Hadley to West Brookfield, PA

30 miles (approx.) Today was ugly in a big way. For starters, a cold rain fell on us almost continually. Yes, I agree that we were sooooooo due for a rainy day, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. Then, within a few miles of starting the ride, we had a flat tire. It was the rear again, naturally, which is a major pain to repair. We were on a bike path at the time, one that bypasses Amherst and busy Route 9. That was a good thing, as it allowed us the luxury of being able to change the tire away from the traffic, road kill, etc. And the rain had pretty much stopped, another good thing. But the bike path ran through the middle of a swampy area. As soon as we stopped to begin the repair process (unloading the tandem) swarms of mosquitoes descended on us. I am one of those people that must smell good to mosquitoes - they just love me. (If there are 10 people standing together and a mosquito comes along, I will be bitten first every time.) So I had an awful time trying to replace the tube while swatting (mainly ineffectively) at the blood thirsty bastards. They took at least a quart with them.

Soon after getting underway again the rain resumed and never really stopped again. Ironically, it probably would have been better if it had continued raining while we were repairing the tire, as it likely would have helped hold back the mosquito infestation.

The bike path ended and dumped us out on some very hilly secondary roads that eventually led us back to Route 9. It carries a lot of traffic as it winds west-east (as well as up and down)across Massachusetts. Much of Route 9 has a good paved shoulder, but we discovered there are several long stretches with little or no shoulder. Riding those sections in good weather would be nerve racking; on an overcast day during a downpour was pretty much a white knuckle experience.

We pulled into a grocery store to take a break, eat something and get a new battery for the transmitter of our cyclometer. The good news is that they carried the correct battery, but in replacing it we discovered that we had lost the special threaded screw that holds the transmitter on the front fork (which allows it to send a signal to the handlebar unit as the magnet attached to the wheel passes the transmitter during each revolution of the wheel.) So the bottom line is that we do not have a functioning computer to tell us distance, speed, etc. This increases the chances that we will get lost, miss turns, etc., as our directions are written, for example, as follows: "In 1.7 miles {from the last turn}, turn right onto Podunk Road". At least that did not occur today. Finally, we discovered that although we are through the Berkshires, the terrain is still quite hilly. There were a lot of fairly steep climbs today, some quite lengthy.

We stopped in Ware to find something hot to drink. We could not find a C-store or a cafe, only a Subway and a Friendly's ice cream store - neither of which served coffee, soup or any other warm beverage. We finally found a pizza place that had coffee where we also wolfed down a plate of hot spaghetti. But we were still soaking wet, tired and discouraged. We had intended to ride about 60 miles today to Whitinsville, but it was clearly time to consider "Plan B". So we began searching for a motel, B&B or other lodging out of the rain. All of the places we located in Ware were either closed or did not answer the phone (not a good sign). We were able to find a nice "mom and pop" motel in West Brookfield, which involved another 5 miles of white knuckle riding further east on Route 9. While the rest of our day was forgettable, our innkeeper has been great. She was very interested in our ride, offered to launder all of our wet soggy clothes, gave us some extra motel towels to use to wipe down the bike* (which, of course, is in the room with us) and loaned us a golf umbrella to use to walk into town. She is a granddaughter of the man who built the motel, which is obviously still in the family.**

*This was astonishing as virtually all the other motels we have stayed in had signs up stating "DO NOT USE TOWELS FOR CLEANING CARS, WEAPONS, ETC." or something similar. And, true to form, one of her towels was soon black with chain grease, road grime, etc. However, it still might be useful in cleaning up the aftermath of a runaway orange juice dispenser.

**Penny got the innkeeper's life story during a long chat in the comfort of the warm motel office while I stood outside in the downpour holding the tandem/trailer, which has no kick stand, and shivering from near hypothermia. Contrary to what you might think, and despite the fact that I am admittedly an impatient person, I wasn't the least bit upset about this and only mention it in the interest of blog completeness.