September 2, 2021
Day 94: Waterford NY to Woodford VT
Trails for Hills
“I hate river crossings,” Rachel says, then continues, “there’s a downhill to the river and a climb away.” We left the motel early and chose not to backtrack to get onto the Champlain Trail. It rained last night and the surface probably is mucky. So we are on USBS bike route 9 to Mechanicville.
After crossing the Hudson River a climb begins, then some rolling hills to Schaghticoke where we find a café for a second breakfast. Just before we leave New York, right at the Bennington Battlefield where General John Stark had a victory in 1777, Patrick has a flat rear tire.
Near Bennington we cross into Vermont, the Green Mountain State. Patrick says that makes sense because in French “verre” is green and “mont” means mountain.
We’ve traded the month of being mostly on Rails to Trails or bike paths for hills. This next 5 weeks zig sagging through New England we will be more on roads but still on lots of Rails to Trails. Once we leave Burlington VT, we will be on Cross Vermont and Cross New Hampshire route into Maine.
We stopped in Bennington at grocery store for tonight’s dinner supplies. While eating a sandwich for lunch, a man stops to talk with us about our tour. “What is the hill like out of here,” Patrick asks him. “It’s a long gradual climb nothing too steep,” he says. He’s a cyclist so we are hopeful to believe him.
And the climb in long and gradual, and it helps that the weather is cooler. Toward the top, Patrick rides ahead to the Grocery Store that is just past the turnoff to Prospect Mountain Ski area, and Greenwood Lodge and Campground. The office is also a hostel, rest rooms, shower and a sitting area with lots of brochures, and downstairs a game room.
We set up the tent, and clean up. The weather is cooler, so the bugs aren’t out. We fix a nice Chicken curry and rice for dinner. Tomorrow we’ll go over Hogback Mountain and descend into Brattleboro. Our warmshowers host agrees to let us stay extra days over the Holiday Weekend.
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Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 3,841 miles (6,181 km)
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