Mileage: 35.0; 1,892 total
I was thinking that this would be a short, easy ride. But due to windy conditions, and temperature in the low 90's, it turned out to anything but easy. The headwind was a steady 15-20 mph, and made progress very difficult: I was often struggling to do 5 mph on the flats, and 7 to 8 mph on slight downhills. My overall average speed for the day was 6.8 mph, probably the only time it has been under 7 mph on this trip. It was hot, and I think that the strong winds tended to dehydrate me more quickly than normal.
To top it off, there was no place to stop to get a cold drink. I pulled off the road at one point to eat (a bagel w/peanut butter, which is getting to be my staple) and a piece of fruit in the shade of some trees by an abandoned church.
Getting closer to Washburn I stopped again by the side of the road to eat another piece of fruit and Harry and Sue, who passed me on their motorcycle, turned around and came back to see if I was ok. We chatted for quite awhile. Roughly my age, I guess, they are about 40 days into their motorcycle/camping trip, which they started from the West Coast of Florida. They are now headed up to British Columbia, and enjoying every minute of it. They are also both members of the Coastal Cruisers, a bicycling club in the town where they live, so they are sympathetic to bicyclists. In addition, they are both avid walkers, and are interested in coming to NYC for the Great Saunter of 2009 (May 2nd).
Washburn is a small community, but I found a motel, bought some food at the grocery store which I ate in my room, and slept for a long time.
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