The Toads Are On The Road Again - Day 4

Ah, the luxury of not having to do anything or be anywhere. Day 4 dawned, sunny and warm and all we needed to do was set the lawn chairs up and watch the world go by. We had promised ourselves a run into London but that could wait; first there was some lounging about to be enjoyed. 


We were now hemmed in by some big trailers on this KOA campground, making Towed Haul look miniature by comparison. Next to us is a six wheeled monster, known here as a Fifth Wheeler because they connect up to the back of a pickup truck just like an articulated lorry. If I could load photos through this lovely KOA WiFi I'd show you, but I can't so I won't. Anyway, it's a beast with its slide outs and whatnot. It isn't silver, though, and doesn't have the name Airstream on it so it's not a proper travel trailer.


Eventually we decided to mooch into London, look for some lunch and then ride our bikes through one of the many riverside parks there. Downtown London isn't the most affluent of places; it's a bit like Swindon, having relied on the railway for its prosperity, only where the decline has set in, a lot of buildings have been torn down so now it's a sort of semi-Swindon with the backs and sides of buildings exposed and quite a lot of impromptu parking lots. It wasn't very attractive and, given that it was Saturday lunchtime, there were precious few people about. Anyway, we rambled up Richmond street, admired the lovely old Post Office (thankfully not torn down) and rambled back down again, finding our way into the Covent Garden Market and Sebastian's for lunch. Veggie samosas for Mrs T and an egg sarnie for me; slurp on both counts I think. 


Then it was off to Springbank Park and the scenic river trail along the banks of the Thames. It took me a while to extract the bikes from the back of the Toadmobile and then make a ton of adjustments to get seats and handlebars correct, and to put the chains back on after they had mysteriously come off both bikes. Setting off for the trail, we managed to go in completely the wrong direction and ran out of pathway very quickly. However, a quick run across some grass and down a steep hill (you never want to go down hill at the start of your ride, really) and there we were, on an asphalt road by the river in a broad but wooded valley, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was nice to note that there were a lot more geese on the trail than people and we cycled for a kilometer or so before the heat and Mrs T's saddle forced a halt to our expedition. Yes, it was very warm and yes, the saddle on Mrs T's bike was falling apart, so we gave up the unequal struggle and headed back to the car. It was really very nice down there, even if the river was very stinky in places; I think this is a place where the bikes will be pressed into service again, although I may do the maintenance before we leave home next time.


And that, dear reader, is about the sum of the day's activities. We did stop on the way back to the campground to buy a couple of DVDs for later viewing and the least said about the fist full of chocolate that accompanied the DVDs the better! I did get the awning out, strung it with lights, then put it all away again after a couple of hours as the weather was threatening again. Sure enough, the rain that has followed us all over North America this season turned up at around midnight, with the usual thunder and lightning. My hectic day had, however, rendered me near comatose halfway through the second DVD so when I did go to bed I heard nothing of the storm, and a good job, too.

Tomorrow we head home, although Monday is a bank holiday so we have a day to recuperate from our exertions because, as you know, glamping is very hard work indeed. I shall leave the awning stowed away so that it won't rain, 'cos I'm clever like that.