hard time leaving New England...

We really are done blogging. It's an effort.  ;)  But we had to share how hard it is to leave New England. (We've been exploring all week.) 

 and biking a bit more ;)

And to report that if you ever want to relax and be spoiled and enjoy this beautiful place stay at the Snapdragon Inn in Windsor, Vermont. We are picking up and leaving this morning but feel so blessed to have stayed here and enjoyed the comforts and charm and hiking/mountain biking trails and fall leaves and pond out back and river in front and on and on .... :) A true Vermont experience!

And thanks to all of you who have followed us on this journey. It has been an adventure and we are happy to have shared it.  

Aloha.  Scott and Kathryn

P.S. Now we really are going to head home.  We think.

Day 37 - Pau at York Beach, Maine

30 years ago Kathryn & I spent Labor Day weekend at York Beach.  We brought our family here in 2005, and returned today riding the bike.  It was great to finish at a place we have such nice memories.  Thoughts for the day (and on the whole trip):

1. The wind was a great friend today.  We rode southeast through New Hampshire and along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee (largest lake in NH), and angled through the rolling green forests to Maine.  The 120 miles seemed like 80 with the 18 mph winds from the NW.
2. The forest green continues to amaze me - my western roots are not acclimated to green trees everywhere.

Maine boggy swampy

Almost there

I was very happy to finish the trip & complete a goal I had thought about for over 20 years. I also felt somewhat sad; I was getting used to life on the bike; we just ran out of country.  I am a list maker so here is mine of the key takeaways on this trip:

1. Kathryn is amazing, selfless & a true example of supporting your spouse.  I am so happy I could share this adventure with her.
2. We were very blessed with great health, protection from traffic, almost perfect weather, lack of car or bike problems (2 broken spokes was all), and great support from friends & family - thanks for all the calls, emails & comments.
3. This country is grand.  The diversity of geography, natural beauty, depth of natural resources for energy and food production seem endless.  I wish we could be more efficient to help those in need.
4. The freedoms we enjoy make this country fantastic.  We can travel anywhere, buy & sell real estate, vehicles; start businesses, live where we want, do what we want.  Watching people at work (mainly farmers, ranchers, road crews, truck drivers, food clerks, construction workers, and train engineers) was fascinating.
5. 99.5% of people were kind & helpful to us; 95% of drivers were courteous to me.
6. You have to really, really like biking to do this.  Fortunately I really do.
7. I was very impressed with the folks we met that open up their extra barns, basements, community centers, and home extensions to meet a need they saw.  These people are doers & make a difference.  I want to follow their example.
8. Swimming & a hot tub are great complements to biking all day.
9. Blogging is an adventure too - I think I am done with it for now.  Aloha.

Day 37: Anacortes Washington-York Beach, Maine... PAU!

Scott is a goal-setter. More than anyone I know. He writes them down. He sets them with enthusiasm and accomplishes them with joy and confidence. He always has. And probably always will. It is who he is! He makes lists and fills in boxes on workout sheets. For goodness sakes, he writes book reports even now when a teacher doesn't make him! He is an inspiration to me and the kids and others too I'm sure. As solid as the granite we passed in New Hampshire today! ...and I'm not just talking about his legs!  ;)

New Hampshire is just like Old Hampshire, but new.  (haha, I read that today!)

When our kids were little I would rediscover the beauties of the world through their eyes. They'd laugh with glee when leaves fell all around them. They'd delight in chasing birds at the beach. They'd be astonished finding a turtle when snorkeling. And I've always found that glee, delight and astonishment watching God's creations through Scott's eyes. I loved always seeing the smile on his face as he came up the road. This trip has been a great adventure in sharing that wonder of God's bounties in this little sliver of our country that we traveled. Yesterday we attended church at the Lebanon Ward in New Hampshire and the closing hymn was How Great Thou Art. I had tears in my eyes while we sang it and Scott did too. Our joy is full.  :)

P.S.  I drove all the way across the country!

And now we get to drive back home...together. :)

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

Day 36: I LoVermont! :)

"New England is quite as large a lump of earth as my heart can really take in." -Nathaniel Hawthorne

Driving through windstorms of falling leaves today made me reflect on our time living in CT and how I loved driving the winding tree lined roads. Beauty at every turn. But also the challenge we have now as we make our own route, working our way to York Beach, ME (and moving north and south as much as east!) I remember the funny joke I heard years ago about asking an old New Englander how to get someplace and his response is "You can't get there from here!"  Hmmm I get it even more now than I did then!  ;).     Their other funnies I remember: 

"We have two seasons, winter and the 4th of July!"  :)

"In New England we have 9 months of winter and 3 months of darned poor sledding!"

I'm not really sure who reads this blog, but I do know of one high school friend who said to look out for anything with her family name back here.  I found relatives with a farm and private street not far from where her grandfather lived. Thanks for following the blog, Janet!  ;)

The storm chased us all day and finally made us hunker down for the night!

 Make that 4 pairs of sunglasses!