30 July - Day 55: Waterford NY to Wilmington VT – 107.0 km @ 18.3 km/h

I had worked late last evening getting my journal updated and loaded to the web so I was pleased that I managed to sleep in until 9 a.m. I turned on the Weather Channel and saw that the forecast was for showers. Opening the door to the room, I was enveloped with a blanket of humidity and saw the grey, overcast skies. For once it looked like the forecasters may actually be right!

After answering a few e-mails, breakfasting and showering I packed the bike up and prepared to leave. The proprietor was a friendly Gujarati Indian and we chatted for a while. It transpired that he had been a member of the Hindu party which had assassinated Gandhi. He told me that when it came out that there were political motives behind what they thought was a religious movement most people left. I asked him for his view of the BJP party, which has been at the root of a lot of sectarian violence in India. Not surprisingly he was in favour of it and we had an interesting discussion on some of the paradoxes that one finds in India. I’m always pleased to discuss India since it is a country which I love but which I don’t understand.

I managed to extricate myself from the motel about 10:30 and headed into town to buy a map. I had only the vaguest plan of a route through New England and had been hampered by my failure to find maps of the area. Fortunately since Waterford is on the boundary they had a good selection and I was able to purchase an excellent map. As I was doing this the skies opened and there was a very heavy rain so I told the station attendant that I would hang around until the rain let up.

There were two options open to me. One was to follow Route 2 to Massachusetts and then cut north once I was in the east. The other was to take Route 7 to Vermont and then travel east to New Hampshire on Route 9. I could then head north-east towards Maine. I had decided that I wanted to try and make it to Maine since that would mean that I had cycled between the two most geographically removed states: California to Maine. I would then head south along the Atlantic coast to Boston and pick up my flight. But then again I may do something else. That is the beauty of cycle touring … no firm plans!

I asked one of the patrons of the gas station which of the two options he would recommend and he said Vermont would not only be an easier cycle but also more picturesque. Others had also suggested Route 7 so I decided to follow his advice. The rain soon let up and I was on my way.

Waterford is on the Hudson river and I needed to cross the river and then head east. As you can see from the photo below, it is a substantial river but with the tree-lined banks it is also quite lovely. Several fisherman passed under the bridge where I took the photo and there were pleasure boats as well. It is great to see it so well utilised. The bridge site was also historical as it was the site of the first bridge across the Hudson. Built in 1805, the Union Bridge was a privately funded toll bridge. It was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s so they must have got a pretty good return with a 100 year concession!

Across the river from Waterford was the city of Troy. I stopped at a gas station and used their ATM machine to get some cash from my Visa card. I have done this throughout my trip and not once have I had a problem or not been able to find a machine. It makes travelling so much easier than in the old days when we took traveller’s cheques. I recall being able to get cash from my Visa card in Colombo airport so the services are available all over.

The eastern bank of the Hudson is quite hilly and heavily forested. Even within the city limits of Troy there were lots of tree clad hills. This was once the home of Arrow shirts and I had been told that it was down at the heels. Fortunately, my route was through the northern end of town so I avoided any unpleasantness. I took Route 142 which eventually joined with Highway 7 in the countryside east of Troy.

There was a light rain but it was not the drenching buckets which are so unpleasant. In fact, I removed my Goretex jacket and cycled in my T-shirt since it was quite warm and the rain served to cool me down. The countryside was rolling hills and it was quite lovely to cycle through. The photo below gives a sampling of it, but it does not do it justice.

There were many mountains in the distance and the route was quite hilly in places. However, I did not find it difficult which is probably a reflection that after my idleness in Toronto I have regained my cycling fitness. I passed a lovely reservoir and at Hoosick stopped for a break from the rain which was getting heavier. This is a sample of the terrain.

From there it was a short hop to Vermont, one of my favourite states. A company in Bristol Vermont manufactures electronics for our road measurement system so I have been here a few times on business trips. It is a delightful state with lots of history and interesting towns. The people are also unique; quite free thinking they like to do things their own way. For example they have a state health system for poor people which is quite radical in the USA where most people have medical insurance—if they can afford it. They are also the first state to legalise gay marriages, although this is quite controversial and I saw a number of signs criticising the governor for doing so.

The town of Bennington was only about 10 km from the border with NY and as I approached the town I saw a number of lovely 18^th century buildings, many of which were art galleries or craft shops. The old school was now a gallery, but they had kept it very original down to the school bell.

The town was chartered in 1749 and settled in 1761, one of the earliest in the region. It is also famous for the Battle of Bennington which was fought near the town (actually, across the border in NY) and was of strategic importance to the Americans defeating the English at Saratoga which effectively sealed the fate of the British.

The British were short of supplies and headed towards Bennington to seize the arsenal. The Americans headed them off and defeated them. However, while returning to Bennington he was surprised by a second contingent and was in the process of being defeated when the day was saved by the arrival of more troops, thanks to his wife "Molly"! A courier had arrived at their farm asking her to send all the available men which she did before riding off on horseback and alerting 200 more men who went to her husband’s aid. After the battle General Stark returned to his farm and the route is now called the "Molly Stark Trail", or Route 9 which I was taking through Vermont.

The battle is commemorated by a 306’ monument at the top of a hill in Bennington. It is very similar to Washington’s monument in D.C. in that it is a large obelisk. However, instead of having smooth, vertical lines it has a gradually diminishing curve which gives it an unusual look, at least to an engineer who is versed in straight lines. Unfortunately, the poor weather precluded getting a good photo but it was impressive the way that it could be viewed from around the area.

My first stop was the Congregationalist Church which dated from the early 1800’s. It was an impressive structure, both outside and inside. I was surprised to see that the church had a plaque on the outside noting that it was the first church in Vermont to confirm the separation of church and state. Before, the church also served as the town hall and meeting place where governmental decisions were made.

The inside of the church was very reverent. There were family ‘boxes’ on the ground floor which had the names of people on small plaques. One of them had the name Calvin Coolidge, a former president of the USA. When I enquired of the deacon if he was a member he said that he had just visited once. The pulpit was quite impressive, the photo below doesn’t do it justice. On the sides you can see the columns which supported the balcony and ceiling. These were made from single pine trees, all the way from the floor to the ceiling.

There was a very old cemetery next to the church and I went for a wander. There were a large number of American Revolution soldiers buried there. They each had a special circular metal disk next to the tombstone which identified them as such. The deacon had also mentioned that there were some German soldiers who fought with the British buried there, but since they were from the losing side they don’t have special memorials.

The cemetery was very well kept, probably because it is very popular. This is due to the poet Robert Frost being buried there. I followed the well worn path to his family plot where there was a small tombstone on the ground.

It reminded me of a couple of years ago when Lis and I visited Blenhiem Palace in England and the grave of Winston Churchill. We were surprised at how unpretentious it was. While there is usually a penchant in America for putting up huge tombs to great (and even not so great) presidents, the man who was arguably one of the greatest leaders in history had a small tombstone in the family plot. But I digress …

From the cemetery I cycled past the battle monument and then down some country lanes to the Wallomsac river since there were some covered bridges that I wanted to see. I hadn’t appreciated how far up in the hills Bennington was. I was not keen on heading back up again!

The covered bridges were not disappointing. They dated back to the turn of the century and had a lattice framework on the inside. Quite neat. They are also a reflection of how much snow this part of the country gets! At the second bridge I passed two people on the inside when I cycled through and on my return they were kissing and dancing. I was surprised to see that they were both women, but then this is Vermont where they have just legalised same-sex marriages.

I decided to be a bit lazy and try and cycle around the town by following the road on the north of the river. At a petrol station I stopped and called Lis to let her know that I’m fine. Since I have no cell phone I call every couple of days to update her on things and show I’m not roadkill.

The monument dominated the view on the hill and with the mist from the weather it had an almost surrealistic image. I cycled over to the centre of town, passing a number of large factories that were shut down. One had been turned into an indoor sports centre which seemed like a good idea, but you only need so many of these in a town. In other places there were lovely old houses such as that below. I do like the architecture around here.

After having a meal I continued on my way, up into the Green Mountains. There was a lot of uphill and the going was slow, but after the Rockies it wasn’t anything special. It was raining again, a bit heavier, but not too bad. The road levelled out in places, but the grades then continued again.

I didn’t see any wildlife in the area but there obviously was some, given the sign below. I did pass a muskrat by the river which ran next to the road, but with all the rain the wildlife had wisely taken shelter. Shame about the silly cyclist.

There were several towns along the way, but they consisted mainly of houses. In fact, this was the least commercialised part of the USA that I had been through, with few shops or gas stations between towns, and then they were only in larger towns. This was a popular ski area so part of this may be due to the seasonal nature of the demand. The town of Wilmington was very touristy, with lots of cute shops and inns. Being Sunday evening many were closed, but I resolved that this area is worth a visit again in the future.

The misty and the rain made for unusual conditions. I always enjoy it when there is mist about, although usually I’m not cycling up mountains in it. The mist hung in clouds over the river next to the road which was really neat to see. The photo below doesn’t really do it justice.

By about 19:30 I was soaked to the skin and I realised that it would be impossible to reach Brattleboro as planned. I don’t mind cycling at night, but not when it is pouring rain and in a misty mountain. A great way to end up as a hood ornament on a RV. Fortunately, there was a campground on the way so I stopped there for the night. Just before the entrance I passed the 6000 km mark and took the photo below. The campground was in the woods to the right.

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