Well, after a full night's sleep (Almost 10 hours! Yay!) I'm feeling much better in general and a bit embarassed about my whining about camping. It's really not that bad, and not that big of a deal. It was much warmer last night, and I actually slept pretty well. So I've decided it's really not worth the ridiculous hotel prices in order to get a room tonight. I probably will get one for tomorrow though because i'm still dying for a bed and because I really need to sit in a comfortable place and get some good computer time in so I can plan my next move. I have pretty much no idea where I'm going from here, especially since I'm trying to do it with more hostels and less camping. Now I have to "study" before I go places, rather than just showing up and driving up to a campground. The good news is, I do know I always have camping as a backup plan. Unless it's truely freezing, if I end up stuck somewhere I can deal with a tent for a night.
Today was another crazy day. I seem to be having a lot of those lately. I woke up fairly late, so by the time I got up, dressed, showered, and got my tent taken down it was about 10:00. I went to Brueggers Bagels for a brunch-like meal. That was fun since I haven't seen a Brueggers in ages, but that was where I ate by far the most when I lived in Denver and was just a block or so away. It felt like a little touch of home. Everything was pretty much the same, though my sandwich was slightly better here because they use Vermont local cheese, which is awesome.
Next I did a little drive through town just to figure out where everything is. It's funny, I remember it as being this huge area, but really it is tiny. I drove all the way across it before I'd really realized what happened. I decided it would be best to just park my car and bike around. However, with all the free parking available, I couldn't find any that had enough clearance that I could park my car with my bike on it. All the high clearance places were already full. So I decided to head out of town a little bit so I could park and drive in. I figured that would be good anyway because there was another campground a little closer to town I wanted to check out. Of course I took the wrong road out of town and ended up getting a very nice tour of Vermont farmland before finally finding my way back in. I ended up back in the downtown area without finding parking, but thankfully I found a nice lot that's open on weekends but no one had really noticed because it was empty. It was right by the water...even better!
So I got my bike off the roof and decided I wanted to switch from mountain tires to city tires. It went pretty smoothly, except that my tires were greasier than normal for some reason and turned my hands black as well as my new clean jeans I happened to be wearing. Apparently during the process I also wiped my nose and my forehead because I later discovered black spots in both places. While I was making the switch a guy probably around 18 or 19 years old stopped to ask to borrow my pump. He had a little bmx bike with very flat tires. While he was pumping up his tires he told me way more than I could've ever wanted to know about his bike. (It was actually interesting...he built it mostly out of parts that'd been thrown away...) I asked him if he lived in the area and he told me he goes to UVM (University of Vermont) and that he had to do a lab all day today even though it was Saturday. (Though it involved being out a boat on the lake, so I don't feel too too bad for him). Anyway I asked him what he was studying in school. His response was "ummm the environment and stuff". Judging by what I've seen of UVM and the whole Burlington area thus far, I would guess that umm the environment and stuff is a very popular major. It's just that kind of place!
Once I got my tires on I stopped by this little bike co-op place to pump up my tires the rest of the way (hand pump just doesn't quite cut it), got a map of the bike trails, and went for a ride. I rode along the lake for a few miles, and then went to the pedestrian mall area to do some shopping/wandering/people watching. I found a bunch of very cool stores, including a "glass shop" with some of the most incredible pipes I've ever seen in my life. Apparently they have a few local glass blowers who regularly compete with each other to make the coolest stuff. Some of these things were selling for over $1000! I can't imagine smoking out of one but it'd be cool to have as a display piece!
I bought a few more things....though it's hard to imagine I could still have things to buy with my car as full as it is. But something exciting did happen. I got a new guidebook, because I am about to head out of the New Englad region and in to the Mid Atlantic region. Oooh...progress. I also got a new audio book since i'm not really a big fan of the one i'm listening to now. I've also decided that I'm going to be a product tester. I found a puzzle that I wanted, so I bought one of those puzzle saver things that you can roll up to keep your puzzle while you're working on it. I'm going to see if it actually works and if I can travel with a jigsaw puzzle. How cool would that be?! I'll keep you updated on how it goes. :)
After all that shopping I had of course worked up an appetite, so I went out to dinner at this little pub. I decided to sit outside because outside was a much better atmosphere for being on my own. Unfortunately, nearly everyone sitting outside was smoking, and one guy had a cigar, so it was a bit yucky out there. I guess that's the downside of all the smoke-free indoors stuff. I'd rather have them smoke in the bar, myself. I just about froze as well once the sun started to go down. I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt and hadn't bothered to bring a jacket. It's funny because I ALWAYS have a jacket with me, even when it's 90 degrees out...and yet when I could've really used one I hadn't brought one. So it was an interesting meal, but a really really good burger, which made it all worth it.
I then biked back to my car to get my computer, and biked back to Starbucks which is where I am now. Not my first choice for a hang out place, but at least they have internet and are open late. Speaking of late, I'd better get back out to my campsite....since I have to set everything up again. Of course, had I not taken everything down, I just know I would've found the perfect affordable hotel room once I got to town. I guess putting off the hotel for one more night will make it that much more awesome tomorrow. It's funny just how excited I am to have a room and bed of my very own. Yay.
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I'm glad you had a better night's sleep; that always gives things a better perspective. Still, camping in the fall does seem a rather chancy prospect, as it can be warm one night and cold the next. So I think you were perfectly justified in your concerns about camping. (I'm not going to say "whining", because I don't think you were -- especially since you weren't feeling well.)
ReplyDeleteSorry, I had to laugh at the picture of your face smudged with grease. Somehow, that just makes your job of changing tires seem all that much more serious. (And shows how much I know about such things; I didn't even know you could switch bike tires the way you switch car tires. I thought there are just different kinds of bikes, and that's that.)
I love watching glass blowing; I find the process fascinating, and they do make the coolest things. It's even more amazing when you watch them do it right in front of you. Wouldn't it have been cool if some of those obnoxious smokers you were sitting near had been using one of the pipes you saw?
Starbucks, huh? No, that doesn't sound like your first place choice. Personally, I prefer the atmosphere of Panera. (I like their coffee better, too; Starbucks is WAAAYYY too strong for me!)
I'm glad you're going to find a hotel for tomorrow, too. Sounds like you could use a little respite from the outdoor life for a night.