June 2, 2017
Day 2
You might remember that I ended yesterday sitting on the front porch of the B&B. I was not alone. This nice young family, nestled up on top of the column, was keeping me company.
Speaking of being alone, however, it DID feel like I was all alone at the Inn. It seemed like I was the only guest, and in fact, during the entire evening, I didn't even run into the innkeeper. Once it got dark, I headed to bed, kinda feeling like I was all alone in this big old mansion.
Having said that though, I had a great night's sleep in a small but very comfortable room, and awoke next morning to a very bright but chilly day. I headed down about 6 AM to visit the Keurig machine in the breakfast area, since breakfast wasn't served until 8 AM. Since breakfast was of course included (it's a B&B after all), and was promised to be good, I hung out and waited in the room.
On getting back downstairs, I found out that in fact I was not the only guest. I ended up eating breakfast with a nice German couple on a several week car tour of New England. At least I think that's what they were doing, since they spoke very little English, and I speak zero German. I think I conveyed to them that I was on a bike trip, which they seemed very excited about. On now with some narrative from three years ago:
I started out with an excellent breakfast at the Chester House Inn. There's nothing like blueberry pancakes with fresh Vermont maple syrup, sausage, fruit, and of course coffee, to get you prepared for another day on the road. The weather forecast for the day called for rain starting in the early afternoon, so I decided to book it for home. After bidding farewell to my innkeepers, I rolled my bike out of their barn and hit the road.
So yeah, the breakfast was all that was promised. It was a huge stack of pancakes and much more sausage than any one person should eat. I was particularly looking forward to this second day of travel. The trip yesterday was on roads that were familiar, either ones that I biked frequently, or at least drove occasionally. The route I had planned for going back was mostly gravel, and gravel that I had never been on before. So, now I felt like I was actually bike touring, traveling new roads and seeing unfamiliar surroundings.
The route I chose for the return trip was much more rural then the first day with more than half the miles on gravel. There's very little in the way of stops for snacks or lunch, so I made sure to carry some energy bars for the trip. On the plus side, I was expecting some beautiful Vermont scenery. I started by heading south on VT-103, and after a few miles turned off onto old Route 103, and then Cambridgeport Road, which is gravel. Over the next five miles, I experienced some gentle climbs and nice downhills riding past old farms and pastures and a few new homes. Not a car was to be seen until I arrived in the tiny village of Cambridgeport. There's a small market in Cambridgeport, if you're in need of some snacks.
Supposedly Vermont still has more miles of gravel roads than paved (I've read this on the Internet, so I'm sure it's true!). In the springtime, the road crews spend a lot of time getting the roads back in shape after mud season has ended and the roads have dried out. The standard approach seems to scrape the road with a road grader to smooth out the trenches carved out by car and truck tires over the winter and early spring, then follow the grader with a truck pulling a rake. The rake pulls to the surface all the loose gravel, some pieces of which seem to be about the size of your fist. It makes for some interesting riding.
From Cambridgeport, I rode back on pavement for a few miles, but then jumped onto Brookline Road with yet more gravel. A few miles in, I saw a road sign that said, “Road Grading Ahead.” Uh-oh. The road got bumpy and before long, I caught up to a town truck pulling a rake, moving along at about five MPH. I managed to scoot on by and the road got just slightly less bumpy. After a few more miles, I caught up to the road grader. He took up the whole road and moved even slower than the truck. I had to follow him for two miles before he reached the town line, and pulled off the road with a wave.
I guess I'll never know if road grader guy just didn't see me behind him, weaving back and forth trying to stay upright, or just thought I was great entertainment.
Once clear, the road smoothed out, and I enjoyed a fast gravel road ride that took me by some ponds that have crept right up to the edge of the road because of our recent rains.
The picture doesn't quite capture how high the water really was. In some places, it was just inches from the road. I was freaking out a little, since if I had to turn around, I would have had to backtrack about 15 miles, most of it uphill.
Going through the town of Brookline, I stopped at the empty Town Office parking lot, and sat on the lawn enjoying a snack and some water. Across the road sits the Brookline Round Schoolhouse, a wonderful old brick structure.
From here, it's a final push along River Road, past a pretty horse farm, and then back onto Route 30 for the final few miles back into Brattleboro.
Not mentioned in the original article, but the entire day was a race to get home before the rain. There was a literal dark cloud following me all the way home. The downpour started less than 10 minutes after I pulled into my driveway.
All in all, a very successful first experience with touring. I think I managed to bring just the right amount of gear for an overnight, and it probably would have sufficed for a several day excursion. One lesson learned? I wish I had taken more pictures. A photo of that "Road Grading Ahead" sign would have been priceless.
Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 70 miles (113 km)
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