Day 9: Goodbye Massechusetts (June 3rd)

Got up early & was on the road by 7am today. It was a beautiful cool morning. I took the road South to Canaan & Connecticut. 90mins later I reached Canaan which was the fastest stretch so far so I was in good spirits. 2hrs & 2 towns later I was leaving Connecticut for New York State so I really felt I was motoring!!. At 11am I phoned home outside a Macdonalds ( I didn't go in!!) but no reply. I was disappointed as access to the internet has been so limited so far, plenty of WiFi but no consoles. So I wanted to let Mum & Dad know I was ok. I left a message & kept going.
Today the countryside began to open up for the first time. Some fields appeared, ploughed fields & pastureland made a change from trees. But also the headwinds were more noticeable without the shelter of forest. I targeted a town called Amenia for a lunch break. I passed a diner & outside it were two bikes with panniers. I decided not to stop & kept going a few more miles. I stopped about 2 miles before Amenia at a country market & took 50mins break. While I was eating the two cyclists passed by.
After lunch my legs felt stiff & heavy. After Amenia I hit a big climb & had to walk, but got best views of the trip so far with wooded valleys stretching off in to the distance. At the top got back on the bike but struggled for energy. Hit a hamlet called mabbetsville & got a Gatorade drink & was told it was 15 mile to Poughkeepsie, my target. It felt a long way, away. 25 mins later I was parched & stopped at a petrol station in Marybrook for another Gatorade & an energy bar. The guy there said it was only 8 miles to Poughkeepsie. I was delighted, the morale went up, I got a good rhythm on the bike & suddenly I felt I had energy & felt I flew those last miles to Poughkkepsie. I got held up a bit around Poughkeepsie getting directions but found cheap accomodation around 5-6 miles North of the town. Was really happy though felt I passed into a new phase today. 3 States and a strong finish was good. The forecast was bad for tomorrow so decided to celebrate with a lie in to let the rain pass.