Our first 60+ mile day with more than 3000 feet of climbing. We are reminded that this isn’t the west where climbs are long and at a fairly constant grade of 4 or 5% followed by a long downhill to recover. This is the northeast where the climbs tend to be short and steep with little respite afterward. In fact, I came to dread the downhills because there always seemed to be a pay-back, another hill just as steep as the one before. This day featured significant headwinds of 5 to 10 or 15 mph nearly the entire day. Mid-day, we arrived at the outskirts of Burlington, Vermont’s capital and home of the University of Vermont. The UVM hospital is the only level 1 trauma center in the state. The wail of sirens greeted us as we approached the UVM campus. We found a small sub shop on the edge of campus near the hospital and shared a turkey sub with “the works.” The works, it turned out, wasn’t our best choice. The onions reminded us of the error of our ways for the rest of the day.

At the end of the day, our bottoms reminded us that we had less padding than we used to in the area where body connected with bike. The desk clerk at the La Quinta in St. Albans was extremely helpful. We’d counted on doing laundry for the last time that day, only to discover that the guest washing machine was out of order. The desk clerk allowed us to use the hotel laundry and went the extra mile by transferring the laundered clothing to the dryer for us. FIRST CLASS service for two tired old guys!

For dinner we ordered takeout and delivery from a local Chinese restaurant and scored a bottle of wine at the Jolley truck stop convenience store a short walk from the hotel. We enjoyed dinner in the hotel breakfast lounge and gave the part we couldn’t eat to the clerk in thanks for help with the laundry. By the next morning our bottoms had recovered, and we were ready for the ride to Newport.