Day 1

June 1, 2017

Since this is my first journal on Cycleblaze, it's probably worth starting out with just a brief overview of my bike and equipment. This was all new stuff back in 2017, but it's basically what I'm still using today. Here's a photo of the bike and gear as I headed out on that morning in June.

The Salsa Vaya is by far the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. It's a great bike in general, plus I actually got a professional fitting. I haven't had to adjust anything, fit-wise, since I first got it. It's ideal for the kind of riding I do here in Vermont, which is a combination of gravel roads, double track, and pavement (although frequently potholed and cracked). Since all my overnights have been of the credit card variety, I find the Arkel Dri-Lite panniers pretty ideal, size-wise. Add to that the trunk bag on top, and it's plenty of room for an overnight, or I would hope longer. I have recently been collecting some bikepacking gear, so I may eventually move to more of a bikepacking setup.

So, on to the words that I wrote three years ago (reminder: the italicized sections are from what I wrote for bikeovernights.org) :

Spring in Vermont had been cool and rainy, but this trip started dry and sunny for a change. After a last minute check of my panniers to make sure I had everything, I headed on out. The route north out of Brattleboro is on Route 30, which winds its way along the West River. This section of Route 30 is great to ride with a fairly level road and nice wide shoulders. On a Thursday morning, traffic was light.

The first stop of interest is the Dummerston Covered Bridge. It's a great place to pause for a few minutes and watch the river roll by.

A stop at this covered bridge is pretty much a requirement for every ride that I do from home. It's only a few miles from my house, and it's a great place to relax for a few minutes and look at the water before finishing up a ride. And what is more quintessential Vermont than a covered bridge? I remember when Marilyn and I were first considering a move to Vermont, we were driving up Route 30 to look at some property, and we spied this bridge, and said "Ahh, how cute! We're in Vermont!". Eighteen years later, I still kind of think that every time I drive or bike past this bridge.

On with the story:

Continuing north on Route 30, I started to hit a few hills. Approaching Newfane, Route 30 narrows and the shoulders disappear, so care is needed through this section. A quick stop in Newfane allows you to enjoy the beautiful Common with its fountain, Windham County Courthouse, Congregational Church, and Union Hall. It's claimed to be the most photographed village Commons in all of New England.

We actually owned a business and lived in Newfane for fourteen years. It's a really cute little Vermont village, quiet in the winter, fairly busy with tourists in the summer, and crazy busy during fall foliage season.

My ride continued north on Route 30, still winding with narrow shoulders. After an initial rise out of Newfane, there's a nice downhill stretch before climbing a bit to get into Townshend. If you're feeling the need for a snack at this point, check out the Harmonyville store as you're entering Townshend. It's a typical Vermont country store and deli, with a great supply of freshly baked cookies.

In Townshend, I headed out on Route 35 and after a few miles turned onto Grafton Road. There's a killer two-mile hill right as you turn onto Grafton Road, but once you've climbed it, it's a pleasant five- or six-mile downhill journey into the pretty town of Grafton. I was about 27 miles into my trip, and it was getting close to lunchtime. The Grafton Market has some great sandwiches, as well as some nice outdoor seating.

Having lived in Newfane for quite a few years, this part of the ride was very familiar to me, part of my daily rides. It's a very scenic ride with the West River off to one side, although the road is narrow, without shoulders, and 50 MPH traffic. Frankly, it can be kind of scary when the traffic is heavy, and we do have our share of loud pickup trucks that like to pass just a little to close for comfort.

Realizing I only had about seven miles to go, I lingered a bit over lunch, watching the local crowd come in for lunch. After about 45 minutes, I motivated myself to move on.

If memory serves me correctly, "lingering a bit" basically means I fell asleep for about half an hour laying on the picnic table.

The route from here jumps back onto Vermont 35 and starts out with yet another killer hill out of Grafton. This one is short, however, and once over the top, it's a comfortable glide all the way to the town of Chester. Note that there are no shoulders at all, but fortunately, traffic is very light and the drivers that do go by tend to be very courteous to cyclists.

Arriving in Chester around 1:30, I decided it was just a bit too early to check in to my B&B, so I spent some time cruising the main street and sitting on the common and watching traffic go by. After a bit, I wandered over to the Chester House Inn, right on Main Street and was greeted by Bob the Innkeeper. He showed me my room and gave me some great advice about local options for dinner. I ended up choosing The Free Range, a close walk from the Inn, serving great local food and beer.

This was a great little B&B. Not too surprisingly, Bob didn't let me bring the bike into my room, but he did offer to let me store it in his barn out back. As mentioned, dinner ended up being at a little place called the Free Range, which was right across the street. After dinner, I parked myself on the front porch pictured above until it got dark.

All in all, not a bad day for my first day as a bike tourist.

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Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 32 miles (51 km)

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