If I could bottle today, I would drink from it everyday. What an awesome day of cycling. I could repeat today all week and be totally content. 62 hilly miles, with 4400 feet of climbing in total, with some long multi-mile hills and lots of short steep out if the saddle climbs. My kind of terrain! We left Rutland around 7:30 AM, with temps in the low 80''s, on the way to the 90's. The countryside just outside of town was stunning.
We passed many dairy farms of course- Ben and Jerry's must have quite a supply chain. The sign in front of this dairy farm seemed a bit obvious and totally un-necessary!
At every turn and after every climb, we were rewarded with Vermont at its most pictaresque.
I even had a semi- religious experience. We passed this amazing tree that had long since died, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it's where the long missing dead tree scrolls were hidden.... Apologies to my pious friends :)
E I have too many photos to post from today, but I have dine my best to pick the best of the litter. On the non-scenic aspect of the ride, one of the incredible things about this week is spending lots if time with some pretty amazing people, from close friends, to new people you meet along the way, to generous locals, and if course the fantastic volunteers who staff the sag stops and roam the roads helping out cyclists in need. The mantra, of both cyclists and volunteers is "that it's for the kids", which in the end is why we are here, to raise money and awareness for the kids of Anchor House.
We crossed into NY State near Granville, and stumbled upon a great local establishment called Scotties- a local eatery that time has forgotten (open since 1932). These are the kind of places we strive to find that give us a real feel of the local culture. And the food was fabulous, including the first cold blueberry soup we had ever tasted. Yum.
New York state of course has its own scenic charms for sure. Beautiful views of the Adirondacks, sweeping fields of corn, and of course, numerous cows! Moo on.org would have a field day up here....
Our last sag stop was at a local NY family's house- Another example of generosity that we always encounter on this trip. They had a pool that we (that's me in the pool of course) made instant use of.
We arrived in Glen Falls around 3 pm, with the temperature a toasty 93. We were lucky again today, as we had a nice breeze most of the day and the humidity wasn't brutal. It will definitely get hotter and more humid as we head south. Tomorrow it's 66 miles to Latham NY, near Troy.
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Hey Ken!
ReplyDeleteYou look good buddy! I enjoyed the photos you took from the road showing the picturesque New England countryside--all except those contaminated by a shot of a fellow riders sweaty crack farther ahead in the road. Just don't draft too closely, that's all I'm sayin'.
I liked the photo of the camel too. Remember, a two-hump camel is called a Bactrian and and one-hump camel is called a Dromedary. You can remember this because a "B" turned on its side makes two humps and a "D" makes one hump. Thought that bit of trivia might help take your mind off the those burning quadriceps.
You are cycling for two very worthy causes. I hope you're surviving the heat and humidity. All the best!
Jim
PS: Sorry to repost this but I mistakenly put this comment under your July 7 blog entry.
Nice entry, Kenny! I always love the photos, including those of people and scenery. I also appreciate reading your ever-present puns as well as your appreciation for those who support the ride from the sides!
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