2013 Vermont Trip, Part 2

I'm back home in Toronto, reflecting on how quickly the week flew by.

I'm happy to report that Babe behaved perfectly after the fix for the starter wire, she purred all the way throughout the rest of the trip including the 12 hours driving back on Saturday. I'm glad we pushed all the way home on a beautiful sunny day; it rained on Sunday so being home, sleeping in, relaxing was perfect.

And I spent some time yesterday editing photos and videos. First up, here's the video... I took parts from a number of trails, mixed them up to a great tune, and came up with 8 minutes. These are all fun trails, lots of flow and most of them are descents so you can pick up a lot of speed. I did speed up the video as well, mostly just to get more of the trails in without making it too long but also because I wasn't going that fast. I was riding more than I expected to and loving it but I wasn't going to push my luck. No spills or slips, and I walked the few very tricky parts I came across including some narrow bridges.

Next up are some photos... this blog entry is all about the images and feelings rather than my words :)

These two photos are from the Ricker Pond campsite we had. I can't even guess how long that stone picnic table has been there but it's still really solid so I expect it will be there for a while.

These clam shells on the other hand... they will only last until the next kids come to play on the big rock at the edge of the woods.

Here's what the trails looked like at Ricker CG, they were perfect for me to start riding on.

This waterfall was just off the road, part of Wells River.

We changed campsites for our last night on Burke Mountain, this is the campsite we had reserved (not intentionally but it's the one listed in our reservation). The campground was going to fill up on the Friday evening for the weekend and the site we'd been staying in was booked for the full weekend so it made sense for us to move. And yes, that is another westy in campsite #7 through the trees.

One thing I've found since getting the camper is that firewood is a much different experience that what I'm used to from canoe camping. I've had a great Sven saw for over 20 years (designed in Canada, manufactured in the U.S.) and have used it a lot to cut small trees for evening fires. But much of the camping in Babe is at campgrounds or forests where cutting trees isn't permitted and firewood comes in the form of split logs. Often not split all that well. So I finally broke down and bought a small axe to add to the tool box.

And here are a few more colourful shots to wrap up this entry. I particularly like the vibrant sunset. Not bad for an iPhone photo...

The 2013 Edition of Autumn in Vermont

Amazing how quickly time has passed this year, and yes… I know I'm repeating myself. I just keep getting reminded of that in a bunch of different ways at a bunch of different times.

The last bike riding I did was back in April, back in North Carolina, back before I hurt myself. And so Wednesday in the parking lot of the East Burke bike shop (and by the Kingdom Trails office) it really didn't surprise me to be talking about Pisgah to someone who'd spent a lot of time there. Jesse Livingston & his partner Lori Reed (Trail Care Crew for Subaru/IMBA) we just headed up this way from that area and were here for the first time. But that's later in the trip report so let me get back to the beginning.

We got the camper loaded up in good time on Thursday and didn't hit too much rush-hour traffic getting away from the city. I was up for 5 or 6 hours of driving and we planned on getting to our usual first night stop in Massena, NY. We made good time and got there shortly after 10pm with time to unwind and watch a little TV (likely the only TV we'll see until we're on our way home except for little bits in pubs & such). It was filled with politics of course and certainly got us up to speed on the various positions of the parties and groups of thugs within the parties who seem to be holding the rest of the country hostage until they get what they want. It was a good refresher before heading into Vermont and spending some quality time with Guy & his wife Joan. He is well versed in the national and local scenes and always interesting to talk politics with (something I generally don't do so take that as high praise if you're reading this Guy!).

Driveway camping with Joan & Guy

We got to their place around 5pm on Friday and got the first part of the tour from Joan, including her favourite place in the house. I can see why too… the view across the valley to Mt. Mansfield was gorgeous. I can imagine many hours spent there reading, petting a cat or dog, or just lost in thought. Perhaps a nap or two as well! When Guy got home we got the tour of his beer-making facilities with a tasting. What a great setup, with multiple delicious beers on tap by the keg (no bottling, just straight up).
When we were about to head to Jericho for a nice evening dining at one of their favourite restaurants (Joan told us she'd just been there that afternoon) Babe decided it was time to act up… the problem I've been having lately with the positive lead to the solenoid on the started coming off did exactly that. It's not hard to put back on but with the camper loaded and bikes on the back it would take 15 minutes just to get to it. Guy suggested we go in their camper so off we went. I realized I hadn't been in the back of a westy before (or if I have I've forgotten it). Definitely a lot of room between the front and back seats!

After a leisurely meal (inspired by slow service as much as anything else but still very enjoyable) we headed back and decided to fix the starter wire once and for all. Guy dug out a few tools, I dug out the offending wire and we proceeded to clean it up, solder on a 3 inch extension to make up for the inch we took off plus making up for the short length, double protected it with heat shrink and then added on a good connector (soldered not crimped and protected with heat shrink as well). I'm happy to report that 5 days later the problem has not reoccurred and I would be very surprised if it dare to! So… a big thanks Guy.

Smugglers Notch

One more thing he shared with us is a great camping spot and that's where we headed to the next morning. Rickers Pond CG is part of Groton State Forest and is set between the lake and an old railway bed that's now a multi-use path. It turned out to a perfect place for me to get back on a bike with gentle grades and not too many bumps. There are some nice campsites too, they get booked early I expect and we were happy to take what was left. They are a little close together for my liking but then again we got to meet some great people (including Lesley & Bill and their dog Casey). Next time we head to Watkins we'll let them know and perhaps get together. There was also the blacksmith from down around Putney (I think I got that right) who used to have a westy but decided to switch over to a trailer. He came by to take a look, chat about the pleasures of travel, and recumbent bikes. Interesting guy. And he very helpfully came by the next morning to let us know about the weather heading east. It didn't catch up to us until late Monday afternoon but it definitely hit a few areas really hard (including the Burke Mountain CG which had a few trees come down on sites).

Back to Rickers Pond though… on top of camping (which I love), it also represents my return to riding a bike with two days in the saddle in a row. Saturday, October 5th 2013 was just 2 days shy of 7 months since my fall in NC. The first ride was tentative and about an hour and a half along some rail-trail. Up hill for about 50 minutes at a gentle grade, then back down to the campsite. It was long enough that my tender butt told me about it the next day though. And the other part that complained was my neck… it's been almost 7 months since I've tilted my head back like that.

Mushrooms, in HDR

The next day was a little easier and definitely a lot more fun. We headed in the opposite direction and even played a little off the trail. Not exactly single track but riding through a hydro cut and then a bit of pine forest. That ride was closer to 2 hours.

Monday (the day the weather was supposed to turn on us and the rest of New England) was a day of travelling, shopping and exploring. That included a stop @ King Arthur Flour in Norwich of course. Our final stop of the day was to buy a tarp since we'd forgotten to bring one along and figured we should have one handy. I guess there was another stop as the folks at the Burke CG suggested we might want to wait until around 8 when the storm would definitely be past before setting up camp. And as we were the only people booked into the CG for that night and the next they gave us their phone # in case we needed some help.

Dinner was in the pub in East Burke where we kept an eye on the weather and then made our way up to our campsite. A good fire to keep us warm, the rain stopped and we got to enjoy the night. It was cool but we were rewarded with sun the next day. And it's been sunny ever since (and still cold at night).

Campsite #6

We rode some gravel roads on Tuesday… what was a short loop turned out to be a long loop as we missed a turn. It made for a better ride though and put us on some "roads" that would pass as technical double track. And it helped me with my comfort and confidence on the bike. Which brings us to Wed., and meeting Jesse and Lori in the parking lot.

Parked at Kingdom Trails

This road was on Andrea's GPS

Andrea was all set for a good 3 hour ride and I was just puttering around the camper as she was getting ready. Jesse has friends who are full-timers and has spent time traveling in a westy so he knows the pleasures (and challenges). As paid Subaru/IMBA reps, they get to travel around staying in hotels/motels riding their bikes… and loving it. He mentioned a blog they're keeping, I'll have to check it out.

And on that note I'll wrap up this blog entry. Our trip is about ½ done so there'll be another installment which will start with how our ride on Thursday goes. We'll both buy trail tickets and I'm intending to ride mostly double track plus some easy single track connectors. Then a little more riding on Friday and we'll see how that goes. For now, it's stack up some firewood and get things ready for a cosy evening by the fire.

Here are a few photos to enjoy... they are @ 1024px resolution so they might work as a desktop background.

the end of one season marks the beginning of another.

 Colour

 

Colour and sky

Heading back to Vermont for Autumn colours

As I've said before, it's been an unusual year so it's really satisfying to be doing something we've done for a few years now... heading down to Vermont with some bikes to enjoy the beauty on display.

As we were leaving Andrea was getting caught up on the day's news... it was very saddening to hear about Amy Dombrowski. Only 26 years old, she was one of the best cyclocross racers from the U.S. and was born in Jericho, Vermont. It put the fact that we're coming back to Vermont into a different perspective and has me once again appreciative of how lucky I am to be able to do this.

As we have done for the past couple of years, we've made it to Massena, NY and are at the EconoLodge (just for the waffles in the morning). Another bit of borders blurring...

Here are a few photos from previous years, I have my camera gear and hope the weather co-operates to let me add to them this year. And here's a link to my entries from 2011 and 2012.

Wow... 2013 Buses at Bon Echo Already!

Amazing how time flies... although for me this year has been an unusual one. Still, it's the end of September and I'm not mentally prepared.

This will be the 3rd time I've headed to Bon Echo for a VW campout, and each one has been different. Cold, wet, sunny, windy, fun, and knitting are all words that fit into the previous editions. Here's a link to last year's blog entry.

I'm looking forward to it, this has been a year of few pleasant distractions and this will only be my 2nd VW campout of the year.

So Quiet In Here

I've been a fan of Van Morrison  for as long as Andrea and I have been together and it struck me as a good spot to re-ignite this blog. I've been neglecting it as my focus has been on healing and as understandable as that is I don't think it's right or balanced. So this is meant to kickstart a shift.

The song goes likes this as you get into it:

All my struggling in the world
And so many dreams that don't come true
Step back, put it all away
It don't matter, it don't matter anymore
Oh this must be what paradise is like
This must be what paradise is like
It's so quiet in here, so peaceful in here
It's so quiet in here, so peaceful in here

From a very optimistic (idealistic?) opening of "your heart beating close to mine" to a follow-up "glass of wine with some friends" the thought remains consistent... be at peace with yourself. Paradise found is what you see when you look inside and know you're where you should be looking.

Now let me make it personal... the time I spent dealing with life's roll of my dice has really gotten me to think about what's important and led me to try to find places I can (hopefully) have an impact and possibly make a difference.

I choose to try to do more, not less. I'm hoping my body agrees with this plan (so far it's being reluctant) but I am pushing ahead with the optimistic (idealistic?) perspective I am prone to.

On the plus side:

• Multiple bike races covered, more planned (even though I had to miss some of the major events of 2013 like ToEG, MSA and the Quebec/Montreal races).
• more published articles this year than I would have thought possible for me, as a visual guy. I'll have to not say anything for at least a year just to reset the scales!
• I put my bike back together last weekend, yes the one I crashed on. I even rode it to test shifting. I'm soooo looking forward to getting back on a bike.

The flip side:

• My personal focus has shifted from what I think matters to what I need to do for the contracts I've accepted. This is new to me and I will sort out the right balance given enough time.
• My body is saying "really? you expect to ride???" My answer is... yes
•  I expect more surprises

I will find my balance, it's important to me that I do and so I know it will happen. How much riding, how much office work... what that balance looks like is still to be sorted out

I can say with absolute certainty that what I have gone through has changed me and I am less inclined to compromise on things that I think are important.

So...
a lot of words and no images. That's not in keeping with what I've just written so let me add a few visual highlights of the time spent thinking those thoughts... treat this as a little bit of the churn and accumulation of cobwebs inside my head. I've been (and still am) very positive about this. I just haven't talked much about how hard it has been and still is to keep that positive view on life. That's for another time...

The Bowker / Sher gathering to say farewell to Bowpark

Building it up

Getting out and about - BoTC 2013

This year has been quite a different year, for lots of obvious reasons. The result has been a lot of different activities for me though, and that came as a surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have.

Obviously all of the time spent in the halo meant I couldn't be active the way I normally would be. One of the byproducts of that is less physical fitness but more time spent writing (rather than taking photos). The latest issue of Pedal magazine arrived in the mail today and I realize that I wrote 3 pieces for that issue including a 4 page piece on the 100th Tour de France and the Canadians who've participated in it over the years. And of course I learned a lot along the way, including the following:
1. the first North American to win anything @ le Tour (jersey, stage, etc) was a woman
2. the first Canadian to participate was a lot earlier than the people I knew about (a Quebecois rider by the name of Pierre Gachon was part of a British team in the late 30s)

If you pick up a copy of the "Fashion issue" let me know what you think of the piece (no, none of the fashion photos are mine). There are three separate pieces that I wrote in that issue, that was the most in depth though.

That time included a bunch of interview of which some were meant for web use and others will be used in the future for articles. And it was great talking with some awesome riders, always fun.

Now that I'm back to being a little more mobile, I'm finding it a challenge to write because I'm eager to do things away from home just because I can. And that included my first VW bus event of the year... Buses of The Corn. Our first, since Andrea wouldn't head to a VW campout on her own. Having said that, she did take Babe out on a solo adventure to the 24 Hours Summer Solstice bike race back in June though.

The Potts family has been organizing this event since 2001, with Greg and his wife Colleen having a key role in making it happen. BoTC isn't one of the bigger events on the campout calendar but it is close to home and a gathering of a bunch of local friends so it's one we've tried to make a point of getting to. It's also the first campout we went to after buying Babe. The other one that's always on my calendar is BusFusion but it wasn't to be this year so being able to get to "the Corn" was a big deal.

A new location for this year also made it a bit more of an adventure (and a bit more of a drive). It made it a LOT more of a great event though and I can see it getting a lot more popular just because of the venue change.

The new location, Selwyn Beach Conservation Area on the shore of Lake Chemong north of Peterborough, is a little bit more of a drive for folks in Toronto and West. It's well worth the extra travel time! Here's a clue...

Blue skies, sunsets and meteor showers were the weekend lineup

BTW, the only camera I brought was a little GoPro Hero3 (and my iPhone of course). Taking photos without an LCD or viewfinder is an interesting challenge...

Top of the hill, above the beach. Nice morning view

Andrea and I got off to a late start which is what we expected since we both had a full day of work to get through first. Packed up, a little shopping and on the road around 6:30pm. We expected traffic on a Friday evening in the summer to be bad but it actually wasn't so we made good time. We didn't get lost (much), realized we had brought bathing suits but forgot towels (didn't find an open store to buy any once we realized it and really didn't care) and got to the campout just after sunset (and at the peak of mosquitoes for the evening!). We were still able to pick a nice spot to camp though, one of the benefits of a smaller event. And in the morning we got to see how lucky we were!

The campfire was fun and there were a lot of hugs from people who'd been looking forward to seeing us after all they'd heard. Honestly, I was really touched. So... thank you my friends.

Somehow it even worked out that Andrea tried some tequila (a campfire tradition for those who attend the events but not one that Andrea generally participates it). Patron Gold is a nice one to start in with though and that's what Gord offered (in his custom made pottery shot glasses).

The campfire is always a central part of these events; a mix of the fire and the music and the conversations. This year the conservation area provided wood for us to burn and Greg made a decision to leave all the furniture burning behind. A win-win I think.

Greg (L) and Frank (middle), a bursst of sparks, plus a knee & chair :)

Saturday's plan was pretty full, starting with the burrito breakfast and then moving on to paddling and swimming. There was a tie-dye session in the afternoon and then the pot-luck + corn roast dinner. I got to learn about how many people there were also vegetarian... we ate really (REALLY) well. And had lots of great dinner conversation over food and wine. Getting to know people you're only met before can be such a delight and I can honestly say that the time we spent chatting with J & J was a genuine pleasure. Not the only one of course, this is an eclectic and very interesting group of people.

food

more food

conversation

more food and more conversation!

Of course that was followed up by another campfire but I'll be honest and say I was pretty tired so I didn't stay up all that late. I get the impression I'm not the only one too, I guess the combination of fresh air, lots of sun, and a beach to play at had people a little tuckered out.

Here are a few more photos from the weekend, including a few shots of the bocci game (the french call it pétanque)... next year I'm going to team up with Andrea as she's an experienced player and see if we can't take top honours! lol

First Drive, First Photo Shoot Since April

It felt really good to get out for the weekend.

This past weekend was the Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships up at Hardwood Hills and it marked my return to being a snapper. I wasn't able to get up for the Eliminator on Thursday but did have the pleasure of covering the Elite races on Saturday and the Sport, Relay and Expert races on Sunday. I also got to drive Babe, now that I don't have to wear a collar. That was very liberating.

And I finally got to see my mom, to give her a hug and spend a little time together as we stayed overnight on Saturday. I know it's been very hard on her to be apart for so long and finally getting a visit meant a lot. You won't have to wait 4 months for the next visit mom!

I didn't move around to get the broad coverage I usually do, I was being careful and feeling the effects of 3 months of inactivity. My shoulders still hurt today from carrying all the camera gear. I still managed to get some great shots, including this sequence of the winning move in the elite men's race that saw Derek Zandstra pull away to lead for the final lap and take his first national title.

DZ gets in front just before Boneshaker

Kabush lets his teammate get a gap

Plaxton has to do all the work to try and close it down

I haven't sorted all of the photos from the weekend but will get through them over the next couple of evenings. One of the other sequences I like is of Andrea in Boneshaker. This was her first time racing it and she did great all three times through it.

And to wrap it up, I put together a short video of post-race interviews. I made a point of seeing what I could find out about the tactics used by the Scott 3Rox trio.