Yesterday we did nothing. Somehow it filled the day, in a very relaxing way. In the morning we got a ride into town from Jeff and went to Up For Breakfast for, well, breakfast. Then we walked down the street to the Northshire Bookstore, which is a wonderful independent book store with an eclectic selection of titles. I picked up a copy of “Anthill” by E.O. Wilson. I didn’t know Wilson wrote fiction. After that we walked over to the grocery store to get food for lunch and dinner, then hauled our goodies back to the hostel. The rest of the day was spent in conversation with the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail hikers staying there, and in eating. I really enjoy talking to hikers as it lets me reconnect with many of my own trail experiences.
This morning we left the hostel fairly early; around 7:30. We headed north up the valley that runs up the west side of Vermont. There was little climbing and we were on mostly quiet roads with light traffic. We skirted around Rutland using minor roads to the west of Route 7, so avoided that traffic mess. We did ride 7 north of Rutland and for a few miles it was a narrow lane with no shoulder, bad pavement, and heavy traffic, but a couple of miles south of Brandon the shoulder reappeared and we could relax again. The only negative thing about today’s ride was the wind, which was blowing mostly in our faces at about 15 mph.
We stopped in Wallingford for breakfast at a place called Mom’s, and in Brandon we stopped at the grocery and picked up a large grinder and a root beer for lunch, which we ate in the town square, and food for dinner and snacks. All in all it was mostly a relaxing ride.
I stayed here at this campground on my first solo long tour back in 1996, and it is pretty much as I remember it. It’s fun reliving bits of past adventures. Tomorrow we are planning a short easy day to Button Bay State Park, which is on the shore of Lake Champlain. Our only worry is that being a Friday in prime vacation season, they may be full. If so, we’ll deal with that when it happens.
