Connecticut becomes number 23

Slept in Rose City Cycle parking lot. Bit of traffic noise. Chilly inside van, hard to poke out of coves. But once out it wasn’t that bad. Its just leaving the comfort for the unknown.

Drove back to grocey store parking lot for breakfast. Bought & read local newspaper. 1 entire section of maybe 14 pages of foreclosure notices.

Back to bike shop for another trail briefing. Visited a while.

Drove to TH after correcting a written instruction of mine. Beautiful day: Blue sky, some bare trees with others still holding their leaves, temp almost too chilly for bare arms.

Trees have mostly shed their leaves covering the forest floor but letting all light in. Route finding is challenging, Maybe like following old ski tracks. Lowered saddle vastly increase technical riding handling. Pushing my balance limits a bit further. One skill is to approach a feature with the correct momentum and knowing what the speed is for each. Trails snaked around in broadleaf forest. Impressed by the miles of stone fences from old farms. Small enclosures, but perhaps miles of them, on their piece of land. Most existing older properties kept their former stone fences.

Got a pinch flat on rear tire. Such a beautiful day I decided to take the time to patch it. Used EDGE to figure my way out.

Discovered a dressed out deer laying on its back. Looked like it had been tied into a tree and had fallen. Didn’t touch anything. Turned to get on bike & looked up about 40′ away and about 25′ off the ground was a bowhunter. I inquired about deer and he had just shot it and gutted it. Bow hunters are safer than rifle.

Back @ TH 2 men were hanging out, 1 older, disclosed his age of 86 and he had a few gears not meshing. The other was mid 40s, reps for a window mfg company down near Muskingum. We discussed US situation. I have met Mostly liberal people who believe that Obama is answer and where we have been is way wrong. I don’t seek these people it is my lifestyle, place of visit and the like. I would guess that if I were say golfing at private clubs I would receive a different spin. But then that is not my life style.

Drove N towards Manchester. Beautiful country side. NE roads wander around like the horse pathes they once were. The scenery is just so beautiful. Maybe it is enhanced by old farms, stone fences, winding twisting slow roads. Just beautiful time of year.

Parked outside John Harvard brew pub at shopping mall outside Manchester, going to watch TB Red Socks game. Maybe dirtbag camp in a big parking lot. Lots of people and it seems that they all want to be first. Too dense population density.

Software way stable tonight.

No shower today and will be sitting at a bar watching the game.

Tomorrow is Case Mtn with Rose City group ride then further to NW corner of state and into NW Mass.

Knee hurts but is bearable when I don’t race.

Off to game.