July 15-16 in NY

July 15, 2005 | Day 110 | Miles: 0 | Total Miles: 1403.4
End: The Ball residence, Congers, NY
Danielle:
Hot and humid
As I write, we are sitting waiting for 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' to start in the Fishkill movie theatre. Meghan and Chris are picking us up tonight for two nights at the home of The Balls, Chris's parents for a bit more rest, but for now we're stuck without a car in Americana. Amazing how being without a car makes you truly see how dependent we are on our cars. Essentially we are at an exit off I-84, and being without a car just makes us feel like aliens. Plus the fact that Ryan is walking around in his skirt... Not a fashion trend well-known here in NY state... :-)
This is our first real deviation from the "schedule." Pretty good for having come 1400 miles, although I really wish we were back out on the trail. Feels like we're in some sort of warped limbo here, but Ryan really needs the rest so we do what we have to do. I think we're both in better spirits today, but the rest will probably be good for that too. Hopefully we'll return to the trail on Sunday feeling recharged and ready to keep headed north.

Ryan:
three h's
spirits better when we got up this morning...most importantly, the back feels good. but, being trapped in americana...strip malls, dennys, wal-mart, and all the trappings that go along with those. oh yeah, and we almost got run over about 10 times trying to cross the street. basically, we waited for meghan and chris to come pick us up and take us to chris' parents' house, which eventually happened. unfortunately, they had to sit in traffic for a looooonnnngggg time. sorry, guys. highlights of the day: 1. we went to a movie, mr. and mrs. smith...not bad. 2. i bought a $3 t-shirt at wal-mart. it reads "property of my grandkids." hey, i needed to have something presentable to wear to the balls' house. i changed in the movie theater...it reminded me of the scene in "twins" when arnie gets his "born to bad" t-shirt...i'm just a little bigger.

July 16, 2005 | Day 111 | Miles: 0 | Total Miles: 1403.4
End: The Ball residence, Congers, NY
Danielle:
Overcast and hot
Ahhhh...a day of nothing. Chris and Meghan braved the traffic last night to pick us up--thanks again guys!--and brought us down to Chris's parents house, who were nice enough to put us up for a few nights. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Ball! We truly appreciate it. We had a great night's sleep, and have done a bit of internet surfing--mostly catching up on our friend's AT journals online. It is fun to read where people are at, and to hear that others are having a bit of a struggle through these past miles. It's nice to know that it's not just us... Ryan is definitely in much better spirits today, and his back is feeling good too. Thank goodness! I am looking forward to getting back out there. Only a few more days of NY, then 52 miles in CT and we're into MA. New England here we come... It's not too far off... :-) Despite the days we're tired and hurting, we know we're so lucky to have this time to be out here, chasing a dream of ours. Katahdin still looms in the distance, and that is where we're headed.

Ryan:
cloudy, humid
another day of rest, and all the parts are feeling good. best of all, no stress. although it was a bit of a hassle for meghan and chris to pick us up, staying at the ball's house was the perfect solution. feels just like home sweet home. we're getting back on the trail tomorrow, and really looking forward to it. if everything feels good bodywise, i think we'll be good to go...to maine. gotta go...watching the red sox game.