Lately one would think it’s all about Jeffrey. He’s just the chauffeur. This is about JOEY going to New England. It’s time you saw me here. Look for me below the Welcome to New Hampshire sign. You will recognize me by the orange pole (borrowed from our rig) stuck up my behind.

I forgot to mention yesterday that in Boston, a passing tour bus guide called out on his loudspeaker for the passengers to look at the cyclist who had come from New York. The guide had read the sign we display.

A couple of other guys read the sign today, too. Brian and Wayne pulled up in their truck where Jeffrey was drinking a sugary drink he had bought to power us ahead.

Wayne said he thought some crazy person had decided to stick the sign on the Sprint 26. When Jeffrey explained our trip, that we had left NYC on Saturday, and how Human Rights First finds free lawyers for poor refugees, Wayne told us about some of his projects, including the support of cancer research, helping poor kids, and kindnesses he has done for people who needed a friend. Brian said he’d love to support the ride, but first there’s the small matter of payday.  These are two good guys.  Wayne and Brian wished us a safe journey and said they will tell their friends to look us up on the Web.

Back in Massachusetts, we had a long talk with Annie and Eddie. They are from Queens, NY. Annie worked in the magazine business until she was laid off. Eddie is a retired electrician for the NYC subway system. Bambi dozed on Eddie’s lap.

Eddie, a thoughtful man whose grandfather immigrated from Russia, has many concerns about immigrants and refugees.  He said we should be very restrictive, citing common misconceptions about immigrants’ effect on the economy (they help it), crime (Americans are more likely to be criminals), and culture (most immigrants become American in outlook, and their children even moreso).  Jeffrey sees the logic in Eddie’s views, even as Jeffrey disagrees with many of them.  They parted friends, each better understanding where the other is coming from.

Today’s route had bad stretches, but many good stretches too.  The sun was broiling hot, but the air in the shade was delicious.  Being a puppet, my nose is useless, but Jeffrey enjoyed the piney woods.  When we stopped to rest, he heard one of his favorite sounds: the hiss of the wind in broadleaf trees.

As we approached New Hampshire – our 4th of the 6 New England states – we saw this water tank and smelled the sea!  The breeze cooled and freshened and became . . . a tailwind!

At the state line, we went toward the beach for a look.  The sea at the left of this photo is in New Hampshire, at the right is in Massachusetts.  The boardwalk is in Massachusetts.

Here are seaside views from this afternoon.

We moved away from the coast and headed for Portsmouth.

In Portsmouth, where we spent the night, we met Skip, Nick, and Sondra.  Skip did graduate work in history at the University of Michigan and is a kindred spirit, concerned about how refugees and others are mistreated even as he worries about the effects of mass migrations and population growth.  Nick was fascinated by our Sprint 26 and interested in human rights issues, as is Sondra.  We regard all three, and the people we pictured above, as new friends.