Day 18, Wednesday, July 19, 2000
Saratoga Springs, NY to White River Junction, VT
116 Miles, 4500 feet of climbing
by Roger Pierce
New York came in with good roads, but went out with a terrible road. US Route 4 had nice wide shoulders, but they were broken up and strewn with debris. But soon we were in Vermont. A long, moderate climb led us to a scrumptious lunch, hamburgers and warm pasta salad. For our special entertainment, there were three rock climbers scaling a cliff above our lunch site.
What goes up must come down, and that’s what we did after lunch. After the smooth descents of the Blue Ridge, the rough surface of a New England highway was a bit of a jolt; many riders rode the brakes. After the century mark, our route took us over a picturesque covered bridge. Interestingly, as we approached town, the road was almost clogged with vintage Stanley Steamers!
The waitresses at the lone nearby restaurant spent an hour running around like waterbugs trying to keep up with the suddenly doubled business.