42.09 Miles (70 km) for the day. I hit a maximum speed of 41.14 going down one of the many Vermont hills. Vermont is one tough state to traverse, either on foot or by bicycle. If you’re not going up, you’re going down.
The first ten miles (16 km) out of Bennington, VT were uphill. A little over two hours after starting I was ready to call it a day! I was exhausted and it wasn’t even lunchtime. My legs were turning into rubber, I felt like I was a human Gummy Bear.
At one point I passed the road crossing for the Appalachian Trail (AT) and Vermont Long Trail (VLT). The trails come down a steep mountain slope on one side and go right back up another steep slope on the other side. I recall how relieved Jane and I were to arrive there when we hiked the VLT. We hitched a ride into town and spent our first night off of the trail and out of the constant rain we experienced on that hike. It was nirvana.
Just up from the trail crossing, I ran into two hikers that were looking for the crossing, Brendan and Alyssa (?), with their dog. We talked about hiking the AT and I mentioned the book, Three Hundred Zeroes. It will either convince them that they want to hike it or convince them that they absolutely don’t want to.
I rolled into Wilmington, VT around 13:30. A friend, George (see comments) asked me to stop at Dot’s Diner there. I did, but the place was so mobbed that I really couldn’t schmooze with the staff, they were flat out busy. Maybe next time.
Leaving Wilmington, going east, it was more climbing, up to the Hogback Mountain pass. The mountain holds fond memories for me. The Labor Day before I left for military duty in 1965, I took my two brothers on a road trip. We went from Connecticut to VT9 in Vermont, at Brattleboro, then went up to Hogback Mtn. This trip was in a 1954 Chevy that I had rebuilt from the ground up with my own two hands. It was a six-cylinder of questionable performance, but I built it. It was all back roads from CT and late in the day when we arrived there.
We “cowboy camped,” across the road from the mountain lookout point. There was an empty, overgrown, field there. It was a starry, cool night and we just slept on the ground without a tent. If it rained, we could just pile into the car. The stars were just exploding over our heads, it was so clear and crisp. We dozed off.
At about three AM I heard a noise and looked over at my brother, Tom. There were two deer standing over him, sniffing him and one over at my brother Ernie. I didn’t dare move and spook them. They then wandered around munching leaves and enjoying themselves. What a sight in the moonlight, it is still so vivid in my mind.
The next morning we wandered across the road and climbed to the mountaintop to a fire tower that was there (it is now gone). There was a fire warden up in the tower and he called down to us to come on up. Ernie was skeptical (he never did like heights) but Tom and I climbed up. The fellow in the tower was glad to have somebody to talk to and handed us binoculars and gave us a visual tour of the region. From there I think we were able to see seven states and Canada. What a thrill!
We climbed down and then drove over to Bennington, VT and went up the 306 foot (92.3 m) Revolutionary War Memorial Tower there. We then headed home. It was the only road adventure we ever did together. I went off to military duty and two and a half years later, lost my brother Tom in Vietnam. I’ll always treasure that trip and those moments.
Today I was able to see Mt. Monadnock, in New Hampshire. It looked to be about forty miles away. Tomorrow I will be riding across NH and in, perhaps, two days my ride may be coming to an end. The ride down the east side of the mountain is very rapid. I hit speeds of around 40 MPH (65 km/h) consistently and peaked at 41.14 MPH. Unlike the west side of VT9, the east side is not in very good shape, especially the shoulder. The GPS kept insisting that I take alternate routes ( I had it set for bicycle) and now I understand why. I ended up walking for a few miles and pushing the bike because the shoulder was a crumbled mess and impossible to ride on, and the road wasn’t much better. It is a shame, it is a beautiful ride.
For just over forty miles, I was totally spent when I reached Brattleboro. I looked on my GPS and it showed an Econolodge Motel nearby. I called ahead and booked a room. The GPS took me through some back streets. One is Union St. Holy Mackerel!!! It was so steep it was like driving off a cliff. I cannot imagine driving that street with ice. Of course, going down meant, going up. It was so steep, I finally gave in and pushed the bike, I couldn’t pedal up the “wall.”
I’m actually writing this the next morning. It is 42 degrees F out there (5.5 C). At least the sun is shining.