will ride--uphill--for beer...

and pedal uphill to go downhill, eventually--fast but not too furious.

sunday, day 1: i met up with joel and sawyer at the top of stage coach road, in fayston, high above waitsfield vt, prime green mountain territory. sawyer's in-laws have a house that looks across the valley to mad river ski area. it was a grand site to final pack. after locking down what we were leaving, we took off--uphill even more. we 'peaked' out at a mcmansion in the clouds and pointed things down--into the woods on the left in the picture. much to our surprise, we hooked back up to a road and popped out right across from the driveway we started at! that was interesting.





we contemplated a second path back through the woods, but after a few hundred yards in, with a stop to watch twin fawns in a swath of chest high ferns, we turned back to some "marked" trails joel had spotted earlier. more climbing before we eventually started down, right next to a foreboding sign--danger! complete with skull and cross bones. this had to be the way.

it turned out it was a way, and after a wonderful descent--with plenty of danger--we finally t-d out onto another road that ran a few quick miles down to the highway where we turned toward waterbury.



we headed for the prohibition pig--a pub that carried fine craft brews as well as food. it was a good place to stop and eat  a late lunch, complete with a great selection of hot-sauces. while the others went right in to sample the first beer, i took a bit of time to put on the water bottle cages i picked up at waterbury sports.

after eating, soy and joel went across the street to pick up some 'cans to go' and we continued onto little river state park. we were camping there the first night and waiting for matty to come up from boston. it was a good place to stop as it had vt's largest reservoir, a pleasant place to swim and play a little frisbee. i found a pair of goggles that inspired a photo.

back at the tent site, matty pulled in and we set up bivy bags or hung hammocks, brewed some tea and lit up a small fire. it was a fine first night.

monday, day 2: i wake up early and this trip was no different. with a bit of prep, i was cooking oatmeal as the others got out of their sleeping bags. we ate, cleaned up, broke camp, loaded the bikes, and matty drove his car off to a long term parking spot. when he rode back over the hill to us, we headed off to find the single track up and over the first mountain.

riding up hill can be a grind, but the switchbacks made it almost easy. well, maybe just a lot easier than it would have been otherwise. it was a challenging couple miles, but definitely rewarding. as we topped out, we got another couple miles in the woods before hooking into an improved gravel woods road. that made things faster--hitting the waterbars at speed, made for exciting air time. at one point we came around a corner and met a huge gap over a stream with "road closed" signs everywhere. when we got off the bikes and walked up to the edge, a worker on the other side directed us to follow the pink flagging around the construction.

as we remounted and started away, he warned us of a dump truck that would be coming up the road. we were still going down hill and the road twisted and turned significantly. at one point the boys went off ahead. as i was pedaling hard to catch them up, i corned almost into the path of a large front-end loader. we both were surprised! he turned toward his side and i managed to slide a bit to my side, enough to fly by without getting scooped up. until i caught up with the others i was keeping far right in case the mystery dump truck came around the next corner.

a few miles later we were out to black top and hunting for the turn off to single track up to the von trapp brewery and bierhall. when we found 'pipe line', and started up, it didn't take too long before it turned technical. i admit that at one point, i mumbled to sawyer, "i don't think this bike was made for this type of trail." the craziest, rootiest, rockiest parts mellowed out at some point and soon enough we saw a sign for the 'bierhall'!

we each tested at least one beer and ate a sandwich while watching a couple groups play around at frisbee golf. after lunch we got in some more climbing up to some really sweet single track dropping down north of stowe, headed to morrisville. i was really pleased at how agile the bike was. it could rail the switchbacks with ease and negotiate more technical parts--only this time going downhill.



back onto roads and climbing out of the valley, we stopped at a farmstand and picked up some goat cheese for supper. just after that we pulled up under an oak tree to let a shower pass. as we dropped down the other side of the last climb, i noticed joel with his phone out, capturing a kodak moment. just as i was thinking this was not going to end well. he went down, skidding along the pavement on his hand and hip--ouch! that couldn't have felt good. it looked bad enough to even be a trip ender. we patched him up and pedaled into morrisville. oh--he got the picture...

rock art brewery was closed by 15 minutes when we pulled up, but truth be told, that might have been a good thing. long story short two catholic school board members took us up to elmore state park where we got a shelter for the night. dinner was tasty, though we probably all could have eaten more. we walked down to the lake for a swim in the dark.

back at camp, we all turned in early--resting up to go back outside and play in the morning, if joel wasn't too stiff!

prepping...

for an 'off road' adventure in the green mountains of vermont--pedaling the gravel growler.

i started prepping when sawyer first floated the idea of riding a week of mostly gravel and single track, hopping from brewery to brewery, pub to pub, taproom to taproom. 





first: i looked at the maps sawyer sent us and thought, way cool! a loop starting high above waitsfield and 70% of it gravel or single track through the woods. that sounds like a blast, even if it meant climbing a 1000'+ to end things.






second: i looked at the nishiki and thought, i could use a new bike, also way cool! for those of you who follow 'goap!', you have seen the sweet ride i got from my favorite local bike shop, drummond custom cycles. i had actually been hemming and hawing for almost two years, until robbie flat out told me, "this is the bike for doing the gravel growler." ok, it was time, i hadn't bought a new bike since the cresta, in 1984. 

third: i looked at bike packing bags available that would fit on the addict and carry all my gear. soy and i have a few revelate bags already, purchased for our vancouver, sunshine coast adventure--they are well loved, great packs. but the addict has drop bars, so i went with a handlebar harness and the egress pocket handlebar bag. given that i only had a week or so, i didn't do my usual hem and haw.

forth: i looked into a compact bivy bag, with a corresponding thermarest, neo air. this last purchase was not exactly what i wanted, but the bivy only weighs a pound and the sleeping pad compresses to the size of a water bottle. 

the one thing i didn't bother readying for was the beer. i suggested to the others that i would be the 'designated pedaler' and wouldn't need to practice for that. otherwise, i was geared up and ready to go outside and play! 

if you don't like the weather, wait a while...

...it will change! under any weather condition though, being in the mountains has always felt enriching. 


without a doubt, weather has given me pause--more accurately taken away any pausing--a fair number of times, but i would not trade those experiences for anything. i cut my east coast mountain-teeth in the mt washington valley where attention to weather gets frequent warnings with the ubiquitous 'stop' signs along trails leading above treeline. it didn't take too many trips up high before i fully understood the threat.




earlier in the week, when i read "what friday's extra-long lunar eclipse can tell us about the earth", i got pretty excited about going up high for a viewing. four MOC student had texted about a moonrise-sunset hike going above treeline to see the "'blood moon'". even if it wasn't going to be eclipsed, a full moon coming up over the horizon is always a treat. when you can see that in the east, turn around and see the sun setting in the west it's a double delight.

like all week, the weather was solidly forecast to be iffy at best and most likely stormy. sure enough, thunder clouds started rolling in around noon and we had a couple of heavy showers around five-ish. still in fast changing conditions, you never know when you are going to get a break. as i finished my 2nd piece of pizza it was still thundering in the distance. i texted olivia and asked if she was still going. she zipped back a "max and i are leaving now!" that motivated me into action. i packed my rain jacket and headed out the door.

we met and started hiking under a drippy grey sky, but there was always a chance we might see something up high. that chance got a little 'brighter' when we got onto the rock at treeline, at least in the west. you could see where the sun would drop into a fairly cloudless zone as it went down.

i got my fellow hikers to strike a pose with the opening in the clouds over their shoulders. max took a panoramic that shows the varying cloud cover well. it also shows a nice time elapse of olivia's left hand...

at the summit, we stayed to catch the sun's descent. the light kept changing and max repeated more than a couple times, "it just keeps getting better and better." the biggest break came close to the horizon, and the sun sent out vivid orangy-reddish rays. the moon in the east though, had no such breaks. the cloud bank was totally full and they were still lining up to deposit.

as we started down, we were all pleased with having made the effort and sorry that others had missed it. the sprinkles never increased enough to take the raincoat out of the pack. while the cloud cover made it darker than usual, we made it down without headlamps without too much trouble. 

as for the lunar eclipse thing, this trip was more than enough to get me dreaming about jan 21, when our part of the world will be able to see the next one--in total. i predict a great time atop 'our' local mountain. at a minimum, i'll have a chance for a shot like olivia took a couple years back...

until then--go outside and play! 

outside and playing...!

on my new scott addict gravel bike!!

i have been dreaming of a new ride for two years, ever since i helped dick drummond--drummonds custom cycles--with the shop roof after a major leak. one thing you may not know about me, i take forever to make a purchase decision, and then i second guess myself 'til the cows come home. if you live in vermont, that would be 'ke-ows'.

i finally dropped the visa on a carbon frame gravel bike--just in time to get out and condition a bit for a vt back road tour over in that great state next door. this week has been a bit drippy for riding, we have had 3 inches since monday. it is hard to stay off a new bike though and i have pedaling between the drops.

a test ride around a loop in the shaker woods, one we ski when there is snow, got me pretty excited. it was light and wicked agile. going up was, not easy, but doable--most of the way. going down, fast, was doable all the way, thanks a good deal to the disc brakes on front and back. i got back to the shop and robbie convinced me--mostly by just unboxing a frame and promising to build me up, a custom cycle. 

i gave them the weekend to do their own thing and two rainy days. wednesday morning as i rolled up on the ol' nishiki, robbie met me at the door, "we just finished!" while i swept the floor he swapped out my peddles and adjusted the seat to match what i had on the nishiki. i rolled out the door and headed back to the woods across the road. they had put on a bigger gear ratio and i definitely felt the difference. pedaling up steeper sections i started spinning out in the leaves and muddy spots. i walked less, but still got pretty sweaty going up. i wasn't thinking about the heat coming down, mostly because i had to work the brakes hard to keep from launching myself.

when i came out of the woods i went for a cool down ride on the road to test a smoother ride. it was wicked nice. the brifters were a new convenience for me and shifting is something i will be doing a lot more, micro adjusting for a steady cadence. a few miles out, a few miles back, the sweat and bit of rain had practically dried out of my shirt. we settled on the bill and i rode off back to school, and a photo op.

big thanks to robbie and dick at drummond's--they know bikes and get to know you as a biker, when you come in. their jokes about my upgrade--it only took 34 years--were spot on and made me feel loved rather than shamed. 

now, when it stops raining for longer than an hour or two, i am going back outside to play...! 

a month and more...

lots of playing outside! much less blogging.

out in the garden early today, then again after lunch, about seven hours--still not caught up after a week away up to popham beach. this year i was wondering what would grow while we were away. it has been a really dry spring but we had gotten 2 1/2" of rain thursday the 28th, two days before we left. i had weeded on friday, but all that water and a week of sun and heat pushes growth like crazy.

sure enough, everything had put on a lot of green, plants and weeds alike. by five this evening i had to come inside and rest my back. i came back out to water and snapped this picture, complete with cows in the background. the electric fence is my feeble attempt after a few years off, to keep deer from grazing the vegetable isles. this year was the first time i ever saw them go after tomatoes! so far my little solar zapper seems to be working. a week at the ocean is totally worth a long day--or two--in the garden. 

it has been plenty busy all june, but since the last post of the four MOC 'campers' i have gotten in a few good outings, and one monster bruise! pam and i had run up south peak on moose mountain one saturday from the canaan side of wolfboro road to where the AT crosses. i try to hike a few times a month barefoot. it helps me pace myself when i am with pam and gives the bottoms of my feet a workout. i swear, even though pam laughs at the idea, that i pick up a fine silt making things pretty slippery down there. at least that's my story as to why i slipped on the stairs the next day.


my lower back swelled up like a balloon. some arnica and vitamin i fooled me into riding down to windsor the next morning to meet with the PBEE, place based environmental education, wellborn folks. just a bike ride might have been ok--but maybe i should have past on the five mile kayak paddle down the connecticut. my chiropractor might not agree, but i don't think it made it too much worse. of course a week later, the first time i went into the ocean, a fellow cabin dweller we've known for years, came up and pulled at my trunks, "i don't mean to get fresh, but what the heck did you do?" do you think all that color makes my butt look big?



the cold water hopefully sped up the healing. i say cold but, it didn't seem as frigid as it sometimes gets. pam even went in on three different days, one day for two long swims. i was in at least once a day and noticed that as the week went on, the temperature seemed to go up--at least i could stay in longer. one low tide, sadie and i swam out a fair bit where it felt a lot colder. coming back in, we both clearly sensed passing into a warm zone.

while i wasn't swimming, i was often reading. one of our favorite times is after five, when the beach pretty much clears out. we sit and read until one of us gets hungry enough to go up and cook supper.

another routine i have is an early morning beach walk to collect toys and things that get left behind by the crowds. this year was big on clothing as well as buckets, shovels and flip-flops. the treasures on sunday and monday helped me make early plan to make the yearly 'sculpture' like the three figures pictured below.

the cartwheeling figure was inspired by 6 year old katherine, who jumped up and did a perfect one when i asked her how she liked gymnastics. when her craig, her father and a long time cabin dweller, announced he could do better, she quickly flubbed one and told him, "that's how you do it." the tree pose was an ode to two namaste yoga mats i found one morning. the lttle release the beast croquette player got built to use up the 9 different bucket handles i picked up--finally, a way to place the ubiquitous but rather useless handles.



friday was our one rainy day for the most part, but warm-ish and not bad for building a "go outside and play" theme. 

last year's sculpture, the picture to the left taken just before halloween, was up through the winter, but my buddy tom, a semi-permanent cabin dweller and off season documentarian, has informed me that the rangers are saying they have to take this year's down as the clothing counts as debris. 

i wonder how they classified all the stuff hung from the dream catcher last year?

oh, well art is ephemeral...and why worry when i have plenty of weeding to keep me busy!