Day 253
Fresh fruit
We had crashed into bed long before Nadene made it home from work, but she was still up before us and had a breakfast of fresh fruit prepared, heaven, as we had struggled to find much up to now. She also gave us some great route advice before she whizzed off on a bike ride. What a fantastic lady.
We had access to good Wi-Fi for the first time since we arrived in the States, so took advantage and caught up with messages from home.
Finally, we tore ourselves away, we had a few miles through some interesting neighbourhoods then it was back on Route 41. This road varies in size, from dual carriageway to a 6-lane highway. Nearly always there is a good bike lane, if not a safe sidewalk to ride on. We never felt unsafe, but we were getting worn down by the endless straight road, traffic noise and no views. We were ready for a change.
Tom spotted a sign for fresh tomatoes so we pulled in and in the hope they had some fruit. We soon had lemons for our water bottles and oranges to eat. We had barely got going when we came upon a farmers’ market. We parked up outside and walked into the barn. The owner greeted us warmly, produced two seats for us so we could rest in the shade and enjoy the breeze. He then gave us cold water and fresh fruit juice to drink, bliss. The fresh produce and homemade preserves were fantastic but we resisted and treated ourselves to more fresh juice and strawberries. We felt so refreshed and hydrated, and vowed never to pass by any farmers’ markets!
It was a relatively short day at 40 miles. We were staying with another Warmshowers host, Pam and her husband Tom. We were greeted with the words, ‘Guess you want a shower? Then a swim in the pool? Beer? Pizza?’ Too right! Another fantastic evening due to Warmshowers. We also got to meet Pam’s sister, Mary and husband Mark and learn a bit about their great family. We so appreciated their kindness to us.
