Day 66 – August 8 – Middlebury, VT to Sharon, VT – 60 Miles

Today we started our climbs over the Green and White Mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire.  Over the next few days we will tackle some of the steepest grades of the trip.  From the advice we received yesterday we opted for taking the Brandon Gap to Rochester, VT. It was a higher pass but supposedly had less severe grades.

The Brandon Gap crested at over 2100 feet.  The grade from the west going east turned out to be 12% for the later portion of the climb.  It was a definite challenge.  The backside of the gap provided a nice long descent toward Rochester.

The problems with Joe’s bike continued today.  Today it was a rear derailleur issue.  After making the descent, it would not shift. It was stuck in a one gear. Moreover, the shift lever had loosened. Fortunately, Rochester had Green Mountain Cycles.  The mechanic discovered that the shifting cable had frayed and one strand had jammed the cable and would not allow it to move.  A new cable and housing was the solution.

Finished at the bike shop, lunch was in order.  We opted for Sandy’s Bookstore and Café.  A road cyclist who passed us on the climb over Brandon Gap had recommended it.  For those familiar with Champaign institutions, it was a mixture of the Jane Adams Bookstore and Café Kopi.

The issues with Joe’s bike have delayed us over the last few days and today was no exception.  We had hoped to make our way into New Hampshire, but that was not going to be.  Our route took us through some small rural towns and making it to New Hampshire would have included another fairly steep climb.  We made it to a series of small town including Bethel, Royalton and Sharon, VT.  A campground that we had intended on staying at turned out to be just a campsite, no electricity, no water, and no toilet facilities.  They had been wiped out last year during flooding from hurricane Irene.  Staying there was not an option so we eventually decided to move onto Sharon, VT.  Sharon did not have any listed lodging but neither did any of the other nearby towns.  It did have a grocery listed so at least we could get something for dinner.

Sharon turned out to be a quiet small town.  There was a large horseshoe tournament going on at the local Congregationalist Church.  Across the street was the local school and city park with ball field.  We grabbed some sandwiches from the grocery along with potato salad and drinks for a picnic lunch at the city park.  It seemed, everyone in town was at the horseshoe tournament and no one was at the park.  At nightfall we pitched our tent near the ball field dugouts and made camp.  It turned out to be a quiet restful night.

Tomorrow we have made our goal Lincoln, NH.  Sharon, VT is at the base of our first of two significant climbs for the day.  An early morning start would provide cool temperatures.  Storms are predicted for tomorrow afternoon.