C2C Day 52 Lake Saint Catherine VT to Quechee VT

A great day for a ride across Vermont. Overcast skies and 52 degrees as the ride started on the former Delaware & Hudson railroad line, converted into a rail trail. I spotted a deer and fawn sharing the early morning trail with me.

First stop was in the quaint college town of Castleton, where a few other cyclists were fueling up for rides. Nearly everyone I came across gave a jovial ‘Good Morning!’. Maybe that’s a Vermont thing. Or maybe the emerging sunshine after days of rain helped spark a good mood. Or maybe people just liked my crazy elephant jersey.

Today featured a climb up and over the Appalachians, the first significant day of climbing since the Black Hills of South Dakota. From an elevation of about 500 feet in Rutland, the route crested at 2100 feet above sea level. Overall, a moderate elevation gain – but some stretches had incline grades of more than 15%. Most modern mountain passes are engineered at a 5-6% grade with numerous switchbacks, but these old roads often go straight up hillsides. And Vermont has plenty of steep hillsides.

Some gravel roads at the top had me questioning my route decisions. ‘Old Plymouth Road’ deteriorated into 4-wheel drive adventure – not passable for cars. Barely passable for bicycles, especially after the recent rains.

As if the rough road was not hazard enough, a stubborn porcupine decided to camp out in the road. I waited patiently for passage, but apparently, the porcupine was not impressed with my crazy elephant jersey. Not wanting an unpleasant brush-up, I bush-wacked around the prickly road camper and carried on.

Former president Calvin Coolidge was born in this area of Vermont, and his namesake adorns several parks, roads, and museums. We met up for lunch in one such park, and Jax found a beautiful nearby lake for paddle boarding.

Then, a nice scenic roll down the Ottauaquechee River valley to our overnight town of Quechee. Here’s a view from the aptly named ‘River Road’:

A beautifully adventurous and sunshine filled day. 64 miles of excellent Vermont biking.

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C2C Day 51 Saratoga Springs NY to Lake Saint Catherine VT

Three things I would have not believed at the start of this cross country adventure on the shores of Oregon back in 2018: a) a global pandemic would shut down the world b) the Denver Nuggets would win an NBA championship c) New York would be the rainiest state I would cross through.

Today’s ride of 62 miles started with rain. 55 degrees, and excellent air quality :). And an immediate wake-up call with steep hills right off the start – climbing up and away from Saratoga Lake on quiet farm roads. I had to remember how to frequently shift gears, using all 24. A radical departure from the canal paths which are incredibly flat, as you might imagine. By comparison, a long ride on a canal trail might use 3 or 4 gears total.

Despite the wet roads and light rain, the rolling scenery was very pleasant. And green.

Quite a bit of Revolutionary war history in this area. Which means more of my favorite Blue + Yellow NY informational signs. This one proudly proclaims that General Washington was a guest here at Sherwood’s Tavern back in 1783. If Yelp was available at the time, I’m guessing Washington would have left a favorable review.

On to the small hamlet of Fort Ann for some lunch with Jax and a dry spot away from the rain. Any dry spot will do.

Eventually I met up once again with New York’s Empire Trail, which has a North-South route in addition to the East-West Erie Canal trail we’ve been on or near since Buffalo. The North-South trail runs from New York City to the Canadian Border.

The Empire Trail is very well maintained with excellent signage. Today I spent some brief time on a beautiful section of the trail along the Champlain Canal.

As I made my way to the Vermont border, the rain intensified into a downpour. It was one last sucker punch from New York. Ha! I’ll miss those great trails and blue+yellow signs, but not the rain.

Just a few miles into Vermont is our place for the next two nights – a guest house on Lake Saint Catherine. Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully clearing skies.

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