They warned us about the climbing today. 3700 feet in less than 40 miles. And when we saw the route maps with road names such as Snake Hill Road, Carpenter Hill Road, Dead Horse Hill, etc., we knew we were in for a challenging day.
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At route wrap, we'll go over the next day's ride. The notes alongside some of the turns shows just how much we were focused on the climbing, including being set in a proper gear before turning onto a steep uphill grade.
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Yes, that sign is correct. Dead Horse Hill (they never say where the name comes from but it's not hard to guess) is actually a 16% grade! Helluva way to start the morning. |
Technically, there are no mountains in Connecticut (I think it has to be above 1000' in elevation to qualify), but there are lots of short and long, steep climbs throughout the state.
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Taken from the top of Snake Hill Road looking back down the climb. As the name implies, it was a twisty, turning road with exceptionally steep grades. |
Other than the climbing, it was just a normal day on the road. The humidity was way down from yesterday, although this morning was pretty moist with lots of standing water from last night's rains. And the temperature barely kissed 90 degrees today. The mild headwinds actually felt comforting to keep the air cool.
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The State Line between Massachusetts and Connecticut was slightly more pronounced than the notification we got when we entered the state from New Hampshire. Tucked away in the trees was this signpost. |
No, the day was all about the climbing. One after another. And, of course, everyone was drinking heavily today to avoid another day like yesterday. To a person, they all felt much better today, hills and all.
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Lunch is the one meal of the day the riders are responsible for on their own. As a rule, most of us always try to "eat local." Today, a number of us stopped off at this highly-regarded country store just over the Connecticut border. Great sandwiches that we enjoyed while sitting on picnic tables overlooking a picturesque pond. |
The one oddity of today's ride was a sight I didn't expect to see in Connecticut...a Tobacco farm. And it wasn't the farm that first struck me. It was the sight of two tractors pulling fresh leaves of tobacco down the street. Shane O'Leary, the ride leader, and I both stopped to take pictures of the tractors and the barn. Until today, I always thought that tobacco only grew in the South. Who knew!?
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Although it certainly looked like tobacco, I wasn't sure. As the second tractor slowly drove by, I yelled to the driver to confirm if that was, in fact, tobacco. He gave me a smile and a thumbs up. What a surprise to see that up North!
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Tomorrow will be another challenging day. 90 miles, 5200 feet of climbing and a weather forecast for the ages. Hot, humid and the likelihood of thunderstorms in the afternoon, accompanied by hail and the potential for tornadoes. Delicious!!
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You can barely make it out on my smartphone, but as I was taking a picture of the tobacco barn, Shane stood behind me and got this shot of me taking that picture. |
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