What a trip.
A bit of an unexpected start when the Austin airport lost power promptly after I had checked my bike. That day was filled with stress and the uncertainty that this trip I had planned and trained for may even happen after all. Despite losing a day on my tour, I was elated that my bike and I made it to Burlington together.
As such, my start was a little later than anticipated, but I thought I could manage. I made it to Waterbury with a bit of daylight to spare, 25mi/3300' to camp, and an empty stomach. Strategically, I did a bit of recon next to a truck with a mountain bike on the back. As fate would have it, the owner walked out a few moments later and we talked about my misfortune with the start of my trip. He offered me to stay in their front yard for the night so I could enjoy some dinner and figure out the rest of my trip. The hospitality didn't end there when they served me a breakfast burrito from their garden in the morning and helped me do some route planning to optimize for all Vermont had to offer in terms of quaint towns and good beer.
Day 2 gave me a snapshot of what the tour was supposed to be. 65mi/6500' was a long day. When I stopped in Craftsbury, I got that unnerving feeling of nausea as I went to eat. While that subsided, these miles loaded down were more of a physical effort than a vacation 😂. When I stopped at Hill Farmstead, I started to look at some reroutes for days 3 & 4 to optimize for the stops as opposed to the miles. Camp for the day was a cool ecolodge-esque Hipcamp in Woodbury.
Day 3 was a short trek into Montpelier, which turned out to be a nice change of pace. I stopped at a cafe and met a tourer going from Maine to Raleigh and a local who gave me a tip on a Warren watering hole. After some lunch I made my way to Waitsbury where I watched a polo match for a bit, something I hadn't seen since VA. I progressed on to get in some refreshingly cold water in Warren and make it to my hostel for the night. One of the staff asked if I was from Virginia based on my phone number and said he had family from southern VA and that my name is a common name in his ancestry - maybe a long lost relative!
To the comments!
The least IG could do is give me more than 10 photos to try and encapsulate the past year.
A short and incomplete glimpse into another great year of fun and adventure.
I'm having a wonderful time exploring Vermont, but it's made me realize how much I miss the friends, family, and puppers (I am realizing I have WAY too many photos of Leo) that make life so enjoyable. Looking forward to catching up and sharing a col one soon 🍻
Much love and here's to another year full of adventure, fun, and good eats!
Midsouth 2022.
Wild to think 2 years ago I drove to Stillwater with no idea how the following days, weeks, months, and years would have gone. Some of that is still uncertain.
Aside from a chilly start and a brutal headwind to finish, conditions were ideal.
This ride challenged me mentally and physically. I felt physically spent around mile 45. I was a little undertrained and didn't get much sleep as the weather dipped into the teens overnight. I told myself it was fine to not finish. The energy of the community out there riding kept me going. Seeing a spectator or two every 10 miles provided smiles and energy. Once I got to 80 I knew I could finish out and really started to get into a groove back to Stillwater. Patch, pin, and @unlearnpavement hug earned. Today I'm happy to have experienced the lands we rode thru and proud of myself for persevering.
This was the @chumbausa Terlingua's first real test and it was a dream.
My @chumbausa Terlingua. Setup with SRAM Xplr, Nextie wheels, White Industries headset/bb, Thomson/Zipp bits, and dynamo hub/lights. Super stoked on this bike. Thanks to @chumbausa for the frame and advice, as well as @easternwheelworks for all my wheel building resources.
Took it for a ride in Taos, New Mexico that had a little bit of everything. Looking at the weather I saw a chance of rain later, so I decided to get up and go. My original route led me to a gated private road. I decided to turn around and find something else. I decided to ascend through a canyon headed up to the Taos resort. As I climbed, I felt the wind steadily getting stronger, but mostly at my back aiding me up the mountain. Eventually I decided it was probably in my best interest to turn around. The headwind was practically stalling me as I tried to ride downhill. At one point, the wind was so powerful, it created what I can only describe as a dust storm? Leaves, sand, rocks hurling at me. I hopped off my bike and tried running down the canyon hoping to get out of the wind as it attempted to rip my bike from my hands. Really starting to question my choices. Do I take cover? Keep running? I ran probably a quarter mile or so and made it nearly to the mouth of the canyon. The wind let up a little and I was able to hop on the bike again. One more climb. The wind continues to be relentless, the rain begins, and quickly turns to hail. Starting to get pretty cold but I know I only have a couple miles left. I head back down into the valley where we're staying. The wind let up, the rain created hero dirt, and I can't really feel but I can pedal. Made it home a little battered but ok. I blew my nose and saw blood and dirt.
As I type this out, maybe I did have fun?
Anyway, I love this bike and I am really enjoying Taos.
More details on my @velo_orange Pass Hunter. Now that I've finished sewing the rear bag, this thing is ready for camping once it's not so dang hot in Texas.
