We left a hot and humid Kentucky, where it had not rained for a few weeks, and traveled to Vermont, where we hoped the weather would be cooler. It was not. But it was green and it had rained. The green landscape was a big contrast to our brown lawn at home.

In telling a friend about the trip we had planned to Vermont, he remarked, “Well, at least it is flat.” I said he was incorrect and asked if he had heard about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys from the Revolutionary War. Apparently, he missed that class.

Vermont is not flat.  It has the Green Mountains. They are not in any way near the height of the Western State mountains, with a high point of Mount Mansfield 4,393 feet above sea level. Although we did not bike in the mountains, the terrain was still hilly as we climbed them on regular bikes. It was fun and hard work all at the same time. It did threaten to rain at the beginning of the bike trip, but the weather held out and we did not get too much rain while riding.  

We participated in a self-guided bike tour in Vermont sponsored by VBT. It was a good set of daily rides, and the accommodations were wonderful.  Every day we saw the Green Mountains or the Adirondack Mountains. We also rode to and from Lake Champlain. I was reminded of my travels to the Rocky Mountains as the views were great. We also saw farms and cows, as expected.

We stopped at the monument for Benedict Arnold and his Revolutionary War victory on Lake Champlain at Arnold Bay. It was good to read about this victory and see him in a positive light. Arnold is also talked about in the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum we visited (pictures near the end of this blog).

We learned in our orientation for the bike rides that the state animal of Vermont is the Morgan Horse. We had a stop at the farm on our first and last day of riding. I had to look it up and found that the Kentucky state animal is the gray squirrel. I had no idea we had a state animal, let alone what it could be.

My favorite day of riding and relaxing was the day at the Basin Harbor Resort. We had a charming bike ride along Lake Champlain and enjoyed kayaking on the lake. We were taken in by the beauty of the lake as well as the resort.

Our ride to the Basin Harbor Resort was a long and hilly ride on a hot (over 86 F) and humid day for Vermont. We rode over 45 miles and climbed over 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

We were part of a group; however, as it was a self-guided tour, we used Ride with GPS and were following the routes and prompts using that app. We frequently saw the other riders, although we did not ride with them as often as we had on our guided bike tours, which also used the Ride with GPS app. It was good to know that other riders were around. I would do a self-guided ride again since my riding buddy, my wife, likes these tours as well.

The scenery was amazing, besides the mountains. We enjoyed the open roads, not too much traffic, and the destinations.

Biking or Disc Golfing?

Before traveling to Vermont for this biking trip, I looked for ways to play some disc golf. Did you know that two of the top ten courses in the world are in Vermont? Prior to starting our bike tour, I was able to play them both as they are conveniently located at Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Adding to my fun, I also played Maple Hill in Massachusetts after the bike tour was over, allowing me to notch three of the top-ten disc golf courses in the world in one trip.

The first course I played was Brewster Ridge. It was not raining at the first tee box, but we got out raincoats as it began raining on the way to the second tee box, and rained for the rest of the 17. It was a great course, although I would have enjoyed a little less water. I made the most of the time I had to play this top course.

The next morning, I played the companion course, Fox Run Meadows, another top ten course. It was an excellent disc golf course. Fox Run was a little more open (less woods) and it was the day after all the rain, so I did enjoy the experience a little better. Fox Run does not have the cement or pavers for the tee pads.

It was quite a treat to for me to go out and play Maple Hill, one of the best courses in the world. One of the reasons this and the other courses I played on this trip are so good, is that for a player like me they are accessible. I played Maple Hill a few years ago with my son and we played the red, white, and blue option, rotating from easiest (red) to a harder (blue) configuration. Maple Hill and the other courses I played also have a professional level option, all on the same course, with some different configurations.

After reflecting on playing these top courses, one of the reasons they are so good is that I was able to play them well at my level of play. I can say I played the same course as the top touring professionals in Disc Golf. Each round was enjoyable because it was challenging for me but not impossible for me to play. For the record, I played all three of the top courses at the white (novice not beginner) levels. Next time I think I will have to play at the blue level.

I also played the Basin Harbor 9-hole course. I was happy to find disc golf at Basin Harbor, but this course will not make the top 100 anytime soon.

A highlight for me was spending time with our grandson. He loves to run, and we all did a lot of that with him. He also learned to fly a kite and play baseball with a tee.

We were able to spend time with two of our kids while visiting. We enjoyed walking in Providence, and having ice cream was a bonus for us.

Other fun
We rode through a covered bridge (twice) and got to view the Middlebury Falls from a big chair.

We were excited to see the Vermont Jazz Ensemble performing near our hotel at the Middlebury Festival on the Green and took advantage of learning a swing dance from the free lesson during the performance. We enjoyed dancing on the street in Middlebury.

Near the Basin Harbor Resort is the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. We arrived after the museum closed, but we were able to walk around the museum’s outside exhibits. Some in our group went through during the day and enjoyed the exhibits; I am sure we would have as well. I am glad they had so many outdoor exhibits open for us to explore.

We rode past a road sign about Silas Wright who was known for being from the area, although he was born in Massachusetts.  This was a big monument and area. I learned about him reading the sign. He would be an important early figure forgotten to history for me if not for the sign we encountered.

I did some biking with friends in Kentucky prior to starting my bike adventure. It was good training to ride with a group of friends and tackle the hills near the Ohio River.

What a fun couple of July weeks. I was able to run, kayak, bike, and swim while away from home. I participated in the Red Legs 10K in Cincinnati in June as part of my preparation for the Big Ten 10K that I ran virtually in Middlebury in July on the first day of our bike rides. I should have chosen a flatter course for the Big Ten virtual 10K.

Our two hour kayacking cruise on Lake Champlain was just what we need to contrast with the bike riding. We did enjoy kayacking from Basin Harbor.  We went a few miles, saw an island, enjoyed the breezes and perspective of being on water, so different from being on a bike.

I joined one of my sons and his training buddy for an early morning swim at the YMCA. It was a different experience for me as the pool was much wider than my normal pool. This event completed the weird vacation four sport activity of swimming, running, kayaking and biking.

Vermont has a “creature” called “Champ” and we were challenged to find Champ on our rides by our local host at the start of the biking adventure. We only “saw” bigfoot. We did come to learn that Champ was the sea monster of Lake Champlain and is like the Loc Ness Monster from Scotland.

See you on the road. And as the Basin Harbor sign says, try to have a little fun every day.