Princeton – NOT The University

Yesterday photo:

Day 12: 73 miles. 5219 feet elevation. Weather perfect

Gloria and I have been to Princeton University. It was an accident, and I’m not sure if we were actually on the campus. We just knew we were with people that belonged at Princeton. It was when we were touring the Northeast. We went into a nice place for breakfast. As we sat down, we realized that everyone else was dressed appropriately to see the president of the United States. We looked homeless, and instead of grocery carts, we had all our belongings on our bicycles just outside the window. The food was great, but it was definitely an experience with people who aren’t typically our buddies.

We’ve also been to Princeton, the town. We stayed here when we rode across British Columbia using the Great trail. It’s actually a nice little town. One thing I noticed about towns in British Columbia versus the US is that in the evening people seem to go home. The Town quiets down and there isn’t a bunch of people driving around. It’s nice. Stores close making things a little inconvenient but I think it’s great that it’s not operational 24/7 like everything in the usa.

Today, Gumby and I had lunch at this beautiful lake. Thanks to the kind-hearted Canadians, in the RV in the background of the first picture, we had extra water. There wasn’t a spicket in the campground, and my filter is not working, so we were running a little short.. Each day seems to be a new adventure in what is and isn’t working. However, overall, equipment choices have been good and functional.

My family and those of you who know me well will likely not believe that my second goal of engaging in a conversation daily is starting to be comfortable for me. Getting people to smile is easy. You just have to smile at them. Engaging in conversation is starting to get easy. In fact, tonight, the construction workers in the room next to me were standing outside chatting. I bought two pieces of cake and only wanted one so I went out and gave the other piece to them. It was actually fun to chat with them a bit, and they clearly appreciated the gesture. For my service, which is difficult as I’m frequently just alone on dirt roads for hours on end, I decided to take any large rocks that might be hit by cars and move them off the road. I’m not trying to boast, just staying honest about my goals.

Speaking of roads, I am starting to collect photos of weird signs in BC. The one on the left speaks for itself. The one on the right, I think, is showing a road starting puberty and getting acne. I don’t know why it’s important to know that, but apparently the BC government thinks it is. These are the kind of things that occupy my mind as I pedal onward.