Day 27. Sept 2 2001

Woke today at noon. Yesterdays rest let us stay awake deep into the night, watching British television and American movies. So we were exhausted this morning. In all honesty I would have preferred spending a day lazing about the house preparing to move on. But we have not come all this way to lie about, so the day was spend sightseeing.

We traveled first to the hill fort atop a local landmark known as the bul barrow.



The sheep flocked here despite hoof and mouth disease and since there was no warning to stay out we felt fairly comfortable around them. It was a beautiful site, drenched in history and a heavy mist. I would have loved to stay longer but we had other things to see today. So we we had a whirlwind tour of the Dorset countryside, with hardly enough time to take it all in.

Finally, on a long plunge down towards Rolls Mills Colin decided that our daytrip was not complete unless we saw the mill in all its glory.

We traveled past the tranquil waters leaving Hayley and baby behind in the land rover and ran into a short balding old man who proceeded to take us on a wonderful tour of the little mill. He delighted in showing us how each machine worked and reciting the history of the place as an antiquarian would recite names and places of ancient battles. He was a descendant of the millers of Sturminster and he loved the history of the place. I delighted to discover that every year the little mill pond flooded, rising eight or nine feet and spilling into the mill. Every year for a thousand years the mills here have flooded and instead of complaining or trying to devise a solution all they have done is take the day off.

Midway through our 45 minute tour Colin remembered wife and baby and ran off. I’m sure he had some explaining to do about what happened to our LITTLE visit to the mill.

It began to mist again as we pulled in from our trip and my mind is now, as it has been since the mist began, atop an ancient fortified village, dancing in the rain.

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Day 24. Sturminster Newton. August 30 2001

Today was almost all pure riding. We got up early, early for us at any rate, and headed towards the town of Sturminster Newton. The going was hard, but no harder that any other day. We stopped at Maiden Bradley for a full meal that gave us enough energy for the ride and at another town, I have forgotten where, to pick up some groceries.

The only other stop was at the town of More where the road continued through in a U shape so that we were headed back the way we had come before we realized we were supposed to turn off.

Once we got here we phoned Colin and Hayley Orman and they invited us to stay at their place. Trouble was we couldn’t find it. Finally, after Heather falling off her bike and hurting her calf and me dropping her bike and hurting my calf we arrived.

Rolls Mills Farmhouse, a thatched cottage that has been much added on to in its two hundred year history, with the city just building up to it now. Scarcely had we pulled in when Colin whisked us away on a whirlwind tour of his house and gadgets, leaping from one project to another with the glee of an imp.

After a brief cleaning up they took us on a whirlwind tour to take his children back to their mother. Over some beautiful roads and past some enormous Iron Age forts we went to a nearby town, so nearby that it would take us a day, maybe two, by bike.

Riding in a car, actually a jeep, was a highly disconcerting experience. Fast, far faster that I feel I can handle anymore and dizzying as things rush by you pell mell. I will be absolutely ruined for society when we finally return. We passed some gypsies as we drove and their slow way of life seems more attractive to me at this stage.

We checked over our email today and I find that I am missing family and friends more than I thought I would.
I am composing a long letter to send back. I hope they find it entertaining. We also took this stop as an opportunity to to phone home. Got through to my dad on the second try.
Tomorrow promises to be busy. I only hope we rest on this rest stop.



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