Days 58 & 59: West Thompson Lake Campground, CT

We had a lot of miles to cover yesterday, so Alea wisely set off early (8 am is early for us, unless the temperature is in the low sixties, in which case we are willing to ride earlier).  It started out in the mid-50s, but it was no time before the temperatures had climbed into the sixties.  We had sunny skies and a high of at least 75 by the time we had covered our full 75 miles for the day.  It was probably the best weather we've had in close to a month.

Crossing Saville Dam in the sun!

Because we had a long distance to cover, Alea took the first shift.  She covered the first 36 miles, allowing me time to restock our pantry in Windsor, CT.  She had some moderate rollers, but not much of anything that kept her in her lowest gear for very long.  She also had the worst traffic of the day - the inevitable urban gauntlet going through Windsor Locks and Windsor.

Around noon it was my turn to take over, and immediately the hills got steeper and longer - just a bit short of falling into the roller coaster hills category.  But it was still a very pleasant ride, and it was a nice change to be sweating as much as I did, due to the higher temperatures and the sunny skies.

So we camped for two nights at West Thompson Lake Campground ($30, power and water, warm showers).  It is a Corps of Engineers campground, with spacious sites that are well spaced, and nice and level.

We were a bit perplexed by the signage when we arrived at the campground, so a woman who was standing nearby offered some assistance.  She was holding a 20 ounce can of beer, and we managed to correctly interpret her slurred speech (she was definitely lit, at three in the afternoon) as to how to proceed.  

When we checked in, the camp hosts went over the rules with us, which was basically one rule: no alcohol (we hear that a lot).  Of course as we drive to our campsite, who do we see, but our Good Samaritan at her campsite, with a fresh 20-ouncer in her hand...

It rained off and on throughout the night, but the rain had mostly stopped by about 8 am.  There has been low cloud cover all day, so it took a long time before we saw the temperature reach 60 degrees, and then just barely.  We've seen spots of sunshine within the last hour, but there are no good prospect for things to warm up much above what we are currently experiencing.  So after running around town doing errands and going for a long hike in the afternoon, now we're huddled around a large, toasty fire.  With luck our $5 worth of wood will last until it gets dark tonight, so that we can spend the remainder of the day outdoors.