Date: 2007-07-16
From: Lake Buel Road, MA

To: Jerusalem Rd,Tyringham, MA
Miles today: 11.9

Breakfast is served at 8 AM at The Turning Point bed and breakfast, where I stayed last night as their only guest. Usually, I've been up for three hours by that time and have covered around four miles. However, a good breakfast, even late, seemed like a better idea than the oatmeal squares that I had in my backpack. Just after 7:30 AM, I packed my backpack and headed downstairs to find out if I could get a head start on my caffeine intake. Sure enough, breakfast was ready. I helped myself to cantaloupe, homemade blueberry scones, coffee, orange juice, and an incredible homemade granola cereal blend. Rachael and Dennis, the proprietors of The Turning Point, offered to give me a ride back to the point on the trail where I detoured the prior afternoon to stay at their establishment.The Turning Point is not listed in Wingfoot's "Handbook" or the ALDHA's "Companion" even though it has been in operation for ten years. I guess they did not see the need to advertise since they are just opposite of the entrance to the Eastern Mountain Retreat Center which accommodates hikers and is a less expensive option.The skies were clear this morning and I'm going to guess that a cold front moved through last night since it was a bit chilly this morning. Or, maybe since I've been moving up in the latitudes, the mornings are getting cooler. Either way, the water drops and dew from last night's rain was cold and soaked through my clothes as I brushed up against many overgrown areas on this segment of the Trail, chilling me even further.I made good time this morning given my late start. My objective for the day was to stop after about twelve miles and then do a big hike the following day, covering about seventeen miles.   In two days, I should be in Dalton, but it's going to be a difficult two days, considering the vertical ascents and descents shown by the wavy lines on the elevation profile map.By 1:15 PM, I covered my planned distance for the day. However, it was still early and the weather was great. I regret not moving on, but I made reservations, yesterday, for a stay at another bed and breakfast tonight. I felt like it would be discourteous to cancel my reservation at the last minute, especially considering the preparations and expectations that the owners would certainly encounter when running a bed and breakfast. By canceling at the last minute, I might have also created a vacancy that could have otherwise been filled so as not to sacrifice the income of the couple who have opened up their home to guests. I made the right decision even if it wasn't the one I ultimately wanted to make.Within a mile of the road intersection where I'd end my day, I met a senior couple visiting the area from Miami, Florida. They were thrilled to talk with me and asked me questions about my hike and the experience of it. Soon enough, we arrived at the trailhead where they parked their car. Without even asking, they generously offered me, a dirty, sweaty hiker a ride into town in their new Mercedes. I took them up on their offer and thanked them for the ride into Tyringham.Tyringham is a very small town. There are no stoplights, no grocery store, no gas station, and the post office (which is across from the Cobble View B 'n' B) shares a small building with a tiny library.   A local man who was working at the town hall said that most people go to the town of Lee, about five miles away, for goods and services.I got a ride into Lee for dinner by a young man who is a volunteer fire fighter. Right away, I knew he had issues. He told me that if he became the governor of Massachusetts, he'd create a law that allows motorists to run over bicyclists. He asked me where I called home and I replied, "Raleigh, North Carolina." The mention of that caused a reaction in him; he immediately hit the inside of his door with his fist, very forcefully. I took that to mean that had a bad experience there. He said that he lived in Durham, Raleigh's neighboring city, for a year and absolutely hated it. We didn't talk any more during the drive back to Tyringham.   I thanked him as he drove off and then I sat down with my takeout dinner from an Italian restaurant and that's all I cared about at the moment. Later in the evening, I was told that I could go grab and eat handfuls of the ripe, red raspberries that were growing right outside in the front yard of the bed and breakfast. Sweet! They were perfectly ripened and much larger than the ones that you'll see in a grocery store.I got to bed early - around 7 PM. I was dog tired. I think that the wear and tear of this hike caught up with me. I was out like a light.