Last Minutes & Lost Evenings

Unknown pull of on Route 9 in New York

    I had my mind made up; If I wasn't back to work by early June I was going to ride out to visit family in southern Indiana. I had the route planned and the date set for the first weekend of June. But as we all know, life gets in the way… I got the call to go back to work, so no week long trip. I was still itching to head back out on the road though so I did some research and saw that Vermont was allowing travel if vaccinated, and I just so happen to be fully dosed. I planned a route heading up to Vermont, specifically visiting a floating bridge and crossing lake Champlain by ferry. From there I'd head back down south through New York and then back home.

    The plan was to head out after work Friday, staying on the New Hampshire / Vermont border after riding the Kancamagus highway and getting a fresh start early Saturday, but mother nature had other ideas and so she decided to just rain all Friday instead. I took the opportunity to pack better, charge my camera and drone, worked on my route some more and spent some quality time with the family. I'd head out early Saturday instead and make up for lost time.

    By some miracle I actually woke up early this time, no doubt thanks to my work schedule, and was about to get going. Before I leave I notice the trash is full and it's going to be in the 80's, so I decide to take it out before I leave. As I'm walking back in I feel the familiar chest tightness. A bit of anxiety that I get every time I head out on a trip, like an old friend. Loading the gear on the bike, setting the GPS up and checking the bike over before I head out takes no time at all and before I know it I’m hitting the road. And immediately I'm fighting with the GPS... It's routing me off my set trip and takes me straight to the highway. After following it a bit I pull over to figure out the issue and get it routing my pre-planned route, with a small deviation away from 146 and taking 495, but after I get on the pike I’m greeted on every overpass by Police and Fire engines. I still have no idea what they were there for and even Google gave me no explanation. I turn off onto 91 and get off the highway for a bit in Greenfield. I gas up at an Irving and take the opportunity to do some deferred chain maintenance. Continuing on to the familiar Route 2 I lazily follow a car along the Deerfield river enjoying the views and smells before I turn off onto 8A north in Charlton. It’s a road I discovered in my first season of riding, and a perennial favorite of mine. Narrowly winding its way skirting a roadside brook, it's shielded from the sun by a forest canopy in full bloom. Everything is green or brown and the rugged aroma of pine and dirt fills my lungs; a hallmark of the ideal road for me. I didn't see much traffic, and the road attested to this fact with pine needles covering its surface and a branch blocking my lane mid corner, which I'm forced to ride over. I remember the road being a lot more intimidating and technical. I'd like to say it’s because I've gotten to be a better rider over the years, but being less of a wuss is much more likely. I follow this up until I hit some back roads and then get back on 91 North in Brattleboro for a bit to get further north before I get off for the final time in Bradford where I finally get back to the scenic routes and head west.

Unknown Dirt Road somewhere in Vermont

    After riding for a bit I pulled off to gas up both the bike and myself. While inside the store I overhear two locals talking:

 “Aye, I heard Roger retired?”

“Ayea yea yea”

“35 years yea?

“Ayea yea yea”

“Yea, good seeing you Clark”

“Ayea yea yea, good seein’ you too Steve”

I had no idea people actually talked like this, and had assumed it was just a joke about people in Maine, but when you get out into small town New England the accent differs greatly from the cities. A little while later I turn onto some dirt roads which tells me I'm near one of my destinations, the Floating bridge. A quite literal floating bridge across Sunset Lake in Brookfield. I was attracted to visiting it from the pictures I'd seen online of the bridge being slightly flooded and cars and bikes kicking up water as they crossed it. Sadly it's been rebuilt and the bridge now floats well above the water’s level. Still cool, just not as cool… From here I meander my way through mid Vermont and hop on 89 for a hot second to get to route 100B and route 17 which crosses Stark Mountain, a familiar place to Skiers and Snowboarders alike. Route 17 would have been fantastic if the pavement wasn't garbage and the cars weren't so slow. And here I thought I was meandering… As I round a corner I'm greeted by a scenic overview of the Champlain valley and some VERY angry looking clouds. I stopped and took a couple bad pictures and headed back out, after a short conversation with a passerby about the rain and getting the fuck off the mountain before the storm greets me, which I narrowly did. As I get off the mountain I get hit with a couple of fat rain drops. “Well, the forecast did say 30% chance of thunderstorms, so it’s probably nothing.” I thought. Not three minutes later I was riding on the shoulder to hide under the trees from the rain… I ended up pulling off in Bristol Vermont next to a couple guys on BMWs donning their rain gear. I pulled mine out, but decided to wait the rain out in the gazebo in the town center. When I arrived there was a couple there eating pizza and waiting out the rain and some random chatty guy with a twisted tea. We started talking and I quickly realized this random guy was the town drunk. Every conversation ended with “Ayup yup yup” and “Oh, I've been there a couple times...” He had some interesting things to say and we had a great time talking and smoking cigarettes while the clouds threatened to crash the sky down around us. Before they fully chewed their last bite of pizza the couple escaped him and headed back out on their bicycle trip. After the weather passed I too said my goodbyes and got back on my bike. I was headed west now, and stopped at a farm store to get a present for the girlfriend and some kind of Polish Slim Jim for my growling stomach.

    After a little more riding I finally found my way to the ferry in Charlotte. I had never taken a ferry before and wanted to take it from Burlington to Port Kent, but of course it's closed so I was to ride this one. Next one was $7.50 for a motorcycle to cross, and some beautiful views. I got there just as the ferry was arriving, handed over my money and got a Kennedy half dollar as my change. It was a short 20 minute boat trip where I spent most of my time looking for Champ, the American version of the Loch Ness Monster. This ferry dumped me in Essex, where I turned north to Plattsburgh for the night. Passing through the Ausable Chasm tourist trap I took a quick peek over the edge but the attraction was closed so I continued on my way. A little while later I arrived at my hotel, ate dinner and immediately fell asleep instead of watching the Bruins game as I had planned. The following day I'd head home again through the Adirondacks and riding some absolutely unforgettable roads.

View of NY from lake Champlain. Charlotte - Essex Ferry

    I woke up in the middle of the night with a cracking headache. I guess I hadn't done a good enough job staying hydrated so I proceeded to drink at least a liter of water before I went back to sleep. Well, since I fell asleep at around 7pm I was wide awake at quarter of 6. I got up and took my time taking a shower and watching the news while sipping my Rockstar for breakfast. I still had a minor headache so another bottle of water and some Advil to sort it before I got on the bike and left around 6:30, making a stop at a Stewart's to gas up and get some more water. Jumping back on the highway I headed back down to the Ausable Chasm area where I got off and went to ride two roads that had been on my hit list for awhile; Hurricane road and Tracy Road. Along the way I made a couple stops just to soak in the scenery and enjoy the early morning lull. It felt like I was the only person out sometimes, even on major roads. Following river roads I'd get teased by the occasional smell of the river. Did I mention that I love the Adirondacks? Hurricane road is named after the mountain it's on, and it’s tight and narrow with decent enough pavement, but sadly some thunderstorms had come through the previous night so the roads were damp and littered with pine needles and sand washes. Not ideal when you’re trying to hustle a bike through the twisties. I could tell it's a great road though, and will definitely try again next time I'm in the area. The road I used to link them, Lincoln Pond road, was also great, especially knowing there were NY State Troopers ahead of me after three of them went flying past me right after I turned on. I knew they were on a call so I wasn't worried. Another road that started slow with sweepers, and later on had much tighter and closer linked corners. When I got to Tracy road it was closed. A bridge was out for repairs so I wouldn't be riding it, so instead I took the time to drink some water and put sunscreen on and watched as the three troopers passed me again. I followed the detour onto Ensign Pond road which connected me back to US 9, where Tracy road would have dumped me. And this turned out to be my favorite road of the trip. By now the roads had dried out and I had all the traction I could ever want. I was doing my best Rossi impression down the road through the high speed sweepers and tight late apex corners, with the occasional power wheelie down the small hills. It was a fantastic road. If you ever get the chance it’s well worth a trip. After this it was largely sightseeing on the way down south along route 9, with a detour to 9L for some light corners that was ruined by a Prius… I did see a beautiful waterfall, Blue Ridge, and got back on 9 to 22 where I would pick up the Mass Pike again. After riding and deciding I would be home too early, I decided I'd take 22 south until I picked up US 20 and would follow that back into Mass and all the way to Westfield, a recently discovered other favorite road of mine. Stopping at another Stewart's for the final time to use the bathroom and stock up on the essential cream soda and iced tea, I had a nice conversation with another rider from Connecticut. We talked tires, bikes, favorite roads, the usual stuff. I lost track of time and had to cut the conversation short if I wanted to have the time to take US20. Reaching US 20 I managed to get lucky and had light traffic only catching up to a couple on cruisers who politely let me pass them to continue hustling down the road. Yet another great road that really stretched the KTM's sport side. From here I jumped on the pike in Westfield and headed home with another great trip on the books and some good memories and new favorite roads discovered. I also realized that New York may be replacing Vermont as my favorite state to ride in. I find my thoughts drifting to all the places I want to ride there rather than Vermont. Maybe I've ridden Vermont more so it’s more of the same when I go there. I don't know. I'm already planning another trip to Pennsylvania and I’m ready to have the oil and tires changed when the time comes. I bought this KTM and didn't travel enough in 2020, so I figure I have to make 2021 count. 

Blue Ridge Falls, North Hudson, NY