The Best Day

Today was one of the most perfect days I've ever had. Everything went right. Everything was beautiful. The riding was long. The riding was easy. The sun smiled on two boys from Cape May Court House, NJ.

At 3:30 AM, the thunder and rain were howling outside. An hour and a half later, the sound of chipmunks seemingly burrowing a hole in the corner of the room awakened me. I could've sworn they were in the house. 5:03 AM. A mere 12 minutes before my alarm went off so what the hell, let's get started. 

Josh left about an hour after me because of all the gear he had to pack but we did share an early morning breakfast.

The road was buzzing with activity, none of them human. A large hare leapt across the road, jumping highest as it went from asphalt to tall grass. A wild turkey and her babies stood in apprehension as I approached, thinking their motionlessness made them invisible. A deer and her baby jumped joyfully across the asphalt, flailing their legs erratically into the air in their haste.

A few miles out, I found Blue Mountain Lake absolutely motionless. 5:59 AM on the dot. The reflection on the water made a pretty... abstract image. If it's a Rorschach Test, I see an arrowhead. 

The thirty-five miles to Old Forge were everything that I like about biking; calm and peaceful. There was no rush to get anywhere. I stopped and looked where I chose. Some places I just stopped and soaked everything in. 

After a 20 something mile ride to the town of Inlet, it was still early and I wasn't exactly hungry. I stopped at a beach where an Asian man with broken english chatted with a couple about the good places to fish. The couple was so kind to the man and his son despite the language barrier. The two men and I shared a smile as they walked away.

Josh put it best later in the day saying, "It's imperative that we get up at 5am from now on."

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea," I said.

"No. I mean, we need to."

On the way to Old Forge, I had a conversation with a deer as we had a snack. I got some really awesome video of feeding them but no great pictures. The deer and her baby both came directly up to me while I fed them Vanilla Wafers. I'd never had such a close encounter like that with a wild animal.

I eventually met up with Josh at a popular local joint called "Walt's Diner" in Old Forge, NY. I had a coffee with sausage gravy and biscuits. The older gentleman around the table talked about local kids in the area and the tropical storm rolling in. Josh showed up about an hour after I'd arrived.

"This couple at a restaurant I went to this morning paid for my tab!" he exclaimed. "I saw it happening but it didn't really click. And when it did, I just kinda... I was really touched by it, man. Like-"

"Aw Josh, soul of a child," I said a bit teasingly but understanding the situation.

The people on the road are everything. 

On our way to Booneville, a bit ahead of Josh, I found an old abandoned paper mill/logging station. Of course, I had to check it out. It took about forty minutes to find a trail but I found it. The place was dilapidated and downright dangerous. Huge beams of steel hung in the air, dangling. It was a four story building and I stood on top. It was about time to leave.

The rest of the way to Booneville was on Moose River Rd. It winds another 20 miles through an old mining town. It was allll downhill.

We got to the Stysh Brown Barn Campground and met another genuine soul. Dan Stysh is letting Josh and I sleep in the barn. And it's not quite a barn, it's filled with an arcade, a bar, television, and video games. Josh is passed out on the couch downstairs and I'm upstairs on the floor. 

I wanna thank you guys who sent me letters and things. Three people especially: My lovely mom, Katie Hinchey and my Aunt Dede. Aunt Dede, the gift card was literally the ultimate gift. Thank you so much! Also, Mama Hinch, thank you for the backup tent. Mine is finally cashed. Couldn't do this without support from back home. 

I'm going to have to start making these shorter. The length is a bit daunting to read, I think.