A Foggy Sunday Morning

Fall riding in VT is really fun. You have to catch it at just the right time to get the best of it, but it is always good. There is a very short window where you can ride through the woods and enjoy the fall colors when they are on the trees, and not all over the trail. I'd say we have two weeks tops, provided we don't have any big storms come through.

Today we rode Millstone Trails in Barre again. Lots of fun new stuff has opened since our last visit, and we spent most of the morning checking it all out.

We started the day in dense fog, which gradually burnt off. It wasn't that cold, so we ended up loosing the jackets quickly. The air was dead still, and the humidity made all the rocks, roots and old quarry cables very slick, so the danger factor was quite high. At one point, I was climbing up a short climb, seated, and spinning at a good speed, when all forward momentum stopped, and I slipped backwards about a foot at a 45 degree angle before I got traction again, all without breaking my cadence. An interesting experience to say the least.

One of my favorite scenic trails out there is the Capitol Quarry Loop, which is where the title picture was taken. The next two shots are Dave and I riding one section, where you squeeze between a big hunk of granite, and a rather large drop. It sneaks up on you quickly, and even though I know it's there, it gives me the willies every time. You are so focused on the trail before you get to it, that when the woods finally open to the beautiful vista, you momentarily break focus on you line to take it all in. Until you suddenly realize that too far to the left will really hurt, and there isn't much left to begin with.




































The fog was starting to lift as we climbed to the top of Imperial Lookout, which is one of many spots where they used to dump the large rocks that didn't pass QC. We got a quick peek at what fall has to offer, and I think it will be a colorful year for us. The light was just so, so I had to take a picture of Orange Bike.


And, now available, the Bike 29 T-shirt! Modeled by this handsome devil, these are preshrunk Anvil cotton T's, and so far, on cold cycle, do not turn any of your other stuff red. Sizes M, L, XL are available for $15.

Remember, Bike 29 encourages you to ride big wheels!