“Powerful winds swept New England on Saturday,” said the New York Times this morning. Yesterday’s ride confirmed that for me.

Today’s forecast for wind is less severe. But I’m expecting climbs to increase by one-third.  I’ll take climbing over fighting the wind any day!

My legs continue to ache but I am rested after a peaceful night at the historic Belvidere Hotel.

My eyes are a bit irritated by pollen and other dust propelled by the wind. Goggles don’t offer total protection. But I can see clearly.

Sore muscles and irritated eyes should improve when I take a rest day soon.

As I headed out, I noticed that trees weren’t swaying wildly in the wind. I began climbing almost immediately. The first ten miles took almost 2 hours. Some climbs approached six percent grade.

I stopped frequently to let my heart rate settle, which occurred rapidly.

During one stop, a large deer across the road froze and stared at me for 30 seconds. I froze too.  After the long pause, the deer emitted a very loud and high pitched hiss, rapidly repeating the alert as it dashed into the forest.

Shortly after, I heard a very loud sonic boom in the distance. I couldn’t figure out the source. I thought about recent episodes of meteors penetrating earth’s atmosphere.

I love the serenity of Sunday rides.  Few cars allow me to focus in on the sounds of the forest: wind rustling through the trees, the rushing stream water, the rustle of creatures in the brush, birds chirping and singing , and squirrels chattering.

I’ve developed an occasional cough during climbing.  I asked AI to tell me about cyclist’s cough. I was astonished to learn that there is such a thing often related to exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Now I know!

I stopped at Ace Hardware for water and ran into a Marine veteran named Jerry. He asked for information about my fundraiser. The Marines have a special kinship with the Coast Guard!

Halfway through my ride, I encountered this:

I didn’t have cell service so I couldn’t determine the best alternate route. I followed the detour sign but that route appeared to involve a lot more climbing and considerable additional distance.

Fortunately I ran into a cyclist named Doug on the side of the road. He said that he ignores the road closed sign and lifts his bike over the barriers further down the road.

I doubled back and encountered said barrier. There was a gentleman named Doyle in his car parked in front of the barrier.  He confirmed what Doug told me and added that the barriers have been there for a couple of years. Wow!

The barrier is about five feet high.  I removed my panniers and began lifting the bike onto the top of this monstrosity. At about that time, Doug showed up to lend a hand. We repeated the process over the opposite barrier.

Doug saved the day for me.

Withabout 10 miles to go, I ran into another road closure. It looked like a paving project so I decided to risk it. The risk paid off.

As I approached my destination, there were more hometown hero banners:

Salute to Steven Rizzo for his service in the Long Blue Line.

Tally for the day: 51 miles, 4200 feet of climbing.