Manifest Destiny: America from the Bottom Up - Day 8 - Part 3 - North Scituate, RI - Mike Moulton and the Knights of the Stone Table

Now that I was able to really get organized and still have time before getting back on the road again, I paid attention to each detail, making sure things were dry, by packing each section tightly and efficiently as possible. It was on this day that I formulated the same order that I would keep my backpack in for the months to come. The only difference is that the sleeping bag's carry sack was tossed out about a month after leaving Rhode Island.

I was still feeling good and just shaking my head with amazement at how everything had gone that morning. I began to get a characteristically  intuitive feeling that I now accept as genuine: The "delays" and "mistakes" that I make are in fact ways for new opportunities to arrange themselves, essentially enriching the overall experience.

From a side entrance that I had missed seeing, came a motorcycle, suddenly. He pulled right up next to me and turned off his motor. He got off the bike and waved. We talked for a moment about what I was doing, and he introduced himself as Mike Moulton. He had short cropped hair, wore a long sleeve T-shirt and wraparound glasses. He was a character and had me laughing right away.

He listened carefully to my plan for getting into Connecticut through western Rhode Island, and we reflected on Raymond DiCarlo's ideas (please see the last post). Mike and his friends (two of whom were to arrive any second) had been on practically every road in the surrounding states, riding and exploring. He knew many different ways to go, and was trying to figure out the best one for me.

Within a half hour the next guy, Bill Quinlan, showed up. And, shortly after that their third friend John P arrived. This was the meeting place for them. In fact, Mike was the one who told me their name for it: "Crazy Corners." We all introduced ourselves.

Mike took this shot for me...

These three guys stood out from a lot of other people who I've met in that they didn't call me "crazy." I'm sure they probably thought it, but they left me whatever shabby dignity they found me with.

Knights of the Stone Table

Left to Right: Mike Moulton, Bill Quinlan, and John  P. 

We relaxed before their bike tour, then they went to work discussing a route that would be best for me. Several different possible scenarios came up, but the same ideas that Raymond had offered seemed to keep gelling and being tweaked. As we will see in the next post, I would take their advice but somehow missed the Route 14A intersection--probably because it got dark by that point or because I didn't have glasses yet. But all of that was still to come. The basic idea was: Route 102 to 14A to 12 to 32, and South Norwich, Connecticut.

After a while they began to prepare for their own journey and I finished packing for mine. We said our goodbyes, and I felt a genuine appreciation for their help. Just before they left, Bill reached into his saddle bag and brought over a Vitamin Water for me. Now I had plenty to drink!

They were great guys who I could have hung out with anytime. It would be a real treat to come back and look them up; maybe meet again someday at Crazy Corners...




I finished organizing and packing my stuff...

After I was all loaded up, I took this video of the fireplace and Stone Table...

Crazy Corners left as it was found

I was on my way again. Inspired and Transformed, I walked with a new conviction and an even clearer focus. I crossed a bridge and passed through an old section of town with barns and stone walls, and then came the HILL.