Day 10

Middlesex, Worschester, Elmore, Wolcott, Morrisville, Hyde Park, Stowe, and Waterbury

Miles: 56, mostly paved with a bit of dirt and a smidgen of bike trail.

To date: 570 miles and 92 towns. I have the northeastern quadrant done. I expect the other three quadrants to be fewer miles, so I’m guessing I have less than 1,500 more miles to go, and maybe closer to 1,300.

I got to ride on this muggy, overcast day without my gear. My Montpelier hosts graciously offered to slack-bike me, and I am now at our arranged pickup point. I will return to their house tonight, and they will bring me back here tomorrow for yet another glorious day of riding gearless! Then on Sunday it will be back to hauling all the gear.

I made it today with one battery barely down one bar of power! It was fairly flat by Vermont standards. I did push it some, as for a while I was riding in the rain. Luckily, it did not amount to much and was over by the time I finished my delicious smoothie at a small cafe in Stowe.

I have one tender leg muscle I am nursing along, and while I feel good after today’s ride, I also feel like I could fall asleep in a heartbeat.

Even with the leaves just past peak, the trees are still adorned in reds and golds. I was on more major roads today, so had more cars, but mostly it was a very pleasant ride. I enjoyed being able to sail downhill at over 30 miles per hour and really lean into the curves, things I am loathe to do when fully loaded. I expect to post some other blogs soon.