Day 36 - Easy to like Vermont

We biked through the heart of the Green Mountains & the rest of Vermont today on Hwy 4 (it's a skinny state).  At Shelburne Pass we crossed the Appalachian & Long Trail near the Killington Ski Resort.  Sections of Hwy 4 have been completely redone since Hurricane Irene (Aug 2011) severely damaged this part of Vermont (all of the state experienced major flooding).  For the third day this week we were affected by thunderstorms. There was a tornado watch for Vermont & New Hampshire (and much of the east coast) so we hunkered down in the early afternoon.  Thoughts for the day:

1. It is difficult to bike miles quickly in Vermont because:
• most of the road shoulders are crumbly, 
• the great scenery at every turn forces you to slow down (unless a thunderstorm approaches..),
• the need to maneuver to get decent pictures avoiding the power lines,
• the constant rolling hills are tiring
2. Vermont is the 2nd least populous state (Wyoming is the least).  We haven't seen any real towns - just villages.  Woodstock, VT is the quintessential cutesy, New England village and tourist area.  I admired a wildlife picture exhibit at the local art show.  The photographer was a former dairy farmer who turned his love of nature into a new profession.  (There are currently about 1,000 dairy farms in the state compared to over 11,000 in 1947.)  Thanks Wikipedia - it must be true.
3. The weather forecast looks great for Monday with no rain & NNW winds that should push us all the way to the Atlantic.

 

 (YouTube video attached shows flooding at this bridge)

 Civil War Monument in Woodstock, VT

 Hikers paradise

a green state

 side road before Hwy 4

Irene flood damage