May 21 - Rest n Nest to Middlebury, Vt

 We did the 70 mile ride (5k feet ascent) today.  The scenery did not disappoint.  I drove the rental car from the start point to South Royalton, which was about 21 miles, then unloaded my bike and started to backtrack on bike to join the group.  After returning to South Royalton, we bought snacks at the Cooperative Market and sandwiches at an adjacent delicatessen.  

I learned that South Royalton is believed to be the birthplace of Joseph Smith.  Later in our journey we ride through Palmira, NY which is another prominent site marking early origins of his church.

Anyhow, much of the ride ran adjacent to the White River.  It's so pleasant to have the sound of the river as a background during the ride.  Jake and I traded off and he drove the rental to the base of Middlebury Gap.  We all did the climb together to the gap, which was a very steep ascent, especially the last 3/4 mile. My cycling computer was hitting up to 15% pitch.  

We are staying at the Marriot Middlebury.  Bonnie's parents, Jill and Steve Powell drove into town from Ithaca NY and joined us after dinner.  Steve will ride with us until mid-NY where he will break off along with Bonnie and Alex.  They go to Ithaca and Jake and I move onward toward Buffalo on the Erie Canal trail. 

May 20 - North Woodstock to Rest-n-Nest Campground (near Hanover NH)

 Day started off with a tough climb right out of North Woodstock - about 1600 feet over 8 miles.  The descent was much less aggressive and so lasted quite a distance - maybe 15 miles or so.  Anyhow, much of the route followed the Connecticut river, which makes up the border between New Hampshire and Vermont.  There were some amazingly beautiful properties along the river, and really, its much less densely populated than I'd imagined it would be.  We covered only 47 miles today and ended at a campground called Rest-n-Nest.  It's very nice and clean but we can hear the cars from a freeway in the distance.  I googled what was nearby and - what the hell - Dartmouth College is only 9 miles away.  So, I hopped in our rental and drove to Hanover to check it out.  It's really an impressive college town.  Also, bought my first NE craft beer since the trip began.  It was worth the drive!

A few key items to note:

1)  Jake and I shared riding/driving today and both felt great, which is good news for our longevity.  I had no pain in my IT band today.  And Jake had no cramping.  We are good and on our way back to full health after a day rest and reduced work on the legs.

2)  We entered into Vermont today, so state #2 - check!

3) I have a lot of really nice videos, but haven't figured out how to post them to the blog yet :(

Tomorrow, onward to Middlebury, Vt.  It will be a challenging day tomorrow.  70 miles and 5k ascent.

May 19 - Rest Day North Woodstock

Drove to Glen (yes a town, I suppose) to pick up our rental.  Wow... it was super sketch.  There was an abandoned building that looked like they did some laundry services, maybe farm fertilizer sales and oh yes!  Hertz rental.  There was nobody at the shop, which does not bode well.  However, I called a number left on the door and a grumpy lady showed up in about 10 minutes.  Honestly, it was smoother than most car rentals even with the strangeness of their setup.  

Our sag wagon crew (Julie and Emily) left us for good today for their own adventure along the coast.  They will spend most of their time around Boston.  And of course, no trip goes without mistakes/accidents.  When booking a place to stay near us, Julie and Emily booked a place in Woodstock, Vt rather than North Woodstock, NH.  It was about a 2 hour drive to get back to us, but all is good and believe me, we have been grateful for their help in getting our adventure off to a very good start!

May 18 Bridgeton to North Woodstock

 Hah!  We completed riding through our first state!  Maine - check!!

I started to run into IT Band issues towards the end of the day yesterday and they began getting worse today.   After 30 miles, I called the sag wagon to bring me to hotel.  I can't afford to have an injury get worse this early into our adventure!  We re-grouped, had a day off to rest our legs and heal.  I rented a car for 7 days so that our other injured rider (Jake severe muscle spasms) can trade off riding the next 300 miles or so of NorthEast hills (brutal).  Anyhow, we've now completed 300 miles and spirits are good.  Jake and I both traded our flats for some clips and cycling shoes today.

I'll post pics later...