First Ride
More than three dozen TOHG members headed north for our now annual trip to Burlington VT from Saturday to Wednesday.
Many of our members stopped at the Quechee VT Highland Games where Alan U was working the Scots Charitable Society tent before continuing on to the Burlington Best Western Windjammer, which once again was our home during our stay.
Our adventures began for those bicycling on Sunday with a 15 mile round trip ride on The Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail from St. Albans to Sheldon VT. This portion of the trail was newly regraded and offered a beautiful ride through the Vermont countryside and woods before ending in Sheldon.
On Monday many of us gathered at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington for a short ride on one of the Burlington Wildways Trails. After our ride several members toured the homestead and grounds. Later in the day we embarked on the Spirit of Ethan Allen for a 1 ½ hour long narrated cruise of Lake Champlain. The scenery of the Adirondacks to the west and the Burlington skyline made for a beautiful cruise while we learned about the history and ecology of the Lake and its environs. A buffet dinner at Zachary's in South Burlington followed where we all had a chance to get caught up on events and make new friends.
Tuesday was the premier event as most of us rode on the Island Line Trail from Oakledge Park in Burlington to Allenholm Farm on South Hero Island. To say that this is a spectacular trail would be to understate it. The trail not only parallels Lake Champlain, it also runs right into it with a causeway that crosses from the mainland portion to South Hero Island. A bike ferry took us across a short cut in the causeway to the north side where we continued our ride. We ended at Allenholm Farm, where we stopped for lunch and maple cremee ice cream cones.
Wednesday brought the only rain we experienced during our trip. A few of us took our chances and stopped in Stowe on the way home to ride the 5.5 mile long Stowe Recreation Path. Yes, we did experience a short rain shower about halfway through our ride but the scenery and ride itself were amazing.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. However, this was tempered by a stop at Ben & Jerry's for ice cream on our way back home. Needless to say it was the perfect ending for a perfect trip!
Alan U
Last Ride
