The day began at Gerry’s house with a great breakfast prepared by Jackie. We said our good-byes, anticipating that we were going to get wet sometime during the day. We encountered a few drops of rain coming off Birch Hill but after turning on to Route 7A, the rain stopped. We decided to stick to the State highways, 7A and 7, figuring the grades would be gentler and the shoulders wider. We were correct on both counts. Though there was more traffic than we would have encountered on secondary roads, the drivers in Vermont are really considerate. Whenever possible, they would pull over into the lane for oncoming traffic to give us plenty of space (actually more than we needed given the generous shoulder we had to ride on most of the time). Neither Len nor I can remember being honked at even once (other than an occasional friendly honk).

About an hour up the road from Gerry and Jackie’s place, we stopped for a leisurely cup of coffee and pastry in the beautiful little New England town of Manchester, VT. We knew we had a short ride that day and since it wasn’t raining, stopping to enjoy our surroundings seemed a good idea.

All things considered, the ride was fairly easy, and the 1500 feet of climbing was either gentle or in short bursts. We managed to outrun the rain showers chasing us and those in front of us passed through before we got there. Thus, what was expected to be a day of riding in the rain turned out to be almost dry and very pleasant. When we arrived in Rutland, we were greeted at the Hampton Inn by rave reviews for Jim’s Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, riding jersey (not sure why; guess we’re too old to know about anything by the great music). Our room wasn’t ready, so we headed over to the 99 Restaurant and Pub, a short walk across the parking lot from the hotel. It was good enough and close enough that we went back for dinner. It was only after dinner that we encountered rain, but Jim brought his trusty, very inexpensive umbrella purchased back on day -1 in Jersey City. Though small, the umbrella managed to keep our heads dry.

VT begins the chocolate milk diet to keep the old legs pumping.