Day 58 8/7/19

Baker Mills, NY to Cornwall, VT; 72 miles, mostly cloudy, calm, 70’s and muggy

Mid afternoon storms were forecast but once again we dodged them somehow. The ride continued on NY 8 with plenty of ups and downs. After crossing the Hudson River there was a more interesting climb to go over the ridge between Brant Lake on the west and Lake George on the east. According to the mapping tool I used to map the route we have been following through the Adirondacks, it was a 4 mile climb with an elevation gain of almost 900 feet. A little taste of what is ahead in VT and NH. We turned north at Lake George and continued on to Ticonderoga. There we took a ferry (finally a real ferry ride) across Lake Champlain to Vermont. Vermont has its own vibe compared to the more tourist and park atmosphere of NY just across the lake. A political boundary does change things. Riding to finish the day we passed dairy farms, orchards, and had vista views of the Green Mountains. They must be crossed tomorrow. And yes it is hilly in VT.

 

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Day 59 8/8/19

Cornwall, VT to Sharon, VT; 61 miles, 5-10 SW, rain early, then sunny, 70-80’s, muggy

We delayed riding a bit this morning to let the heaviest rain pass. I decided to ride the “Covered Bridge” alternative to avoid riding through busy Middlebury. It was nice riding on back roads but no covered bridges. Next up was the 10 mile climb to the Middlebury Gap. It wasn’t too bad as there were stretches of lower grade between the steeper pitches. The downhill was quite exciting on a steep and curvy road. The remainder of the day followed VT 100 and VT 107. Both follow the White River valley and I was riding downstream in both cases. So it was essentially downhill the remainder of the ride with a few up hills as a reminder that you are riding in VT after all. There are not a lot of lodging options in this part of VT besides B&B’s. Since we do not have a fixed destination in mind at the start of the day, our accommodation search is always just-in-time. The Adventure Cycling maps list possible lodging options. In Sharon we called the one and only B&B and it was our luck that it is run by a cycling couple who welcomed us with open arms. They have also done cross country trips so we had much in common.

 

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