Deceived by the benign and gentle (i.e. flat) Rail
Trail we continue south west out of Concord and immediately struggle uphill along
quiet empty roads. The land is sparsely inhabited here, the road wends
up and around small hills with steep inclines. It suddenly does remind
us of England. Apart from the anti-Hillary Clinton poster nailed to someon's fence.
And then two big ugly dogs come pelting out from a farmyard, jumping out into the road. I take evasive action, getting off the bike and putting it between me and them. Gayle is somewhere behind. I shout out, in alarm. No way am I getting back on my bike to let them chase me. Thankfully a car comes along and the dogs retreat to let it pass. The farmer appears at the same time as Gayle to call them off. He apologises - the dogs have electronic collars to keep them inside the property boundary - but the dogs have got too excited. Scared, angry and now full of adrenaline, I pull up at the next village and insist on a rest at a little shaded seat next to a library.
We decide to have an early lunch and spend a bit of time in the library. As we are wheeling our bikes to some sunny patch of grass a friendly man appears and begins too chat. I lose control of my bike and it falls dragging me to the floor. I'm totally fed up. Inside the library we find calm and tranquility and a librarian who is played by Mia Farrow. We hear her chatting to the locals who come in. She is super-friendly and we decide that it must be a criteria for the job for all librarians.
And then the friendly man is back, this time accompanied by his wife. Bill and Anne live just opposite and they have come to invite us to dinner and to stay the night. We are delighted by such an offer and spend a lovely evening becoming friends. They are an active outdoors couple and spent many summers canoeing and camping out on lakes, was it up in Maine? I can't remember. Bill later sends us a recipe for campfire bread. Fed and watered royally we sleep like babies and say our farewells after a hearty breakfast. Anne and Bill are considering a road trip out west next summer so there's a chance we may meet them again somewhere.
And then two big ugly dogs come pelting out from a farmyard, jumping out into the road. I take evasive action, getting off the bike and putting it between me and them. Gayle is somewhere behind. I shout out, in alarm. No way am I getting back on my bike to let them chase me. Thankfully a car comes along and the dogs retreat to let it pass. The farmer appears at the same time as Gayle to call them off. He apologises - the dogs have electronic collars to keep them inside the property boundary - but the dogs have got too excited. Scared, angry and now full of adrenaline, I pull up at the next village and insist on a rest at a little shaded seat next to a library.
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| "If you're tired, grouchy and irritable, take a seat. In memory of John Swindehurst from his family." |
We decide to have an early lunch and spend a bit of time in the library. As we are wheeling our bikes to some sunny patch of grass a friendly man appears and begins too chat. I lose control of my bike and it falls dragging me to the floor. I'm totally fed up. Inside the library we find calm and tranquility and a librarian who is played by Mia Farrow. We hear her chatting to the locals who come in. She is super-friendly and we decide that it must be a criteria for the job for all librarians.
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| Virgina Woolf maybe? |
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| Anne and Bill |
