Wednesday 8/18: Got a late start and ended up camping next to a Sugar Shack at the top of a mountain pass near Lyme, NH.
Thursday 8/19: Rode up and down 3 hills from Lyme, NH to South Royalton, VT and had a very nice time playing at the Farmers Market and the opportunity to eat some great local produce. Beets, Radishes, Tomatoes from a very generous farmer, and some local grass fed beef from the Luna Bleu Farm.
Friday 8/20: A beautiful day of riding up the valley of the 2nd branch White River. In Barre, VT I came across LACE (Local Agriculture Community Exchange), whose mission is "to provide a commons for family farms and their community where they can celebrate local food, LEARN from one another and build fellowship TOGETHER." LACE has a very nice store front in Barre which sells local food as well as local art and seems to be working towards being a great community center. I kept with the tradition of eating local, and had some local chicken salad for lunch. In the afternoon, I headed north from Montpelier, up a few hills until the roads turned to dirt and I eventually found myself walking into the Adamant Cooperative General Store. The Adamant Coop is a wonderful community in a beautiful spot and I immediately felt very happy to be there. In the evening, I peformed at their community dinner, which happens every friday throughout the summer, and is the perfect example of people coming together just to be together and to celebrate their community.
Saturday 8/21: Route 2 from Montpelier to Burlington is generally downhill, which was just what I needed on a somewhat cool and grey day. After a brief stop at the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where Rosetta and Melissa made me a farm fresh second breakfast, I made it to Burlington around 1pm and almost immediately fell asleep on a futon. In the afternoon and evening, I was lucky enough to attend a pig roast. Another great gathering of people - who came together to eat a local pig. I find it interesting, but not surprising, that local foods have played such a big role in the first week of my trip. We will see if the trend continues.
Hi Aaron. Sounds like a smooth trip with lots of good eating. We highlighted your trip on our Parenting blog at hvparent.com, but with a 7pm start, I think I will also post it on Hudson Valley Life.
ReplyDeleteCan you give a few details about the bicycle and other equipment/gear you are using for the trip? How did you select the roads to take? Thanks!