Day 107- Swamp

It was so cold. I wanted to get a move on because I thought I might be visible from the nearby house's driveway, but the cold kept me inside. Plus, I knew I was pretty much golden by now: I only need to average 60 miles a day. Finally I got up and got on the road just before 9. It didn't take long before I was in Connecticut. I got into a big town and checked around for postcards- no luck. No worries, I have plenty of state to go through. I spent a long time on sidewalks. I was so close to the water that there were never any breaks between the cities. This ride had views that reminded me the most of home. I could see land across the water. I got into a small town and checked a pharmacy. They had the usual greeting cards, but I didn't see any postcards among them. I almost left but I figured I should ask. Just before I was going to, I spotted the postcard rack at the front counter. Lucky me! I told the owner about my trip. He charged me a dollar, but then gave me a free water. He came out to check out my bike, and then offered me some snacks for the road. I'm so happy to know that there are such kind folks out there. Oh yeah, and there was a parrot outside. I hope the cold doesn't bother him too much. Finally I got to a point where I couldn't see the land across the water anymore and I assumed I must be seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It felt pretty great to have another milestone marked off. I found out later that it was still part of the inlet. Apparently a lot of the land on the other side can't be seen from this side. Meh. Some other day, probably soon. I was nervous about finding camp, but I had my eye on a spot that had a trail going through it. I passed by some woods on the way and was about to call it quits for the day when I heard people talking. I stood there for a while. Finally I heard them again and saw them. They must have been hunting or exploring or something. I could have waited, but if they were in the woods, who else could be? I kept going, and quickly found the next park of the journey was a trail. When I passed by the narrow path between cement blocks that prevent motor vehicles from getting onto the trail, something caught on my water and it started spilling. Some people walked by and then back the other way. Great, I'd have to pass them again. I had to put the water bag in my basket so that the pressure of my bag wouldn't keep making it leak. There were some neat bridges I got to cross but I couldn't really appreciate the views because I was stressed about my water and stressed about needing to find camp. I found some potential spots, but with people on this trail, it would be too risky to set up my tent here. Finally I got back on a road and headed to the trail in the woods that I had spotted earlier on Google. The road turned into a one lane and the one lane turned into a dirt path. Nothing was blocking the path from motorists, so it was different from the ones I was used to. It didn't take long before the trail really wasn't there anymore. I tried following Google, but I was kinda freaking out a bit by now. I wanted to continue on to be closer to the train tracks and ideally further away from houses, but if there was no trail, then I was possibly just some guy messing around in someone's backyard. So I decided to just try to head away from the houses. I set up my tent among some small trees in the hopes that I would be more hidden, but I found out I was pretty much right next to a different trail. Oh well, it's too late now. I climbed inside, nervous as ever. I pretty much just laid there and listened, hoping no one was hunting tonight.