Steve and I finally managed to get away during the pandemic. We were going to go to the Finger Lakes but decided on Vermont so I could get in one of my state rides.
We picked a small lake, Lake St. Catherine, where we were able to rent a small 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house on a quiet spot called Cones Point.
We arrived and the sun was just beginning to set, illuminating the changing trees as they reflected off the glassy water. Yes, we took about a million pictures.
Here is our cute little house.
And the view from our dock when we arrived.
Our house is behind another house that is on the same property. No one was renting that house, so we had the run of the waterfront.
We arrived in the late afternoon, so we sat on the dock with George, the quirky property owner, as the sun fell further toward the horizon. He talked to us about the secret of selling $600,000 of vinyl windows a year (product knowledge, he whispered) for quite a while. But it was interesting hearing about the lake and his life on it while we ate our cheese and crackers.
The next morning, the lake was still like glass.
Then on Sunday it was time for my ride. I wanted to go early in case the weather interfered. It seemed the forecast changed every time we looked. But Sunday was always supposed to be sunny, so Steve dropped me off in Poultney about midday. I rode a loop shared online by a local bike shop. It was the perfect route for me.
The leaves in Vermont were technically past their peak, but we still found them beautiful.
Much of my ride looked like this. But the pictures don't do justice. I followed a babbling brook (literally) for almost half of the ride, which was a loop around three peaks: Spruce Knob, Herrick Mountain, and Bird's Eye Mountain. Multicolored hillsides banked the roads or the distant views, and brilliant green pastures luxuriated along the way.
Sometimes the creek was level with me as it was here, but other times it fell down into a gorge or meandered away in other pursuits.
I went through four little towns on the 40+ miles with rare stops in between. Here was one of several general stores. There wasn't a 7/11 or a grocery store chain anywhere in site.
A rather grandiose house in this tiny village.
More stretches of road looking flat but secretly climbing for more than 10 miles!
I stopped to admire a roadside birch tree.
It was right about here, after I turned north of 133, that I began to finally go down. I had begun to get tired from the invisible incline, so it was a relief to get some momentum and enjoy the view without working so hard. The countryside was peaceful, burnished, at times brilliant, and very northern feeling.
I began to be really grateful for my silly plan to ride in every state, because what else would have brought me here? I've only been to Vermont twice before. Both times to ski with my family when we stayed at Russ and Betsy's house. I was so happy to be here to see the state before the cold came.
For the first 15 miles, I got frustrated because I had to stop every time I wanted to take a picture. So there were many barns and trees and views I wished I'd photographed - esp. barns - because I forced myself to keep riding for fear I'd never finish! But here I did take the time to capture this red barn, one of so so many, waiting for me at the bottom of the hill.
I was going regularly down at this point, riding 30 mph. I could have gone much faster - maybe 40? - but didn't because the road wasn't in great shape. There were vertical cracks (some minor ones seen above) that were sometimes wide enough for a tire to slip into and pot holes that I couldn't predict, so I controlled my speed more than I would have liked). Even though I was descending, I became suddenly aware that I was up high, and that there were higher places to go. This distant mountain appeared as I was flying down a hill.
And then I arrived in the town of Ira.
This is the view of the WWII memorial. Behind me is the Civil and Spanish American War memorials. Even though there were plenty of Trump flags around, it was a relief that the memorial was for Union soldiers. No confederate flags in sight!
It was so big I took several pictures.
And then here was Bird's Eye Mountain. I saw this as I was approaching the town of Castleton.
How to resist such a pretty pink house.
I snapped this looking backward. As usual, I passed through the town before I realized I'd arrived! But it was cute and there were a number of restaurants. I hoped Steve and I would return on our very different bike ride in a few days.
I made a wrong turn in Castleton which fortunately brought me to the doorstep of this beautiful little college campus. I found out later it was Castleton University - a public school 2000 students strong.
My other pictures turned out to be videos of not interest (the perils of photographing while biking).
More rolling fields with distant mountains.
And then I discovered why it is called the "Slate Valley." I figured I may as well photograph the good with the bad. This is not a natural mountain or hill. It's a man made pile of slate. For a mile or two vegetation became sparse and everything looked gray.
Which made it all the more beautiful when the color returned.
I thought this barn was cute with its American flag. It's a shame how the flag has been coopted and now represents a kind of fanaticism rather than a healthy patriotism. I took this picture hoping we could one day reclaim the flag as a symbol of our Constitution and not of white supremacy.
And then I arrived in Poultney to finally find a purple house!
And another college! This one, Green Mountain College is a private liberal arts school that only had a few hundred - 600? - students, but it closed in 2019. The grounds still looked beautiful, but the closure is a sad reminder of the state of higher ed in the U.S., and in Vermont which has seen a number of these kinds of closures (due to low enrollment and rising costs). Apparently, it will be turned into a work college, so hopefully, it will continue to employ residents of Poultney. Here is a recent local article about it.
I guess the empty parking spaces were more telling than I realized as I rode by.
The main gait to the school opens right onto Main Street. That feels depressing to me. I hope it works out for the town.
Meanwhile, what will happen to this place? I loved the name, of course!
And then I was out of Poultney and officially off my route, riding the 4 miles back to the lake from town. On the way I passed the Whaleback Winery, which is temporarily closed due to COVID. It's a shame we aren't able to see more of the surrounding area up close. Riding past on my bike is as close as we can get.
A little bit of down hill to welcome me home.
Another "peak" in the distance. I love Vermont's mountains. They're so sudden, steep, and round. Without being imposing. I supposed I should read about the geology of the area. Is it glacial? It must be.
Some of the trees were still holding their leaves.
After I got back, Steve and I walked on the path to Otto's General Store to buy essentials like matches, and cookies, and tea.
At home, we roasted vegetables and a chicken for an easy homecooked meal complete with arugula salad and wine. Everything on the menu (but the cookies) came from home as we were trying to limit our contact with the community.
On Monday, we again went for a morning canoe ride. Did I mention the first? On Sunday we saw a kingfisher and a bald eagle. On Monday, we saw a red-bellied woodpecker, a pair of pileated woodpeckers, and a pair of featherless old birds splashing around in their birthday suits! I think we surprised the latter by showing up in our silent canoe.
Later, Steve fished while I worked on an article for Nicole. After worrying there weren't enough weeds, he caught this northern pike!
Quite impressive! Although we later watched a video on how to properly hold one of these fish. :) And later, he caught another - but it was much smaller.
The next day, it rained and I worked all day. But just before the sun went down, Steve persuaded me to cast a line. It didn't take long before we had another northern pike.
The bike shop was cute - and different. It was at Tim's house - a nice guy who gave us gobs of advice about the ride and a hike. When you arrive at the house, you're greeted with this sign.
Then at the top of the path is this sign. During the fall, you can only get him "by chance" or else call ahead for an appointment. I love that laid back way of running a business.
And here is the path to the backyard. It was as pretty as the actual ride!
The back yard surprised us with this large structure full of bikes to be sold out doors. I guess it's the perfect COVID business!
And there was a workshop too - decorated with children's bikes.
On our way back into Poultney, I saw this bike just waiting to be noticed.
There were three cute public libraries on my ride on Sunday. One in Poultney, Ira, and West Rutland. I am always happy to see a library and wished I'd taken pictures, but I was always whizzing past. So I got the Poultney pic as Steve and I rode through town.
And we were off, back East on rte. 140. The plan: ride via dirt roads to Castleton then take the rail trail straight back to Poultney.
This creepy dude was plowing up a yard on our way out of Poultney!
I think I said earlier that there were no grocery stores - just little country stores. It's amazing how they always end up having what you want!
We went about a quarter mile past our turn, but at least backtracking was downhill! Then we were on hard packed shale for almost all of the way to Castleton.
Pretty back roads with fallen leaves and few cars.
We noticed this blue plastic tubing strung through the woods and decided it must be for collecting maple sap to make syrup.
We knew we were near Big Foot country, but didn't expect a sighting!
After about 10 miles (it was supposed to be 7), we arrive in Castleton, home of Castleton University.
There were a number of stately homes.
This one was just screaming out New England!
We stopped at the Blue Cat Bistro for a slice of pizza.
The ride out of Castleton was quite pretty.
Then it was down the rail trail for home. Except for the first half of the ride, it definitely felt like UP!
The trail was beautiful. We only saw a few people for the entire 7 miles. And it was shrouded in golden leaves for most of the way.
The trail was 7.5 miles, and it put us right back in the center of Poultney.
And we are back at the bike shop. Steve is tired.
But happy too.
Back at our cabin, we watched the lake until the sun set. In the interim, we watched a bald eagle hunting over the water - it flew directly over our heads at one point, just a few stories high. That's the closest I've ever been to one of those birds!
Then as the sun went down, Steve threw in a line and caught another pike! That's four so far. He's actually wanting to catch a few sunnies just for a break from taking the big fish off the line!
Our last two days on the lake were kinda magical. Thursday was so beautiful that we went for a 2 hour canoe ride in the morning then literally sat on the dock all day looking at the water. On Friday, George told us wind was predicted, so we canoed in the morning again while the lake was still glass (saw the bald eagle fishing again), then went for a hike with a view of the lake. I don't know how I made that work with my knee, but I did.
And then it was time to go. We woke up to drizzly rain on Saturday, so that helped to ease the pain of it. On the way out, we drove along the road overlooking Lake St. Catherine and got one last view of our little cottage.
Mountain Roundabout
Distance: 43 miles
Speed: 14 mph
Rail Trail to Castleton
Distance: 20 miles
Speed: Cruiser speed :)
