Reaching the end of the line

September 17, 2017

(literally, the path of the Island Line trail ended right there...)

Last night was fantastic. The temperatures were so warm and no rain in the forecast, so I slept without the rain fly on the hammock. I honestly can't remember the last time I was able to do that - either rain has been slightly forecast (and I didn't feel like climbing out of the hammock to adjust) or I put to cover over for additional warmth in colder temps (and to protect from wind). I woke as the sky just started to become slightly less dark. One thing about the hammock vs tent - I didn't want to climb out of the warmth of the sleeping bag since I was so comfortable. With a tent, even with my Therm-A-Rest, I always feel like I'm ready to get up and out. But the hammock tends to be more comfortable. The only thing is, with campgrounds, the big irony is that they sometimes don't have the trees to hang. So, the campground is leveled so the big 40' RVs can get in, but when a small camper with a hammock rolls in, there's scant areas to put them.

I missed my goal to get up and out by 7:00 by 6 minutes (must have been that second packet of outmeal - takes too long to eat). Still, that put me on the long climb out of the campground on the gravel road (see? I told you I would complain about it) and onto Dog Team Rd. The air was just right, and I ditched the windbreaker for the rest of the day.

The top of the long, uphill, gravel road. I like the 1x11 gearing, but I think I'm turning in the 42T chainring up front for the 38T

Traffic was light on Sunday morning, and I made good time watching the sun rise higher above the horizon as I made my way NW. There was still ground fog just below the mountain peaks.

I'm contemplating reaching the end of my journey today so that takes up most of my thoughts. Sure, 500 miles may only be 10% of a trans-am trip, but for what I'm able to do in a week it was a lot for me. Plus, I've experienced different terrain on the trip - the trails of the Erie Canal, the mountains in the Adirondacks, and the hills of Vermont. For me, it was a good tour.

Just wanted to let you all know I DID see a bear on my tour

I'm a big fan of "off the beaten path" attractions. Here, there's a giant jack made from fire hydrants

Like in the previous picture, I like the off-beat attractions. I stopped at the world's largest filing cabinet which is really just multiple cabinets stacked on top of one another. Birds have made the top a home for them selves, although you can't probably see them nesting from the picture.

World's largest filing cabinet. Local legend has it that this was constructed in honor of all the paperwork that's been filed for the Burlington highway bypass (which still hasn't been completed)

At the end of the street with the filing cabinet (you know, the really, really big cabinet), the entrance to the park and the bike trail begins. This travels 14 miles to "The Cut" which is a break in the causeway going through Mallet's Bay. The bike path makes its way through Burlington along the waterfront, and then through some neighborhoods, and then finally out into the bay. The causeway ride is about 3 miles out into the bay, and it ends at a break in the causeway, where boats can go through. It's a great, unique ride, pedaling basically on a really long peninsula into the water. If I had more time I would have taken the ferry and looped around to the NE and then ridden back into Vermont.

The Earth Clock. Stones are arranged according to celestial events

The island line bike path. The route follows an old rail line built by the Rutland Railroad in 1901 and ended operations in 1963. The causeway itself was built with a lot of marble pieces (you can see in the photo)

I stopped at the end of the line, filled my water bottle from my Platypus reservoir, finished the last of my trail mix, and shot a "selfie". I had a lot to think about on the ride back to the bike shop, but for now, I was enjoying the last few pedal strokes in search of a margarita.

Here's the end of the line. To get across the opening in the causeway "The Cut" you have to take a ferry. I was turning around at this point so I skipped the ferry crossing

Made it to the ned of the line. Now to get to the bike shop and get my bike boxed up for the trip home

Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 564 miles (908 km)

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