Day 6
Wed 8th Aug 2012
- Start Time6:14
- Finish Time17:25
- Time Spent Moving4:24
- Miles Done43
So today I woke up at 6am in my car park spot and already there were commuters waiting for their bus. I quickly packed my tent down and was on my way in about 10 minutes.
I crossed the busy main road I was camped by and was riding on small rural roads for about 5 miles. It was after an hour or so of riding that I realised I didn't have my gloves - I must of left them at the car park, I was not very happy about that but I was not prepared to go back for them.
I was then riding along side the main I95 interstate up and over a large bridge and in to Norwalk. In Norwalk, waiting at some lights, 3 other cyclists all geared up stopped next to me. They too were heading for San Fransisco but were going a lot quicker than I was as they had started only the Sunday before. They were taking a more southerly route then me so we wished each other good luck and they were off.
I was mainly following the old Boston Post road for the rest of the day taking me through Stamford, Greenwich and Chester. It was at Chester that I crossed into New York State without realising it. I completely missed the state sign so was a little annoyed as I wanted to get a photo of the welcome sign of each state I was passing through.
Not too far into New York State, at a town called Rye, I noticed an alarming rattle coming from the front of my bike. I stopped and realised a couple of bolts on my little dynamo were coming lose. I took it off and realised they were the only size of bolt I didn't have a tool for - so I took it off and stuck it in my pannier for repair later when I could find someone with the right size allen key.
I was soon into New Rochelle where I was pleasantly surprised, I was kind of expecting a town that was going to be just a commuter town for New York but it turned out to have a nice independant kind of feeling and a pleasant town center. I stopped for a while taking in the fact I was now into my fourth state and was actually making some progress in my trip.
I moved on and was soon into Pelham Manor which was a very posh area. I stopped at a small beach where there was a lady 'on guard' at the entrance. She explained that it was a residents only beach but was very helpful in guiding me along the coast to where I might find somewhere to stay. Just after Pelham Manor I joined a greenway - a posh name for a bike path - that took me to Pelham Bay. I stopped at Orchard beach where it was very busy with a lot of people enjoying themselves by the sea. I moved on and went over a small bridge to City Island. Going back over the bridge and going up the road I noticed a small track going into a wooded area. I waiting until there was no traffic and hurried up the track. I stopped about 300 yards and found a small clearing where it was perfect to set up the tent. While setting up the tent I had a visitor in the form of a small deer, It didn't seem to mind me being there and didn't mind the shooting going on, I think there was a firing range close by as I could just about hear some instructor giving tuition.
I had some dinner of beef stew and settled down for the evening. I had the sound of airplanes going over until 1am, I guessed I was under the flight path of one of New York's airports.
After today I had done more than 250 miles into the trip, not much but a small milestone!
