Airport Wanderings

I'm at the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire, awaiting my flight home which leaves in 3.5 hours. I've been at the airport for 4 hours already. Wandering. Reading. Staring at nothing in particular. It's a pretty small airport. Some of the employees look at me like, "You're STILL here?" Yup. So, while I wait, I figure I can spend some time wandering through my thoughts.

Yesterday, Rachel and I completed a 50-mile ride in Vermont. It was smooth, beautiful asphalt the whole way. We made great time! And the hills were more moderate than in New Hampshire the day before. We rode along the coasts of a few of the islands in Lake Champlain. Fancy. Vermont is forested and rolling. There were a couple signs along the highway warning us of moose and bears nearby. We suspected they were only there to add rugged charm ;) 

Vermont, like New Hampshire, was experiencing unseasonably hot and humid weather this week. We were riding alright, though, until a cold front turned all that warm atmospheric water into a severe thunderstorm. I kid you not, it went from sunny and hot to cloudy and sprinkles in 10 minutes. Then it went from cloudy and sprinkles to torrential downpour and wind threatening to blow us off the road in 60 seconds. We were kinda in the middle of nowhere, but there was a house nearby. I was desperate enough to knock on their front door. When the owner answered, he handed me a big, soft, warm towel before even saying hello. He let us take refuge on his porch. The rain and lightning were insane. Wind all fierce. The worst was over in 30 minutes. Whew. 

Soaked to the skin, teeth chattering, we rode the last 7 miles to the car and sloshed our soggy selves down. All of our dry clothes were safe at the hotel about 2 hours' drive away. Ugh. 

But, you can't skip out on Ben and Jerry's when their factory tour is literally on the way back to said hotel. 

Yes, we stopped.

Yes, it was still kinda raining. 

Yes, we ate ice cream...

...in our soaking wet and still freezing cold bike gear (our rainbow tie-dye jerseys even matched!)...

...outside ('cuz indoor A/C was way too cold)...

...and took pictures.

I tried their non-dairy strawberry whipped cream flavor. Almond base, real berry chunks. Tasty. 

Back at the hotel, we finally got clean and warm. 

It was a good couple of rides this week. 

In other news, there's a groundhog in our backyard. It's not clear yet exactly where it lives, but it's obviously focused on gaining weight for a winter hibernation. And doing a good job. 

My neighbor called me about it today, asking if it's gotten into my garden yet. My garden fence is not built to support a 15-pound groundhog assault. We're okay for now, but...yeah.

Alright, I've been sitting long enough. Time to walk the terminal again :)