Burlington Vermont Bikeway

Burlington, Vermont - When I went up to Vermont I brought my
bicycle. Now I must preface this by saying that I have not ridden a bicycle in ten years; I guess this is trial by fire. I decided to try riding on a paved bike trail and the Burlington Bikeway fit the bill nicely. It was almost all flat or very minor hills. I did find just a couple of narrow sections and a few road crossings downtown(I still have pedals with straps to hold your feet in) that I was a bit nervous on, but once I got my "bike legs" again they were not a problem.



The views of Lake Champlain from the bikeway were spectacular.



This is a bridge over the Winooski River as it feeds into Lake Champlain.



Another bridge, this one over a swampy area.



South of downtown Burlington is an area that has these marble blocks that are carved; this one is a mermaid. I am wondering if these are finished works or did the artist run into a problem? They seem to be almost finished but not quite.



North of Burlington is a park, sorry did not catch the name, at that park is the start of the trail to the causeway. This trail is not paved, it is made of packed gravel. I was a bit nervous here because the dirt trail went down a hill. Let me remind you again, this is the almost the first time I had been on a bike, on a dirt trail, with 20 year old, 25mm tires. I made it down the hill without a problem but took the paved road back up the hill, just in case.



View on the causeway. At this point I was about six miles from where I started and was hoping that the air would stay in those OLD tubes, especially riding on gravel. By the next day my tires were flat(the bike is now at the shop getting tuned up and getting new tires).



This is Local Motion, "Local Motion is a greater Burlington non-profit promoting bicycling, walking, running, in-line skating and the facilities that make such travel safe, easy, and fun!" Where you can rent a bicyle to take the trail. Here is a link to their website that explains what they do LOCAL MOTION




Another one of those sculptures on the trail. I will be posting more photos of sights along the trail shortly.

Farmington Valley Greenway - Bike and Jogging Path

Suffield to Farmington, CT - I decided to dust off my bike(literally) and try to ride. I haven't ridden my bike in at least 10 years and my bike has been sitting in the garage collecting dust. I put air in the tires and believe it or not, they held air. The reason I haven't ridden is I have arthritis in my ankle and the last time I tried to ride it really hurt; So, I decide to try again. If you have seen photos of me, such as in the corn maze, I am a little on the "doughy" side. I decide I have to do something about my weight before I stroke out or something. Anyway, I decided the best place to start out is on one of these rail to trails, the ride is flat and no cars. I have a habit of overdoing it, true to form, I did seven miles the first day and twenty the second. The good part is the ankle and any other parts are doing well so I will have to continue hopefully losing some of the blubber.


These are some of the photos I took on the trail. It is very scenic passing farmland and forests; you also take a tour of the Imperial Nurseries. On my twenty mile trip I went from Suffield to the Simsbury Flower Bridge, that is where I somehow lost the trial, which was OK because twenty miles for the second time riding was enough. Next time, I will have to find the trial that leads to Farmington, CT. I believe that this trial, connecting with others will go from Suffield, CT to New Haven, CT.

MILL RIVER GENERAL STORE

Mill River MA - I stopped by Mill River one Sunday afternoon but the store was closed by the time I got there. Attached to the General Store is the Mill River Post Office.

Since the store was closed all I could find out about it was that you can buy your Massachusetts Hunting or Fishing License there. Purchase Chester Hill Wines, High Lawn Milk, and it is on the Southern Berkshire Bicycle Loop from Caanan CT to Stockbridge MA.