Northern Tier Day #6 Rochester, VT to North Hudson, NY

Northern Tier Day #6

May 25, 2019

Rochester, VT to North Hudson, NY 72 Miles

Ride Time 6:37

Tour Total 448 Miles

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/058ffe3224dd3702/Cycle-20190525-0642-60658

I woke up at 5:45am in the backyard of Green Mountain Cyclery, which was totally fogged in. There was dew on the grass and all over my tent. I once again had to pack a damp sleeping bag and a soaking wet tent. It took me about an hour to get ready, and I got a 6:45am start, the earliest departure so far on the tour. Scott and Eileen from the TransGang would have been in their tent for another four hours.

The fog was hanging low in the valley so I turned on all my lights for safety. It was cold, and my fingers were freezing. I hate stopping, so I just dealt with it. Since I’m Jewish while I’m in the state of Vermont (to be in solidarity with my Brooklyn brother Bernie Sanders), I’m observing Shabbos today. I hope that Yahweh doesn’t mind that I’m using pedal power.

Cracking open the door yesterday at Green Mountain Cyclery was like walking into Santa’s workshop. There were countless elves and an abundance of bikes. They were building a green mountain bike for a kid who was there with his father. It had front suspension and disc brakes. I got to see the kid ride it before I went to dinner. That place was the best! Dylan was awesome! My transmission finally works.

Dinner last night was fantastic! I really lucked out in Rochester. Bernie was going to be making an upcoming appearance in town but I couldn’t stick around to see him. The proprietor of the restaurant last night was telling me about all the different systems they have in Vermont to keep the community tight knit. People buy local here. They support their neighbors. It’s a smart population.

I rode to Hancock and then I took a left on state Route 125 toward Breadloaf, and then on towards Middlebury gap. There was a warning sign saying that Scenic Route 125 was not recommended for tractor trailers. That was a good indication that it was going to be a steep pass.

Every time I go to the bathroom in the woods I think about last year and Diana from Scotty’s Hells Canyon Outdoor Supply in Oxbow Oregon. That woman made a strong impression on me. I try to be sanitary. It’s supposed to rain this afternoon and tomorrow.

I passed a large RV with about 20 bikes on the roof and pulling a trailer with an additional 20 bikes. A banner read VBT. I gave them the thumbs up. A robin flew a huge circle around me over the fields and then back into the woods. It feels so good to have clean clothes again.

The sun appeared so I pulled over and turned off my lights. I really need to watch my juice. My battery pack is not at the level where I’d like it. I got barked at by a big brown dog. I had my pepper spray ready, but he was on a chain, as roadside dogs should be (I’m talking about you Kentucky).

I followed a roaring stream all the way up to the top of the pass, and passed a ski slope near the top. Middlebury Gap was a long steep bad ass. I was very happy to finally see that warning sign with the black truck silhouette on the down ramp. It could only mean one thing- I’d soon be flying down the other side on a 12% grade.

I hit 40 miles an hour on the downhill. I don’t know why, but I always freak myself out. I start wondering what would happen if my front wheel disengaged from the fork. Why do I torture myself like this? I reassured myself that the bike was fine, and I let it rip. I had to steady the front wobble with my knee against the frame.

It was a actually a 15% grade coming down into East Middlebury. I’m now on the Lake Champlain Byway. All of the Vermont small towns have beautiful wooden community houses. I elected not to do the ACA covered bridge alternative around Middlebury. As much as I would have loved to see and ride through more covered crossings, I needed to go to Middlebury to get some breakfast

I stopped to turn around and look back at the Green Mountains. They were fantastic and really good to me. I enjoyed Vermont. I was looking for the turn off to Foote Street using my odometer and, of course, I passed it, but not by much. It was nice to get off of State Route 7 coming into Middlebury.

It being Shabbos I went to Middlebury Bagel, where I had the bagel with lox platter, a side of scrambled eggs, an orange juice, and a cappuccino. A woman in front of the co-op hollered out “Adventure Cycling”. She recognized my jersey. All of the churches around here have rainbow flags. Middlebury has street crossing flags at crosswalks for pedestrians like I remember seeing in Oregon. I definitely got the graduation season vibe here. On my way out of town I was passed by half a dozen semi-truck tankers full of milk.

At West Cornwall I could see the Adirondacks range up ahead. I passed a large field that had sculpture in it. Far in the distance I saw a Peter Lundberg piece. We showed together at Socrates Sculpture park back in the late 90’s. A snowstorm of fluffy seedpods engulfed me. Blooming flowers were everywhere; honeysuckle, fruit trees, berry bushes. Spring has sprung. I passed several squirrels and birds.

As I was nearing the ferry to New York, I encountered an eastbound cyclist. I pulled over to talk to him, and he immediately broke the bad news. The ferry was broken. Gary and I talked for a bit. He was finishing up the second part of the Northern Tier. He hails from Seattle, and had started this tour section in April out of Milwaukee. He told me that the ferry across Lake Champlain was broken and that he gotten a ride across in a fishing boat.

I arrived at Larrabees point and, indeed, the ferry was not in operation. Nathaniel Hawthorne passed through here in 1835 and observed “the continual succession of travelers who spent an idle quarter of an hour in waiting for the ferry boat afforded me just enough time to make their acquaintance, penetrate their mysteries, and be rid of them without the risk tediousness on the other side”. I waited for over an hour. I met a patient woman motorist from Vermont and Chas, the proprietor of Frog Hollow Bikes, in Middlebury. The ferry had an engine cooling issue. Interestingly, this ferry makes use of a cable that runs across the lake. I tried to flag down a fishing boat to no avail. I cracked into Charlotte’s granola while waiting for the ferry to be fixed. That stuff is like sugar crack. Chas told me that the covered bridge on the alternative route around Middlebury had burned down, so I definitely made the right choice going into town for breakfast. The mechanics finally got the ferry going again. I paid my $2 fare, and crossed into New York, state number four on the tour. I arrived at Ticonderoga, famous for its pencils. I am on schedule with my itinerary, and now find myself on Northern tier map section 10.

Now that I’m no longer in Vermont I’m back to being a goy. The hill out of Ticonderoga was ridiculous long and steep. There must have been a firing range to the south as I heard a lot of ratatat tat.

The Adirondacks offer a lot of lakes and state parks. I saw my first turtle so I stopped and did a quick U-turn to get a photo. While doing so an F-ing car ran over it. My destination was North Hudson, the self proclaimed hub of the Adirondacks. I passed by the future home of Paradox Brewery. My friend and fellow unicyclist Vaughn is the owner.

I’m staying at Jellystone Campground and it’s Memorial Day Weekend and raining. The disco was at full volume. For dinner I had a pizza and a six pack of Magic Hat. I’m showered, and my soggy tent and bedding awaits me.