Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11. Westport, NY, to Burlington, VT. We had a lovely breakfast with Jesse and Barb before Barb left for her training ride at about 8:15, and we talked with Jesse until he had to leave to help a friend ("Coach") fix a roof at about 9, leaving us alone at their house to pack up and head out. We said goodbye to Buddy, and to Marc Anthony (but we didn't see Cleocatra anywhere), and then rode out with the directions Jesse had given us.
I suppose I should have stopped to reassure myself that we were on the right road, but after 9 miles of up and down (after Jesse said we would hit "one good hill") and no sight of the lake, I was beginning to worry that we had missed a turn somewhere. The forest was beautiful, to be sure, but worrying like that makes it seem like we were just getting lost in the beautiful forest. But, as we descended a nice long hill (steep, too!), and I had just spotted a wide spot off to the side where I could pull off and consult the map, the lake appeared magically on our right. Just like that (snap your fingers for the right sould effect here), we were in the outskirts of Essex, NY, where there was a ferry that would take us to Vermont.
We stopped for a smackerel (second breakfast, I guess) at Moose on the Loose. I also got some giant Pixy Stix for later :-). When we went outside, we met a school group that was out on a field trip (one they had to earn) and told them all about our trip and where we were headed. Talking with the teachers was enlightening; they helped us decide which roads to take once we got in to Vermont, and we continued talking with them as we crossed on the ferry. One of the kids was vigilantly scanning the lake for Champ.
Once we were in Vermont, having been in New York for the better part of two weeks, we felt a little relieved that we were actually in another state (and making some progress). The threat of rain became a little more palpable as we neared Burlington, and we actually stopped at a shop called Skirack (which also did bike repairs and stuff) to have them look at a persistent squeak I have been hearing and a clicking that Nancy had been hearing. While we were there, the rain began (lightly), and we called Kurt and Holly to let them know we were about a half-hour from their house.
We rode in through the rain on the bike path that goes around the rim of Lake Champlain, and like we expected, we got to Kurt and Holly's in about a half-hour. They have a really nice house right near the Ethan Allen Homestead park, and they had made room for us in the garage (for our bikes - for us they had a guest room upstairs).
It was really cool to see Kurt and Holly again. For those that don't know, Kurt used to work at PPI, where I worked, and the four of us sometimes went to Thrashers and Gladiators games together. When I hatched this lunatic plan of a vacation, I realized (when Kurt asked) we would be near enough to Burlington to stop by and spend a day or two, so that was the plan from the beginning. However, I had initially expected to be here around June 21, not the 9th; Kurt had thought the hot tub would be ready, but unexpected issues have delayed that, so the hot tub is not yet operational (not that we could use it right now, with the rain and cold).
The plan was to spend Saturday with them and then head out on Sunday; but we were having such a good time (and the weather seemed to continue to be crappy) that we stayed Sunday, too.
Kurt and Holly treated us like royalty; we had crab legs for dinner Saturday, we went to the Ben and Jerry's plant (and also saw the graveyard of flavors up on the hill!), we went to the Magic Hat Brewery, and to the Lake Champlain Chocolatiers Factory store. We had BLUEBERRY WAFFLES for breakfast! With ACTUAL VERMONT MAPLE SYRUP. And we had CHEESE, real Vermont cheeses that were just excellent. We ate and drank too much, but we were having too much fun to care. Not only that, the bed in the guest room was so comfortable, we had no problems oversleeping. We overslept easily every day.
We also got to meet Ranger, their dog, a yellow lab. He is a sweetie, and is shedding a little right now (so we left several Ranger-colored areas on the rug as we each took turns scratching his neck and rubbing his belly). There were ample opportunities for dog-scratching, too, as we watched the hockey game Saturday night and the World Cup soccer matches Sunday (including Mexico's 3-1 triumph over Iran). During slow periods in that game, we had a lively discussion about who President Bush was pulling for in THAT match.
What a great weekend! Kurt and Holly, you are welcome to come visit us in Portland when we get moved in, and remember we are just a few streets over from the BREWERY BLOCKS!
Tomorrow, Monday, we hope to go to Rouse's Point, NY, before heading north to Montreal on Tuesday. The weather should clear up during the day, and hopefully the rain will hold off until we are in. For those who are concerned about when we will rejoin the originally planned route, that will be in or near Pulaski, NY, in about a week to a week and a half. We'll try to keep you posted; watch this space.
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