Knot the Knee (again!)

I had a welcoming committee outside my door this morning (above) at the Stone Arches Bed and Breakfast this morning.

And the breakfast Paul cooks up is memorable. When the eggs are “still warm out of the chicken” fresh — they are memorable. First and second courses. Scones and bread cooked from scratch every morning, good stuff! Mansfield, CT.

The Stone Arches was built in 1694, so it’s seen a bicyclist or two — and a ton of parents of University of Connecticut students. The University is just down the road in Mansfield-Storrs, CT. 

Bette and Paul are great hosts, have 43 chickens and 5 roosters (so be prepared for the 4:15 am wake up calls) and keep the grounds looking fantastic. Mansfield, CT.

Rolling today I know it’ll be a slow, longish-feeling, slog as my energy is wonky and my right knee is very cranky. And the 3,000+ feet of elevation change won’t help, but at least the riding is through some beautiful back country roads that are lightly traveled by cars. I love “taking the lane.” Near Chaplin, CT.

Entering Eastford, CT.

Eastford, CT town green.

Later traversing Swedentown Road through the Nightingale Forest, a memorable 2.5 miles of raucous downhill gravel riding, near West Woodstock, CT.

A break in the elevation change and a view of Connecticut farmland in the Fabyan section of Thompson, CT.

A surprise (to me) farm stand en route to Worcester — the family owned farm and The Kitchen at New Boston Beef in Thompson, CT. 

They raise all grass-fed and hormone/antibiotic free cattle on the farm and sell the meat at the store, which also features some prepared foods and baked goods from the Wandering Whisk. Enough to cobble together a good lunch. Thompson, CT.

Just a bit later in Thompson / Quinebaug, CT, while crossing an inconspicuous intersection, I recognized this unremarkable convenience store. But it was remarkable to me …

… I hadn’t planned to pass through here today, but it was on my route. And it hit me — I’ve been here before! I’m done. Finished! 

I’ve now pieced together the ECG / AC routes from Key West, FL to Calais, ME at the Canadian border. I thought it would come at Putnam, CT, but I re-rerouted myself for a more direct route to Worcester, MA. And I hit this place unplanned! I thought I missed the opportunity by skirting north of Woodstock and Putnam, CT, but last year during an historic Nor’easter four of us cyclists congregated here at the Quick Mart for hot coffee and to sort out mechanical issues at 8am. 

And here I am again — I’ve stitched the gap closed! And I’m done covering the ground from the southernmost point in the US to the Canadian border in Maine — over 2,600 miles (alternate routes used, too — the Outer Banks, the Delmarva, and NJ’s Cape May to Highpoint route. 

A celebration of one ensued. This is why it was important for me to “ride my ride” when the Spinners fragmented — with a balky knee I had to make a beeline for these parts in Connecticut and somehow close the gap between Stafford Springs, CT and Putnam, CT and finish the ECG / AC route. Little did I intend for it to be here — but I’ll take it. Yay!

But I wasn’t done bicycling, I still had to get to Worcester and then take a day off (or two for the knee) and consider the alternatives for going to Lubec, ME.

But I’m done here with this endeavor— in this most inauspicious of places.

And soon from Quinebaug, within 10 minutes I was in my home state: Massachusetts.

The route cut through the center of the Nichols College campus in Dudley, MA. And it was gettting warm it was 81 degrees by the time I arrived in Dudley.

A field of Lupins in Auburn, MA.

Finally Worcester! And my right knee is screaming: Stop already! The highest elevation change on this trip at 3,135 feet — not major or terribly notable elevation change, but don’t tell that to my right knee.

My car rental place is right across the street from Polar Park, where the Worcester Red Sox (AAA farm team) plays its home games. Worcester, MA.

Oh, yes! Says my right knee — time to get home to Boston! 

The bike and panniers swallowed up by this SUV and ready to hit the road , approximately 45 miles to Boston. Worcester, MA.

At home it’s time to take a closer look at that ugly right knee (left of frame) — it’s looking like a volleyball or the head protuberance of a beluga whale. Jamaica Plain, MA.

No matter the angle — it doesn’t look normal . But I know how to treat it to get back on the bike in a couple of days:

1. Lots of icing
2. Anti-inflammatories
3. Stay off it as much as possible

And when I get back on the bike on Saturday:

1. Cap mileages around 50 miles at first, then limit to 70 miles at most on low elevation days.
2. On higher elevation days keep mileage around 40-45 miles.

This seems to work for me, when I follow it. Had I avoided blowing out my knee playing football in college … oh, well … I get by.

Day 27:
Start: Mansfield, CT
Finish: Worcester, MA
Miles: 47.9

May 1 — May 27, 2026
Georgetown, SC — Worcester, MA
1,054.75 miles

The knee is already looking better after the first treatment, it’ll look almost normal in a couple of days. Then I’ll be back out.

What I’m Reading:

At dawn she gives birth to a gentle mist
flowers bow with wet sustenance  
                    luminescence all around

— Laura Tohe / “Female Rain”