After a garden variety Marriott breakfast, we were greeted by light rain as we left the hotel. Shortly after mounting up, I received a phone call from a college classmate who wanted to know how I was going to run a webinar that evening from the restaurant we planned to go to with Gerry and Jackie Bell in Shaftsbury Vermont. I said I’d wing it and promptly lost the call after going through an underpass. That seemed to satisfy my friend since I didn’t hear back.

We started the ride on a well-maintained bike path which after about 5 miles became significantly degraded, still paved but a lot of potholes and allegatoring of the surface. On the bright side, the rain was gone before we completed the first 5 miles. At the end of the poorly maintained trail we were greeted by a very steep hill (less steep than the hill just before the Best Western in Poughkeepsie but steep enough). The climb put us in a quiet neighborhood that soon gave way to open pastures and forest. We were again on excellent county roads and a state highway. We stopped for “lunch” at a gas station convenience store. Len discovered Little Debbies (miniature powdered doughnuts that became the staple of the diet of a guy who wrote a book Len once read about walking the Appalachian Trail without proper preparation).

We arrived mid-afternoon at the Governor’s Rock Motel on “Historic Route 7A” in Shaftsbury Vermont. The Motel is about a mile down the road from Gerry Bell’s house on Birch Hill Road. We stashed our bags at the motel and rode up the road to Gerry’s. The street should be renamed Bitch Hill Road – it’s steep and Gerry lives at the very end, a half mile from Route 7A.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Gerry’s dog Abbey. After being introduced properly, Abbie decided we were ok and became our friend of sorts. She seemed to forget who we were as soon as we left the room she was in and upon return were greeted by a few loud barks until our scent was recognized. After some conversation, we stored our bikes in Gerry’s garage (our room at the motel was very small) and he returned us to the motel for a quick shower and change of clothing. Gerry drove back, picked us up and we returned to his place for a glass of wine and conversation before dinner.

Dinner was at the Public House in Bennington. The food and view were terrific! The webinar I was supposed to host got off to a rocky start. The cell signal was too weak for me to use the phone as a mobile hot spot for the laptop I am carrying but eventually I was able to log in. With the help of one of the participants doing the appropriate Google search, I was able to turn hosting responsibilities over to the presenter and signed off. By that time everyone else had finished dinner and were waiting to order desert. I caught up and we wrapped up a great evening.