I was the slacker this morning and crawled into the shower to find something unusual in my travels with Dave. Complementary shampoo, conditioner, soap, and 3 different size towels. I must be dreaming. We stayed at the Ramada Inn in Rutland which was pretty posh. They even had a continental breakfast. The waffle maker was having issues, but there was plenty of other goodies. We packed up and Dave took us to see the new 50kW solar system that CVPS (Dave's company) had installed. Very nice system with public information placards and nice landscaping.
We then went up Rt 3 from Rutland to Proctor, got lost on some backroads somewhere around Chittenden, and ended up on Rt 4 up the mountain. We turned up Rt 100, Rt107 to Bethel, Rt 14 to Royalton and left turn up Rt 110 toward Tunbridge. These Vermont roads to a motorcyclist is like non-stop dessert. Nice windy roads with streams splashing beside you, going through tidy little towns that have been sort of lost in time. It is sad to pass all the thrown up dairy farms that supported several past generations of Vermont families. I always wonder what livelihood will replace these to support the future generations of Vermonters.
We pass the Tunbridge Fairgrounds (sorry World Fairgrounds) which will not open until September and wiggled up through lots of paved (mostly) roads until we got to Chelsea about lunch time. Had a nice lunch next to some twenty-somethings that were recovering from a bachelor party the night before. They seemed fine. We rode another hour or so stopping briefly in West Topsham with it's 8' x 10' post office. When we hit 302, we stopped and decided to split up. Dave and Dick were going back south via New Hampshire and down the Connecticut River. I decided to head north and do one last loop before heading home. I went up a brand new paved Rt232, up Rt2 a bit until I turned north on Rt15 toward Hardwick. Rt 15 through Wolcott, Morrisville, Johnson, Hyde Park and Jeffersonville. I turned up 108 and stopped by my grandfathers farm site. All that is left is the barn foundation and the shuffleboard court I remember him building when I was 4 or 5 years old. I am always amazed at how beautiful this spot is. What a place to grow up as my mother did. I turned off the bike and just listened to the wind blowing through the trees. Beautiful..
So over Smugglers Notch, shortcut past Trapp Family Lodge, down to Waterbury, Jonesville and over the hill to home.
We packed quite a bit into 3 days and travelling with both my brothers is a treat. We don't see each other much and it is nice to get together for a few days at a time. I think there will be more trips coming up before snow flies...
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