Weather Undergrounds forecast for today:
"Cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning...then a chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Southeast winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent." The forecast was wrong, it rained 100%! While yesterday was sunny and warm, today was cloudy, cool, and wet.
After breakfast, we all gathered for group photos before signing out. It was raining when we left the hotel and it continued to rain during most of the ride. Fortunately, it wasn't a cold rain, with temperatures in the mid-sixties. Our route took us down the coast of Maine on Highway 1A or parallel to it. We passed the home of George H. W. Bush in Kennebunkport, but it was a very gray day for taking pictures.
The riders have already sorted themselves out into groups, mostly among friends who did the cross country tide together; those friendships run deep and they have formed very strong bonds. I joined Al, Peter, Jack, and Al's friend, Larry, for most of the ride. Jack had two flats and Al broke the chain on his bicycle towards the end of the day, otherwise, it was an uneventful day. We crossed into New Hampshire over a draw bridge (we had to wait for them to lower the bridge to continue) and had our "first dinner" in Portsmouth before riding into the hotel.
There was mud in my bathtub! Tomorrow is supposed to be wet, too. Stay tuned.
Portsmouth, NH (1653)
Pop 21,000 elev 20'
Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth to warning that the British were coming.
Home to John Paul Jones, father of the US Navy.
70.4 miles; 4:28 riding time; 1,148' of climb; 3,606 Calories
Great start. I expect you'll be wet for a while. I assume that in general your net elevation change is going to be zero.
ReplyDeleteLife has its ups and down, but always seems to return to normal. Lots of hills between here and the next stop, but what goes up, must come down.
ReplyDeletexo
Redondo Beach, CA to Escondido, CA
ReplyDelete"Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph."
The members of the Beach Bike Squad also face inclement weather today, as we make our way south to San Diego, our grand tour derailed slightly by our fearless leader's need to participate in animal husbandry activities (i.e., heep herding). When we return to our home base, we suspect that we, too, will find mud (and sheep poop) in our bathtubs...
Make that "sheep herding," not "heep herding." We don't know what a "heep" is, but if we find one, we'll probably chase it.
ReplyDeleteHow did Al continue if he broke his chain ? Be safe out there.
ReplyDeleteAl had to call the truck and sagged into the hotel. We were pretty close to the hotel, but the truck had to detour around the bridge which was closed for repairs.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteBest of luck!
Jason