Going Green Going South 2024

  Hartford to New Haven, Connecticut Leaving Hartford on an early morning Sunday was ideal because there was no traffic.  The temperature was cool but pleasant.  We cycled about 15 miles on the road and had only 1 big climb that rewarded us with a long and fast downhill ride.  Most of the rest of our 60 mile ride was on a paved trail.  The trail was busy with Sunday cyclists and walkers, enjoying the day and the weather. A number of passing cyclists asked about our travels.  However, we were not the lone cyclists with panniers on the trail.  One fellow heading in the opposite direction said that he will get the train in Hartford to take him back to New Haven.   We finally found a “mom and pop” restaurant along our route.  It was called Uncle Bob’s Ham and Eggers and was crowded.   We must have looked desperate because we got an outside table immediately while others were told of a 45 minute wait. This is the first time on this trip ...

  Pomfret to East Hartford, Connecticut About 95 percent of today’s ride was on trails.  We had a short ride from our B & B to get on our first trail and a short ride off the last trail to get to our hotel.  The road connections between the trails was minimal. While that was great news, we sometimes wondered if we would have been better off on the roads.  The trails were mostly gravel/dirt but we had some that were asphalt.  The condition of the trails at the Pomfret end were challenging.  Sometimes we were riding single track trails that were very rough, sometimes very sandy, and sometimes very muddy.  Each condition caused us concern.  Another challenging feature was the entrance gates at each street crossing.  They must have been designed by a very skinny walker.  We had a difficult time getting our loaded touring bikes around those barriers.   On a positive note, the tree canopy kept us cool as the day warmed up.  Also...

  Warwick, Rhode Island to Pomfret, Connecticut  Our morning started out with another Jeff issue.  He had a hotel flat in his front tire.  We never heard of such a thing.  The tire was good last night when he checked it but not this morning.  The guy must live under a dark cloud.  Once that issue was resolved, we got back on the Trestle Trail and continued south.  This section of the trail went through wooded areas and along many lakes and boggs.  We suspect that no railroad would be allowed to be built through this environment today.    The trail lasted about 15 miles before we were back on the roads.  At mile 20 we stopped at a convenience store with a sign indicating a deli within.   We each ordered an egg salad sandwich but they were out of egg salad.  So we went for tuna salad sandwiches but they only had enough tuna for one.  Finally, we got tuna and chicken salad sandwiches and coffee and ate them out...

  Framingham, MA to Warwick, Rhode Island This morning started out with some frustration when Jeff’s GPS would not turn on.  Without it, he could not let Joe out of his sight as we cycled through 5 miles of early morning traffic.  Once we got on the trail, things settled down and we cycled 5 more miles to Coffee Haven.  There we enjoyed their coffee and fresh baked goods.  Since Joe is our official techie, Jeff handed over his GPS and within 30 seconds it was working. (Joe, searched Garmin’s problem solver page and found the solution. )  Fueled and technology in order we cycled the trail for some more miles before getting back on the local roads.  We eventually reached the Blackstone River Trail where we enjoyed traffic free cycling.  The trail runs over 24 miles from downtown Worcester, MA, to India Point Park in Providence, RI.  We enjoyed every minute of the trail.  Both of us were surprised that on this trail walkers were instru...

Salem to Framingham, Massachusetts While today was a longer day, it was mostly on trails and cycle lanes. We estimate that this was about 80 percent of the time. The trails were flat, some gravel and some paved. However, it was not a cake walk.  The traffic was excessive and moving between trails and crossing roads was a headache.   The only hill we had was about 18 miles from our endpoint and it was on a very busy road.  We were tired, but not from the cycling, but from the traffic stress. On a positive note, Joe was delighted with the quality of light for his photographs.  He frequently stops to take a picture and probably only posts 25 to 50 percent of those on his camera. Cycling into Lynn Massachusetts was delightful.  The trail took us along the bay and we watched the sun rise above the water. This part of the trail was busy with walkers and bikes. We were at the top of a gentle rise and stopped as a group of older women walked up the hill, taking up most ...

  Newburyport to Salem, Massachusetts Our morning started off sharing sweet memories of yesterday’s ride.  While today couldn’t be better, it was almost as great.  Our B&B included breakfast and we were greeted by Catlin, our lovely and charming innkeeper. She provided several fresh fruit choices (in yogurt or plain), yogurt, breads and muffins, and poached eggs with a hollandaise sauce.  We ignored all the cereals, and other stuff except for the coffee.  We met her 5 year old daughter and 4 year old son. It was tough leaving there.   We quickly arrived on a trail that took us out of town.  However, it took us a long time to cycle that short trail.  The first mile must have had 20 sculptures and other artsy things.  It was full of trail art and Joe wanted a picture of each item.  No sooner did we get off the trail and onto the road, we came across a classic car restoration shop.  More pictures were taken of the cars, trucks...