This morning in my haste to cross the Connecticut River I brought the group across the wrong Brattleboro bridge and we decided to follow through the longer but flatter scenic route to Keene. We went off road following the rail trail along the Ashuelot River and past the well known covered bridges of Western NH. The rail trail was slow going but in trade it is flat and shady.
After setting up camp in Keene and grabbing some dinner we headed up the climb from Keene to Nelson that has become Tour de Dance legend. The Nelson road keeps getting steeper until you pop out in the town center just when you were considering giving up. As a small neighborhood dog roaming the grass greeted me I remembered the magic of the Nelson square. It is all the more believable in the exhausted state you are sure to arrive.
The dancers here always bring an unquenchable carefree enthusiasm and tonight was no different. We were very appreciative that many here were also enthusiastic about our trip and we enjoyed telling people what we are up to. From here we will retrace the steps of the latter half of the 2011 Tour back to Falcon Ridge.
