasn't still in the 'nest' when you rode away. Perhaps you could have had squirrel soup for dinner!

Unknown said...

I've almost made a few squirrel pizzas already.mtake one squirrel, run over it with a Gold Wing, cook on hot asphalt for eight hours. Buzzards love them!