may 16
day 7
26 miles
180 total.
not long after leaving palmer
I came into the outskirts of springfield…
a much bigger city than I expected.
once again,
the lack of a route map
and my homicidal magic phone
combined to lead me on a merry chase around the country side.
the extra miles were painful,
but I got a great tour of downtown springfield
(that a more sensible route would have missed)
visited some memorable neighborhoods
with gangsters scowling,
weed smokers giggling,
and my fellow vagrants hauling all their worldly possessions on their backs.
I fit right in
and the well heeled springfielders that I saw on main street
avoided making eye contact.
the bridge I crossed the connecticutt on was vintage,
and even the unexpected tour of west springfield, agwam, and then west springfield again
with the post-apocalyptic look of abandoned factories
mixed with classic neighborhoods
and one marvelous waterfall among my many river crossings
was worth remembering….
it just cost me the chance to get in early and catch up on my rest.
luckily I noticed a busy highway a block away
just as my sadistic phone was about to send me off on another useless loop.
I bet that it was 20,
and it was.
the timing was perfect,
as a reconstructive surgeon named pranay parikh showed up looking for me at exactly that time
introduced himself
and kept me good company for a number of miles
until we came to a last stretch of shoulderless road with rush hour traffic heading home.
he went to do school pickup,
while I dodged death for a last couple of hours.
at the end,
as I came into westfield,
I could see tomorrow’s destiny ahead.
the looming shadows of the Berkshires lurking beyond westfield
seemed to be licking their chops in anticipation.
that sight kept my mind off the fact I was finishing in the rain again.
I had noticed the dark clouds rolling in earlier,
and consulted my magic phone for the latest weather forecast:
0% chance of rain…..
so I put on my raincoat,
and the drops started falling at the same exact time.
my phone is at once indispensable
and untrustworthy.
lots more to tell,
but I must sleep.
tomorrow is another 32 mile day
at least I have joe kowalski to guide me, instead of that dam phone,
so maybe it will only be 32 miles this time.
laz