Rhode Island---"Amen. And amen. And amen. You have to forgive me. I'm not familiar with the local custom. Where I come from, you always say "amen" after you hear a prayer. Because that's what you just heard - a prayer. Where I come from, that particular prayer is called "The Prayer for the Dead.". You just heard The Prayer for the Dead, my fellow stockholders, and you didn't say, "amen". This company is dead. I didn't kill it. Don't blame me. It was dead when I got here. It's too late for prayers. For even if the prayers were answered, and a miracle occurred, and the yen did this, and the dollar did that, and the infrastructure did the other thing, we would still be dead. You know why? Fiber optics. New technologies. Obsolescence. We 're dead alright. We're just not broke."

I have never been big on oatmeal. I must have OD'd on it when I was a kid, because I seldom made it for my own children. So...when Pete asked if we would like some oatmeal for breakfast, I said, "That would be great!" but I didn't really mean it. Except...it was GREAT oatmeal. Steel cut oats with maple syrup, raisins, and walnuts. I feel bad that I have missed out on it all these years. Thanks so much Pete...for being a great cook and opening my eyes to the wonder of oatmeal. Paula and Pete were great hosts...so congenial...so kind.












Today we had an extra rider. A gal from Rhode Island contacted me some time ago to ask me if there was anything we needed. So sweet. She called nine bike shops in the Providence area and found a shop that had a rear drive side flat bladed Shimano WH 7001 spoke and nipple. Yes...it's THAT specific. Becky also asked if she might ride with us for awhile when we rode today. We worked it out and she rode the first 20 miles with Karen and me. Originally from Ohio, she makes her home in Rhode Island where she teaches high school English. She has done several rides with Woman Tours and will be headed to Lake Ontario for a ride in July. Thanks for your help, Becky...fingers crossed to get that wheel fixed, and thumbs up on your ride this summer.












We rode a loop in Rhode Island to get my century. We went through Arcadia State Park and it was beautiful, but often the uneven, decaying road surface kept us from enjoying it. We also ended up on two gravel roads. Ten Rod Road and Hazard Road near Arcadia State Park offered 7 miles of sandy, gravel roads. It was so remote I thought Laura might commit mutiny. Because...we also had 4775' of elevation gain. At the very least we should have been leaving bread crumbs. I ended up with 100.1 miles and an average of 12.8.












While Laura and I were having all of that fun in the gravel, Karen had driven to Warwick with my wheel. Though I hadn't ridden on it, the shop wanted to retension and true it. That was what the shop in Maryland had done...so...Karen bought the proper spoke and nipple and had them redo the truing. Sigh. I'll be glad to get the wheel back to my mechanic. Anyhow...kudos to Karen...she pulled up behind Laura and me just as our water bottles were empty. She had chicken wraps in one hand and a bag of dried tart cherries in the other. Laura calls her the Cavalry.
It was well after 2 and I still had 20 miles to ride. How did that happen? The day felt long...and hard. We had less than an hour to drive to our overnight stay with Denis and Jane Laforce in Sutton, Massachusetts. Denis and Jane live on over 40 acres, raising goats, chickens, and even a few cats. Denis is leaving first thing tomorrow to complete his own cross country tour...starting in Anacortes and finishing in Minneapolis. Thanks so much, Denis and Jane, for hosting us.


maybe you can't...because you won't...