slept well at lock 9, but as I should have realized, the air was super, super damp by the man made falls going through the flood gate.
thankfully i was warm, but i'll need to dry my stuff out after i get to glenmont.
bacon bagel eggwich, banana, oj
got all packed up by 7a.m. 1st time , i did all the dressing in the tent. worked well. i've also gotten more used to the thermarest pad. it's warm and 3 inches thick. definitely don't regret the purchase.
i did forget to bring my eyemask thing. i remember looking for it, so i didn't really forget, but decided it wasn't worth the search at home. i'll find it or order another off amazon. often at the locks, or the marina camping they have security lights on, so it's well lit all night long.
because we all know the homeless are actually part vampire and can't stand the light... or whatever.
speaking of i forgot to mention when i was going through Utica yesterday. A homeless guy, around 30 y.o., stopped me and just asked that i not bother his tent and "car" . I said no problem. he was coming back and was moving.
didn't bike too far, and he wa setup under a bridge in a 3 person tent, and it wasn't car i head, but cart...as in grocery cart.
i probably committed a faux pax. i called out to make sure no one was in the tent, heard nothign. so i opened it enough to put two 5's and a wrapped pumpkin cake thing i'd bought at dunkins in Rome.
hopefully he was happily surprised and didn't freak that i put it in his tent. i just didn't want it stolen.
and yeah, there was a whole little tray of drug stuff inside.
tough love doesn't work with these people.
#1 with need medicated withdrawal centers.
#2 rehab
#3 a society that gives them something they enjoy more than the drugs. offering a lifetime of drudge labor is not a solution. Rob Reiner talked about that at length regarding his son's addiction recovery. it wasn't until his son discovered his true love for writing did he have the motivation to get and stay clean. before that, he'd gone to dozens of rehabs and nothing worked.
anyway. time to finish my brekkie and get moving. was waiting for the Sun to make an appearance and it finally has.