We've stopped very early today as I have a few unfinished work projects that need to be completed. My biggest clients have all placed an incredible amount of trust in me that I will keep their software running from abroad and for this I am very thankful. The next few days will be full of computer programming and videoconferencing.

We had a heck of a time finding a campsite last night so we decided to take it easy this morning. Instead of rushing to the road we had our first camping breakfast and it was delicious; scrambled eggs and popovers in our oven with honey butter. Yum!

A few miles into our ride we stopped to wander around the beach before heading inland. There were beautiful shells everywhere and we picked several to send to Tara's grandfather.

Just a bit down the road from the beach there were some clouds in the sky that looked very much like a watercolor I did several months ago. We stopped (again!) to snap some photos. Tara had a clever idea; here is a picture of me coloring in the sky:

…And just a bit down the road from THAT I ran into some bicycle troubles. Every few pedal strokes (depending on the gear) there was a very noticable crunch/chunk/click so I pulled over to investigate while Tara snapped photos of the gorgeous scenery. My chain seemed like the most likely culprit since it wasn't happening at the same place in each pedal stroke. I pulled it off and inspected each link. Sure enough I found one that had some pretty nasty grit in it. After I finished cleaning and reassmebling everything it was back to normal. Phew.

So far I have one complaint and it is very minor. It is impossible to keep my hands clean!

Tara and I both chuckled and commented on how any other bicycle tourers would probably hate to ride with us since we stop all the time. We like it though. We're not here to put down miles, we're here to soak it all in. That means going slowly (nice branding huh?).

We rolled into Warkworth very early and it was full of over-dressed Eastergoers. We are now staying in what I would call a fancy hotel, the Warkworth House. I feel very out of place here and I find myself wishing we were hitting the road again tomorrow.

Tara is making sandwiches with a bowie knife about two feet away from me and we're going to cook with our Whisperlite on the sly later. We definitely don't belong in this hotel!

It sure is nice to have all of our needs taken care of! Dial 0 to have milk brought up! There is a garbage can in the room so we don't have to collect it and find public trash cans to put it in. We have a shower! Water that comes in glass bottles! All the tea I can drink, and a contraption that actually heats water without a flame!
Tara

I guess it will be nice to have a few days to reflect upon what we're doing and maybe to write a bit about it as well. In any case, I'd better get to work!