I woke up with condensation issues in my tent from the overnight, and was packed and on the road by 9:30am. I had a lot of ground to travel and no good camping options, or motels, on the horizon. The good news is that the day was filled with beautiful landscapes and some actual “official” trails…in addition to the road. The Clipper City Rail Trail through Newburyport was filled with amazing sculptures and gardens exploding with summer flowers. The port itself was also presented Rockwell-worthy vistas.
As the day wore on however I began to consider the reality that I was going to be outside again after a horrible experience at the last motel two days earlier, and the wet night I had just had, the prospect of another night outside, without a shower, was not too exciting. It was right about then that Laurie called me to say that Marise Stewart had just posted a note to Facebook that from what she could tell is was in or around the Topfield area….which is where she and her family live, and that I was welcome to stay with them if I was indeed in the area.
I stopped dead in my tracks, and after a quick couple phone calls and a GPS search I realized that I was actually only about a mile and a half from her house! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!
So after 30 years (or so) I got to catch up with Marise, and meet her wonderful family….and I had a place to stay, a meal, AND a shower
Positive energy restored 🙂