I think the trip was a success. It was Rob’s first multi-day tour and he said he enjoyed it–even though it was tough at times for both of us.  He’s still talking to me, so that’s a good sign. Rob liked the pace of traveling by bicycle.The heat and humidity made it difficult at times. We should have spent the third night at Burlington. It would have been a shorter day with some time for recovery. Plus, Burlington is a fun town to explore. It may be a hard tour for a newbie, the roads on the NY side were narrow and sometimes busy. Rob is an experienced road rider.

  Following the Champlain Bikeway route on the New York side was usually better than the busier Empire State Trail. Occasionally there was a short variation that just seemed to take you up a hill.. Many of the roads were shoulderless. On either route amenities are in short supply. Oddly, the Champlain Bikeway was not signed on the NY side. The only signs I saw were on the Vermont side.The Vermont drivers generally give a wide berth to bicyclists, something their New York neighbors could emulate. Convenience stores were few and far between. Carrying a third liter of water and a water filter would have been a good idea.

  Cooler weather, less mileage on Day Three, better luck with restaurants being open in Westport, Essex and Vergennes would have been nice. Rob and the Googler put together a great reroute on the last day, far from the CB route. Good company made the ride, I think we pushed each other when the touring got tough. We both agreed that the gravel roads of Vermont call for more exploration.

  Visually the route is stunning, the lake peeking through the trees, the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks in the distance, farms, forests, hay bales, orchards, cornfields, towns and small cities. All in all, Lake Champlain, can’t complain.

Heart

1

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply