155 Miles
1318 miles
First a correction. We spent last night in Lee, Massachusetts, not Kent, Massachusetts.
We awoke at the dreary Comfort Inn in Lee a hour later than usual. After four days on the road we decided that Day 5 should be an easy one. A late, leisurely start and short mileage are to be the order of the day.
We checked our tire pressure and oil levels, packed our bikes and turned east into downtown Lee. After a minor detour in which Bo made a panicked u-turn back to the motel to search the room for his prescription sunglasses, we arrived in downtown Lee.
We found Joe's Diner, a small eatery that could have been the set for a TV show. Bob's was full of locals, the smell of fresh coffee and a vintage counter with swivel stools.
Joe's Diner
We grabbed a couple of stools at the left end of the counter and ordered up a couple of pigs. The lox and bagels were fine yesterday morning but we're over that stuff. Sausage and more sausage gives a trip like this just the right karma.
Our waitress, well-schooled in her craft, took our order and called us "hon" at least 10 times. Then we discovered that Joe's was the inspiration for a famous Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover. It's the one in which a policeman is sitting on a stool talking with a young boy who was running away from home while the counterman listens in. The painting is called "The Runaway." They had photos of Rockwell sitting in the diner and of the actual artwork.
Not as impressive as meeting the Sandman yesterday but noteworthy, nonetheless.
Norman Rockwell at Joe's Diner and the finished product
Another runaway sits at Joe's counter
The Runaway
We returned to U.S. Highway 7 and ventured north into Vermont. In Bennington, we turned right on Highway 9 and continued going east through southern Vermont.
Vermont, like the rest of New England, is a series of lovely old villages full of antique stores, old homes and steepled churches. Highway 9 also offers several patches of twisty roads and scenic views.
We crossed into New Hampshire and soldiered on.
We arrived in Manchester and our GPS took us straight to the Raddison Hotel. We checked in and asked if they had a washer and dryer available for guests. They did not, but the helpful room clerk directed us to a laundrymat a few blocks down the road. We loaded up our dirty clothes and rode on to do our laundry.
The domestic Jim Spears
A laundrymat is something neither of us have experienced in a few years. You no longer just slip a few quarters in the machine and press a button. Now you put money into a machine that gives you a debit card that is used to buy detergent and to pay for the washing and drying. We're embarrased to admit that we needed a lot of help to figure it all out. We also noticed that two strips of Bounty cost $2.25. Two small loads of laundry cost us almost $25.00, including the five dollars we lost by pressing the wrong buttons on the washing machines. What a rip!
We met up with Bill at the Raddison. His flight went well and he was clearly fired up to be starting his moto journey.
Bill checking UPS for stuff he shipped to Manchester last week.
While we were attending to our domestic duties at the laundrymat, Bill was checking out downtown Manchester in search of a good place to have dinner. He rcommended a nice little Irish pub.
Fish and chips and Irish stew made us happy. We even managed to convince our young waitress, Jamie, to sit down with us for a group picture. We thought we might convince our wives, who are at home enjoying our absence, that, while we are no longer the young studs they married, young women still think we rule. Of course, we hadn't tipped Jamie yet so what else was she going to do? She was a good sport.
Jamie graciously earning her tip
After dinner, we stopped by the Raddison's sports bar for a nightcap and to plan out our next day.
Day 6 takes us to Bar Harbor, Maine. We'll spend the night there. On Day 7 we board the Cat ferry for a three-hour, 180 mile ride over big water and into Nova Scotia.
