Shrewsbury 3-Handle

 Mar 28, 2025

I headed out to West Rutland again only this time I tried some different roads to add more to my Wandrer total.

West Rutland RAW

 Mar 25, 2025

I got the Waltly back from the shop with a new spoke and headed out to West Rutland after work with the intention of riding through the Taconic Mountains on VT 133 and then riding the entirety of Walker Mountain Road back towards Clarendon.

I passed by the West Rutland Art Park but it looked a little anemic.

Passed by the Clarendon Springs Hotel

Finally turning onto Walker Mountain Road and there wasn't much to see

but it's a pretty good climb for 5 miles.

There's good view of Killington Peak

and plenty of cows.

It was snowing on Pico this afternoon.

There's a sculpture of a moose in West Clarendon.

His name is Wendell

Cold River Road is not bad but can get busy

It was cold enough today to warrant bar mitts!

Riding with the Doggo

 Sep 26, 2026

Ann & I took Kai in the trailer today down to Wallingford and he was a little more work than the last time. He was whining a lot more this time, especially if he couldn't see Ann.

Fletcher Farm Trails

 Sep 25, 2026

A new trail system just opened in Ludlow, VT called Fletcher Farm Trails and I thought I would check it out. I replaced the rear brake pads on the Cujo and loaded her up on the MINI. It's kind of a bittersweet day as I will be trading in the MINI for a pick up truck and this is the last time I will carry a bike with the car.

Go Dog, Go!

 Sep 21, 2026

We have an onery, Corgi and Australian Shepherd mix and hate leaving him in VT when we come down to Connecticut. We brought him down with us this weekend and decided to get him a kid trailer so we could take him on rides with us. I looked around Craigslist and FB Market Place and found this InStep Trailer over in Naugatuck. On Sunday, we tested it out with Kai.

Hidden Dirt Roubaix

 Sep 18, 2026

I was looking at the maps the other day and I happened to notice a few roads/trails that appear to go through to other roads on the routes that usually ride so I decided to check them out today.

Another camping trip with bikes

Sep 12, 2026

We drove down to Buckland, MA on Saturday and boondocked at Ann's friend's house. We were in the heart of D2R2 land but we were there to help her friend celebrate her engagement and couldn't ride Saturday. In fact, we didn't ride at all due to the weather and our time table.

2026 D2R2 Edge Hill Metric+

 

Team Karl's Sausage Kitchen is off on another D2R2 adventure.  Since it was Will's birthday today, I did some map recon the night before and found some dirt roads that we hadn't ridden yet that would add a few more miles to our route and give Will his birthday milage.

2026 D2R2 Pre Game to Treehouse Brewing

 

I arrived at the Franklin County Fairgrounds around 1:30 PM, registered, and set up my tent. Will was running late so I went back to the registration shed and bought some T-Shirts. Having the event at the Fairgrounds was a definite plus. The place is pretty much self contained with plenty of camping and RV Sites, chow hall, food venues, showers and bathrooms. Next year, I am bringing the camper and hopefully I can get Ann to come with me.

Rochester Gap Roubaix

 

I crossed another item off my Vermont Riding Bucket List, Rochester Gap. While looking at possible routes I found quite a few dirt roads that encompass the gap so I worked in some dirt roads to add to the fun. Also, there is an old railroad line here known as The White River Railroad. A historic 19-mile shortline railroad in central Vermont running between Bethel and Rochester. Known locally as "The Peavine" because it closely hugged the winding path of the White River, the line operated from 1900 until 1933. The foamer in me is always looking for old railroads.

Brandon Gap Metric

 

Now that I live in Vermont it's about time I start hitting some bucket list items.  The list includes the Six Gaps of Vermont but with trying to find a new job and other responsibilities in my new home I have to approach them in a more segmented fashion. Also, I want to hit them in both directions to see which approach is harder.

Canoeing Lake Bomoseen

 

Before breaking camp Ann & I took her canoe to the boat launch and headed out on Lake Bomoseen for a little paddle at 8 in the morning. It was a beautiful morning and the lake was very still.

Lake Bomo Roubaix

 

On Monday we headed back to Brandon only this time to visit Foley Brothers Brewery and the Nashobe Valley Winery.  When we got back to the KOA, Ann wanted to rest so I headed out on the bike again, only this time for a more scripted ride.

Lake Bomo Randonee

 

Ann & I loaded up the camper Saturday morning and then drove over to Hubbardton to the Lake Bomoseen KOA where me our friends from Sandy Hook who also have a camper and we set up camp together.  We did a little sight seeing in Brandon and then returned to the KOA. Ann wanted to take a nap so I headed out on the bike. I set out riding counter clockwise around the lake, following no particular route, to just explore around the lake a bit. 

Busted Spoke at PHP

 

After yesterday's gravel ride I wanted to take it easy today so I rode over to Pine Hill Park. Since it was Thursday, I brought my lights, hoping to meet up with the Down Valley Bikes Thursday Night Ride but when I got there they weren't in the lot.  Not sure if I got there too early or too late.

Two States of Gravel

From l to r: Dave, Tom, Malcom and me

When my friend Malcom reached out that he was camping at Lake Saint Catherine State Park and asked for local gravel recommendations, I immediately shared my Ride with GPS (RWGPS) library of Vermont dirt road routes. He suggested we plan a ride together starting near the campground. Having camped there last year with Ann, I knew the absolute perfect staging spot: The Cluckin' Cafe & Cones Point Country Store (which conveniently serves the best creemees in the area). To make the most of our meetup, I mapped out a brand-new route for us to tackle: Two States of Gravel.

Morning Gravel Ride

Ann & I were supposed to do a Friday night gravel ride when she got back from work but she ended up getting back too late so we went out Saturday morning. This was a new route that I wanted to test out for future night rides and routes that are easily memorized. Unlike Connecticut, especially in Fairfield County where I spent the last 21 years riding, Vermont doesn't have as many paved roads to chose so moving forward I am create a collection of routes that I can quickly pull up and ride.

There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend

Before heading back down to Connecticut for the weekend Ann & I headed out for a ride to Pittsford and back.  There is a great view of Killington Mountain from West Proctor Road. 

Riding with Bruce

 

Ann invited with her Brother Bruce to ride with us Thursday afternoon.  Due to an early childhood accident and not the best reconstructive surgery, it was the 1970s afterall when he had his bike accident, Bruce rides an e-Bike.  He has ridden with us before but has declined more recent invitations due to poor health. Today, however, he was feeling really good and joined us.

Maple Creemee

Ann & I were on vacation for 10 days and severely jet lagged upon our return so we took an extra day off before starting our daily rides again. Our first day back on the bike, we road down to Wallingford and stopped at Kelly's Snack Shack because I had heard they have really good Creemees.

Getting Fat at PHP

 

It's been a month since I was last at Pine Hill Park and after doing work around Ann's house in the morning, making some adjustments to the bike shed I rode out to PHP and the first thing I noticed was the new sign.

Riding after the Storm

 

Unbeknownst to us, as 4th of July celebrations were kicking off and intense wall of thunderstorms, wind and rain ripped through the area. This part of Connecticut seems to be a magnet for intense weather that results in downed trees, blocked roads, and the power being out for days. We didn't lose power in Sandy Hook but large swaths of Newtown did. 

OOF on the 4th of July

 

Ann & I got out before 7 AM on Saturday and rode from Sandy Hook to Ovens of France (aka OOF) in Woodbury.

Sherburne Trails from Base Camp

 

I had to run an errand up to Killington this morning so I brought my mountain bike to ride the Sherburne Trails, this time from Base Camp. For a blue trail, it was really buff to start, super flowy and some fun features along the way.

Florence Road Ride

 

Tuesday morning we decided to ride out to Florence and Ann wanted to try riding the Ridley. She got this bike from a friend last summer but it didn't fit her well because this particular model, the Helix, had a seat post that was part of the frame. We tried it last fall but it was just too tall for her so I cut it down and put a very large seat post clamp on it.  

TNTT

 

We got up too late Saturday morning to do our customary Wallingford for breakfast ride because Ann had relatives in town visiting. When we got back to Rutland later in the day we headed out for another night ride.

Rutland Gravel Night Ride

I spent Friday running errands around Rutland and was going to ride at Pine Hill in the afternoon but a thunder storm ripped through the area and stayed in and cleaned up the basement.  Ann got home from work around 7:15 PM and she really wanted to ride so we headed out before the sun had even set at 8:00 PM.

Night Riding with Ann

 

Ann got back from work and wanted to ride and who am I to say no to that, even after riding a 40 mile gravel grinder earlier in the day.  The sun had already set and the temperature was perfect.

Some dead ends go through and some do not

Originally I had planned to head out when Ann left for work and I had my smoothie for breakfast but for once I actually fell back to sleep. I wanted to ride the CAADX again but discovered a broken spoke so I waited until the bike shop opened and dropped it off to get it fixed. I finally got out around 12:30 and while it was sunny the temperature was in the low 70s and in the shade it was downright chilly.

Sunrise in Southbury

 

Saturday afternoon, Ann & I drove to Connecticut, after we rode down to Wallingford from Rutland. The following morning we were both up really early so we headed out at 5:30 AM for a ride to Ovens of France in Woodbury.

Slate Valley Trails - Fairgrounds

 

There are 8 trail systems managed by the Slate Valley Trails organization with 60+ miles of trails. On Friday, Juneteenth, I headed over to Poultney, about a 30 minute drive from Rutland, and parked at the Slate Valley Fairground Trailhead to ride this trail system. 

802 Single Speeding

After working around the house all morning and big storm moved through the area with tornado warnings across the spectrum going out and I slept through it all during a midday nap. A tornado actually struck in Woodstock, VT and caused quite a bit of damage. I awoke to blue skies and sunshine and went out for a ride on the single speed.

The Ride for our Vets

 

Team Abrahammer

Since 2012, The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center puts on a charity ride for Veterans to support their ongoing efforts to provide legal representation at no-cost to low-income Veterans. I have been meaning to do this ride over the years but there was always some conflict but this year I was wide open so I joined Team Abrahammer for the ride. Being a Veteran myself I have seen very few organizations in the area that support Veterans and I was proud to be invited to ride with my friends in support of this organization.

Summer Fat Biking at PHP

I had three interviews on Tuesday and the last one went into extra innings. Afterwards I needed to clear my head so I got kitted up and headed out on the Tracker towards Pine Hill Park.  I headed to another entrance to the park because I new there was trail work going on and I didn't want to feel guilty that I was riding and not helping.

We finally made it to Wallingford

Don't Take the Box!

Before leaving Connecticut this week we got in another ride to Woodbury yesterday.  This morning we left Connecticut at 6:30 AM for Vermont and after unpacking and getting some lunch at Gils, we decided to try to ride down Wallingford again. Given that is was later in the day we didn't think there was going to be anything keeping us away from getting there this time.

Sunday Morning Ride to OOF

I went out Sunday morning to ride to Ovens of France with Gabby and Marshall, who I haven't see in quite some time. With ski season over and Ann spending weekends in Connecticut I took the opportunity to ride to OOF with the guys. Ann actually went on a solo ride at the same time. I had invited her to join us but she felt she would slow us down and didn't want to ride the distance we normally do.

Resuming our weekly Wallingford Ride

Ann & I went out early Saturday morning before driving to Connecticut to resume our weekly rides to Wallingford - our Vermont equivalent of an OOF Ride. Heading out at 6:00 AM on our quasi gravel route - there is one section of dirt - it was a nice morning and didn't really feel like it was 50 degrees, which was the temperature showing up on my watch. We ride to Sweet Birch in Wallingford for breakfast and then ride back. Sometimes, if we do this ride on the weekend, we might get lunch and then stop at Rutland Beer Works on the way home for a beer.

Green Mountain Trails - Fat Bikes don't Ford well

 

I drove over to Rochester (VT) on Friday to pick up my fat bike after I had it tuned up and some issues fixed and then on the way back to Rutland stopped off at the Green Mountain Trails. I should have checked their website first to see what would have been the best approach for a first time ride because the route I took wasn't the one.  Starting off, I looked at the map it said there was a ford you had to cross to get to the trails. I figured there would be rocks everywhere and crossing would be easy.  Much to my surprise it was not.

Hubbardton Battlefield Roubaix

 

One of my bucket list items when I first started coming to Rutland was to ride the dirt roads in and around Hubbardton and to visit the battlefield. It's the only battlefield of the Revolutionary War that is on Vermont soil.  There was another one called the Battle of Bennington but it was actually fought in Hoosic, NY. What interesting to note about the Hubbardton Battle, though, was that it was more of a delaying action so that the main body of the Continental Army could reorganize and eventually defeat the British at the Battle of Saratoga.