August 29, 2023 to August 31, 2023
Day 73, 74, and 75: Grand Isle
Huntington, VT to Grand Isle, VT
Today we woke up to a beautiful Blue Moon and cool temperatures in Grand Isle, VT. We left Huntington on Tuesday for Grand Isle, and enjoyed a pretty mellow ride: the traffic was light, the hills were easy, and the bike trail along Lake Champlain was perfect. Our time in Vermont has been filled with good food, scenic riding, and family visits - pretty enjoyable in my book.
Part of our ride included a bike ferry sponsored by Local Motion out of Burlington, VT; it is the only way to get to the Islands via the Causeway. There is another way to access the Islands on Route 2, but the Causeway is a bike/ped trail that connects Burlington to The Islands. Our last ferry of the tour was pretty easy and quick. This amenity is great for tourists, but even more special for day-trippers wanting to access The Islands and all their splendor.
After the ferry and on our way to Loomis and Dee Dee’s, we stopped briefly for wine tasting at Snow’s Winery; it wasn’t too bad for Vermont wine. However, the really enjoyable part was the pretty-much carless roads and beautiful views of Lake Champlain.
Over the past two days, we have been enjoying visiting with Mike’s dad and Dee Dee, eating good food, and taking in Vermont’s beautiful vistas. We also decided to have our bikes shipped home, so yesterday we went to Old Spokes Home in Burlington to drop off our bikes.
So, our riding adventure is over, and on Saturday we fly home to begin the adventure of getting back to our former lives. I have to say, there is nothing I would change about this journey; it was everything I expected from experiencing America’s culture, people, and country side. Even though the weather got in the way of totally enjoying camp most of the time, I would not trade it because that was part of the experience.
Take today for instance, I stopped at a small bakery farm-stand on the way back from cheese shopping, and there I met a bunch of cyclists. One woman was from Alaska, and she and her partner were touring New England via bike and other modes of transportation for three weeks. By the end of our conversation, we were hugging goodbye. I will miss the connections we have made so easily where we feel like we have known the new folks we have just met for eons. Okay - I exaggerate, but it is a common experience that really binds us and connects us. I wish more Americans could bind more easily; I think we would all have better empathy for one another and a much more symphonic society than a cacophonic one.
The riding journey was accomplished for Team Bean; what a ride it was!
Team Bean
Stats
- Cribbage Game Wins: Mike 16, Dawn 9; Kathy and Dee Dee each kicked our butts at Cribbage…
- Tortillas Eaten: Mike 194, Dawn 54
- Jars of Peanut Butter: 7
- Flats: Dawn 2, Mike 1
- Bike Haters: 4 (We had our first one in Montana yesterday.) None in North Dakota that we know of.
- We may have had some bike haters in Canada…not sure; they do it in a polite way…
- Bags of Salad Consumed: 30
- Dog Encounters: 2
- Beers, too many to count
- Bags of M&M’s: 5 of various sizes (I swore off of these about a month or so ago…that is why there are no updates. I have been tempted though.
- Fritos: 11 of various sizes
- Bear Encounters: 1
- Major Inclement Weather Episode: 3
Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 4,670 miles (7,516 km)
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