Day 35: Saratoga and Riverside

Distance: 18 avg: 10 or so

This was such an interesting day! I met a lot of interesting people and did so much that I didn’t have time to write.

I walked out of my hotel and started towards Mom’s Kitchen across the street. I met Pater, a Dutch pharmacist on vacation and we had breakfast together.

It was refreshing and humorous to listen to Pater talk about the Netherlands, where cycling is often the main form of transportation. He talked pragmatically about how cycling was a great way to get around, get some exercise, etc. It is culturally ingrained. He doesn’t understand why these big Americans need a pickup truck to get their groceries. I embarassingly agreed. I find hope and comfort in the idea that there are places that embrace cycling as the Dutch have.

I then went fishing again! I feel that my fishing ability is improving in the same way that a gambler’s luck improves. Seriously I do think I might be getting better. I lost a lot of worms to hungry fish, and definitely had a couple nibbles. Hack, over at Hack’s Tackle, is a grizzled old fisherman. He gave me a great tip on where to go on Saratoga lake. I biked off-road and weathered some dramatic rain to get there. I kept getting nibble after nibble, and it drove me crazy. ‘Just one more cast’, I’d say, over and over. But no, still nothing.

I left the lake and got on the rode extreeeemely late, and arrived in Riverside at about 8. As I paid for my campsite an exuberant man analyzed critically my bike. The verdict seemed good, and when I walked out to greet him he had all manner of questions. I happily answered them all and we chatted for a bit. He was very generous. I ended up having a steak and relaxing with his family. He gave me a bag full of food, including homemade energy bars and sundried tomatoes! Impressive stuff.

I went to sleep amazed at the number and complexity of people that I’d met. And happy to have met them all!