Bennington holds a special place in my heart. It is one of my earliest memories of a road trip. My Mom, Dad, brother Tom (not yet a year old) and I went there from Bristol, CT on a day trip. We rode with my brother’s god father, my dad never had a car that would make it that far. I recall standing at the base of the Bennington Revolutionary War Monument and seeing my dad wave his blue hankie from the top of the monument.
Today’s ride from Schenectady started out in the rain. It was cold and slow going for a while, but after about an hour the cold rain ceased and the riding improved. I followed the last of the Eire Canal that I would ride, then turned northeast, towards VT. There is an old saying that “What goes up, must come down.” The opposite is also true, at least in hiking and biking. Going into Troy, NY was a downhill section. I could see, across the valley, that I would start climbing, and I certainly did. It was extremely hilly, I was down into my lowest gear, going along at 3 MPH (5 km/h) at times…for long stretches. I had to climb about 2000 (700 m) feet for the day. At least the weather cooperated, no wind and some sun. My 55.01 miles (85 km) was hard-earned.
I went for an evening meal at the Madison Brewery and Restaurant in Bennington. The food and brew were outstanding. I had clam chowder and chicken and biscuits and it was one of the best meals of the entire ride. Jane and I stopped there when we hiked the Vermont Long Trail.
It felt great to be crossing into another state, only two more to go. The cold still lingers, but isn’t too bad and not hindering me much. Onward!