Today was once again uphill.
We left Schenectady after it rained yesterday. The timing of some of our rest days has been rather fortuitous. So it was back to the Empire State Trail. I saw they were also setting up for a Sunday farmers market so that was fun.
Eventually though all trails must end and that was at the connection of the Erie Canal and another one of New York State's great rivers, the Hudson. From end to end its quite apparent how this canal changed not only New York but opened doors for the nation at large.
Leaving the canal also means the end of the flat lands. Comparatively its been relatively flat since at least Wisconsin. Well we were quickly reminded that New York is not flat. This ended up being our biggest climbing day with 4,700 feet!
Soon after the Hudson River the roads changed color and that's all we got to indicate the state line. We'll that was until about 1/4 mile later when we were greeted with a classic covered bridge. Alex said that's about as Vermont as it gets.
Hello Vermont! Our penultimate state.
Vermont was really pretty riding. We had lovely gravel that wound through tunnels of green and rural pavement was smooth and flowing. Well flowing except for a couple monster climbs. Upwards of a mile long and approaching a 20% grade at times it was hard peddling. I made it up the first one but ended up hikeabiking the second climb at its steepest sections.
We had a rest break at this really neat rural ice cream shop. Hand churn and a wide variety of flavors. Alex even got his favorite, coffee oreo. After a bunch of warm climbing it was most welcome.
We then continued to North Bennington for supper at Kevin's. A good plate of nachos was about perfect. Alex and I then left to find some Gatorade for the next day. The gas station was closed and the general/grocery store wasn't much help either. BUT they did have a unicorn beer that Alex has been on the hunt for for several years. Super popular with a super small distribution. Some may argue that Heady Topper is the top rated IPA in the world! It's lore goes that people would try to sneak it out to resell with one person even getting arrested! It goes for upwards of $20 bucks a can on a licensed reseller so to find it in person was pretty incredible (and much cheaper) I feel Alex darn near stuttered when he shared his excitement.
I had to try it too and well it was pretty darn awesome and I can see where the hype comes from. After finishing our drinks it was another 8 or so miles to Lake Shaftsbury State Park. This included a section on what Vermont calls a Class 6 road. This is a no maintenance ever travel at your own risk kinda road. Alex said some of these could be hundreds of years old and somehow still hold on due to the occasional off road adventures that pass.
We rolled in to the park and ended missing the turn to the campground. This gave us a chance to talk to the friendly ranger who pointed us in the right direction and made sure we had proper vehicle passes. Yes vehicle passes for our bikes. Ha! We stayed in this collection of lean-to structures. Mosquitos were pretty heavy so the tent was still a good choice. A previous group didn't use all their firewood so it was really nice to have a fire. I was even able to watch from inside my tent. Safely away from the little buggers.
I felt really good today. Was glad for the "training" miles getting across the continent. Otherwise I feel my opinions and ability to do the climbs would have been much different. The end is nearing and it's finally starting to set in that I've almost accomplished something I wouldn't have even thought I could dream of just 5 years ago.
'til next time
-Matt
Miles Ridden Today: 66.13
Feet Climbed Today: 4,695
Comentários