September 21, 2021
Heading East
After enjoying a final breakfast at the White Horse Inn, we jumped in the truck and headed for the first part of today's ride. Weather wise, it was a glorious day again. The drive to our first stop had us pass through Stowe and Smugglers Notch. Not a bad way to start the day. While the calendar indicates Fall has not quite arrived, this maple has clearly rushed ahead.
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Today's ride would include two separate sections of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The LVRT, when completed, will run 93 miles across northern Vermont and will be the state's longest rail trail. Presently there are two disconnected sections totaling 34 miles. The first section runs east from Cambridge Junction to Morristown and the second section continues east from Joe's Pond, Danbury to St. Johnsbury. Today's logistics began at the Greenway Trail in Jeffersonville which runs into the LVRT and continues to Morristown where Laura and I would meet up at Oxbow Park. The second section required us to continue to drive east from Morristown to Danville where I picked up the trail and headed east to St. Johnsbury where...you guessed it...Laura and I would reconnect.
I had ridden the section from Danbury to St. Johnsbury twice before and was looking forward to revisiting it. I did not quite know what to expect of the first section.
The first section's 17 miles were outstanding. The trail surface, compacted gravel, was in great shape and made for easy riding. The trail was wooded and paralleled the Lamoille River for most of the ride.
The scenery in Vermont has been wonderful.
When I arrived in Morristown we headed to the Flour Shop for a couple of sandwiches for the drive to Danbury. If I find myself in the vicinity of Morristown in the future, I will not hesitate to shop at this bakery.
I unloaded my bike at Joe's Pond for the final ride in Vermont. As I said I had ridden this section twice before and could not wait to do it again. It is heavily wooded and feels remote in sections even though it is in relatively close proximity to RT 15. The real attraction in riding east on this section is that it loses about 900 feet over it's 16 miles...that means it is a great downhill ride!
In some ways this section passed a little too fast on a beautiful late summer day. I was eager to connect with Laura since she said she would ride out to meet me from the St. Johnsbury trailhead.
Arriving in St. Johnsbury we loaded up and drove east where we entered NH.
Laura and I have arranged a shuttle that will enable us to finish this adventure together by riding an 18 mile section of the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail. I toyed with the idea of doing the entire 83 miles from Woodsville, NH to Bethel, ME but a peek at the weather forecast (rain Thursday through Sunday) suggested riding the Presidential Rail Trail just north of the White Mountains would have to do.
Looking forward to seeing Maura at your Service tomorrow morning in Gorham and being whisked to Pondicherry to begin the final ride of this adventure.
Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 59 miles (95 km)
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