Massachusettes drivers are the worst I have seen so far. Many people call them MassHoles! They regurally drive out of junctions  not looking to their right, as they turn right as they talk into their mobile phone. Often I just go around the back of their vehicle. They are often obvilious of me.
We ran on through Spencer, Brookfield and Warren through the beautiful New England countryside. The fields were snow covered but the busy road was clear. The hard shoulder had only the odd bit of slush as the strong mid-afternoon intense sunshine delighted.
I was accompanied for the best part of 28km/ 18 miles by the lads before we bade farewell in a Donuts and Dumpin cafe.
It was around 2pm and I had most of my planned 50km up for the day.
Tonight I have an invitation with John-Michael a man of many talents. He said he will put me up for two nights which means I don’t have to push Nirvana tomorrow meaning I will have had a six day pushing break except for small amounts.
So after the donut stop John-Michael pulls up on the road to load up Nirvana. He lives in a town called Wilbraham which is not exactly on my route but he has no problem shuttling me to and from my start finish locations.

Heather and John-Michael from Wilbraham.

I ask him to meet me on the road in an hour and a half and have my 51.7km/ 32 miles for the day… Nice one and they talked about a storm!
On the way back to Wilbraham John-Michael tells me about his father that worked for the CIA as an explosives expert.

” How did he ever get that job? ” I asked.
” He was working for an explosives company in a really cold place in Ontario.
” I think it got as cold as minus 50.
” It turns out the CIA wanted to know about cold weather explosive techniques… This was after the war
” And we ended up living all over the world. ”

We get back to John-Michael’s house and his wife is preparing dinner. Heather was born in London but moved to the USA when she was 6 months old. The daughter of diplomats.
” What another spy. John-Michael was telling me about his father a regular James Bond! ” I said.
” Well he may have sounded like him but look like James Bond he didn’t! ” teased Heather.

Heather and John-Michael had a few house guests over for dinner. We had a lovely salmon meal with creamy pasta and spicy beans.
One of the guests, Peter a keen runner in the past and a 2.24 marathoner wanted to come out and run a bit with me tomorrow.
John-Michael took out his guitar and played a few nice songs as we talked away the evening. Writing songs is his passion and he has dozens on Utube. He says he will write one about my world run!

Next morning John-Michael and Peter took it in turns to run short segments with me for the first couple of hours.
I asked John-Michael what his 13 year old son Walker was up to today.

” Oh he is doing extra homework because of his suspension from school! ”
” Suspension? ”
” Yes He smacked a cute chicks butt as she was bending down to take some books out of locker! ”
” Boys will be boys! ” I joked.
” Yes well it turns out the cute chick was his teacher and he got a 3 day suspension! ”
” I see. ”

The boys left. I ran on and on through Springfield and its two shadow towns each side, east and west Springfield.

The traffic was very busy for a Sunday. There was no hard shoulder in many places. I think it would have been a very difficult day pushing Nirvana. Right on cue and with perfect timing John-Michael picks me up as I was running the last few meters of my 50km/ 31 miles.

We returned to his house and Heather has a delicious steak on the grill
I discover that Peter and his wife have donated 100 euro to my charity Aware.
And another couple Tara and Aaron have given me a nice card and $20 for the road. Thanks guys.
Next day as John-Michael drops me off at the previous days finishing point he hands me an envelope and with typical John-Michael humour he has marked on the envelope… ” Not to be opened till Christmas…Or at least this afternoon! ”

Later that evening I open the envelope. I am so overcome by his incredible kind letter and deed that superlatives just fail me. I am so overwhelmed and overcome that it takes me a couple of days to acknoledge a reply, I am so dumbstruck. I will leave it at that… Some things are best kept for the book.

I run on.. It’s a tough day. The toughest since the start. Every kilometer or mile, call them what you like are hard earned. I am in the foothills of the Appalachian mountain range.

Only towards end of day is there any downhill and even then its short lived. I can’t run fast so busy is the traffic and road conditions…It’s not fair.
It was a long day. I stopped only once.I think it was in a cafe/convenience store in Chester. I bought coffee and apple pie. The attendant just left me to it. A rarity, not even a question as to what I was up to. Sometime when this happens – even though I enjoy the break from the ever constant same questions – I just want to tell them!
Instead he asked me the strangest question of the expedition so far.
” Tell me sir do you like cat magazines? ”
He handed me a copy of something like ” Your Lovely Cat Magazine ”

Inside there was a feature on how to have fun with your cat.
I gave it two full seconds of my attention and said.
” Not particularly! ”
” Well we usually have newspapers but we didn’t get them today, sorry. ”

I run on through the beautiful towns of Beckett and past the well kept well to do communities with the interesting name of Sherwood Forest.
A couple of hours later in the dark I am looking for somewhere to stay.
I know I was wasting my time but I approached a show house/office  which was so well lit up that highway 20 west needed no lights for that stretch. Permission refused.

I go down a lane way and ask a young college kid parking his vehicle if I can sleep in his garage.
” You are running around the world! ” He says in an amazed tone.
He looks like he would genuinely get a kick out of a nights storytelling’s from the road from me. Then adds.
” I would like to but its not my place.”
I get the impression he has a chick in there and would have to tell bigger stories to explain!
I run a bit further down the lane. Come to house with a couple of draughty garages. I knock on the door.
Give my usual introduction.
” Sorry to bother you but I am from Ireland and running around the world…. ( I then generally point at the strategically placed Nirvana ) Pushing this buggy… ”
Before I can say my next line.. ” I was wondering if I could sleep in your garage, I got a good sleeping bag, equipment, my own food and a thermos of hot water I just need shelter and nothing else please?”
A man in a vest says….
” Well get on in here and out of the cold! ”
I am delighted as it looks like a cold night is on the way.
I make a tactical error (lesson learned for evermore) I am sure I was about to be offered a cup of tea and then use that opportunity to build up my relationship and make my impression.
So delighted I then rush out my usual line before I am through the doorway.
” What! “ He says.
” We cant have that! I can drive you to the next town if you want? ”
I say I don’t want a ride as I am running around the world. He has not grasped the concept and is more suspicious!
I guess I can understand him but then his wife made the whole experience unnecessarily ugly by shouting after me.
” And don’t you come back sneaking into our barn! ”

So I went back up the lane and turned left at the show house highway lighter and went on for a few more minutes and came to a house that had a second one being constructed on the lot.
I rapped on the door and gave my request.
Another. ” Well come on in from the cold! ” invitation. I did just that with my mouth frozen closed this time!

Doug was sitting at the table looking a bit bemused at me. As his wife Brenda made some hot chocolate. Doug asked me.
” So what are you going to do when the big storm comes through tomorrow? We got a whopper on the way. ”
” I will figure it out as I go. ”
He handed me a magazine. Glad it was not another cat magazine!
” Have a look at my gun magazine… This is my passion… Guns! ”

Something like My Lovely Gun Magazine… How to have fun with your guns!

Spare me!
Then a printout from a website of a guy from Arizona holding what he would love to be holding… I think he called it a Nitra 600 or something like that.
” This must be the biggest handgun in the world… It is homemade and has a barrel 2 feet long! ”
Then I made the mistake of saying.. ” Dirty Harry? ”
“No Harry had a Magnum 45  and the basis of this gun is a modified Rugger……”
Not sure if he was giving me a warning!

Doug brought me to the upstairs of the under construction house. I would have a halogen lamp for heating. Am glad I blew my last attempt earlier as this is a lot warmer than that draughty barn I was warned off!

Once I am in my sleeping bag I am fine… Its the getting out and packing up that’s the killer.

In the morning it took about 40 minutes. Thank God for the halogen lamp but I was still bitterly cold as I packed up the freezing material. These are the coldest days, nights and times of the whole world run. My toughest days and I had to deal with the mountains also.
As I suspected Doug and Brenda had left early. I had kept my 2 water bottles from freezing by keeping them in the sleeping bag with me.During the day I can’t leave them in their holders on the buggy as the rapidly freeze as I got to wrap them in clothes inside the buggy. I also keep my gloves and clothes for the road in my sleeping bag.

Out on the road after a mile I come to a double flyover bridge from the Massachusetts Turnpike Interstate 90. I ran by that last night just before I finished. I think I have become disorientated and am running the wrong way. So I turn around and see they have two sets of these flyovers and I was going the right way all along. Two miles wasted at the start of the day and no credit for this distance.. No worries.. I am living my dream and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

I run for about two hours and arrive in a junction town called Lee. I have breakfast there and continue on towards Lenox which seems to be a scrawl all the way from Lee for me as the road is busy. I have little hard shoulder in places and there were times it was so busy I went up on the sidewalks which have snow and slush which were sometimes cleared but sometimes not till I ran into a big pile. So I had to get back onto the road..Running towards the traffic with my front and rear lights strapped to my 3 hats along with my high-viz top. Then I decided it was safer to run with the traffic at my back as they had more time to react. It seems to me that running on the road has no set in stone rules. Every section has to be respected and safely figured out as one goes.

Either way, slow progress and a slog all day long.

On through another nightmare called Pittsfield. Just out of town I try the Magic Letter technique as described before on a hotel which had an Indian owner. No joy and no discount. I run on and come to a church. Nobody home. Then I see a man removing snow from his driveway. I make my garage accomodation request.

” Sorry but I got small kids you know the way it is? ”

Not really, a blind man can see I am not a threat and I got my expedition domain stamped all over me and easily check able. They got small kids in Newfoundland too I think…. This is the east coast of the USA… No Newfoundland.. I guess people are more suspicious here.

About 20 minutes later just as I reach the start of the town limits for Hancock I look over to the right and see a man and a woman leaving what I thought was a church. It turns out to be a museum for the Shakers sect. Long gone their belief was a celibate life and existence. They don’t have many followers now.

ARRIVING AT THE SHAKERS VILLAGE.

.

I ask for permission to sleep in an out house. Todd brings me over to the museum barn/workshop. I climb up to a loft, roll out my sleeping bag and make myself cozy on some gym mats and insulation material which were  protecting a stack of old windows.

Today everyone has been talking about a huge dumping of snow tonight. I will see what happens in the morning.