Day 150: Middlebury

So I'm pleased to have left New York State, at least for a while. Now when I answer queries as to where my destination is (New York) I will not get the response, "you're already here", which may have been witty the first time I heard it, it was not, but it most certainly is not the umpteenth time!

Amazingly I was walking down the street in Middlebury when a young lady asked me about the cycling shirt that I was wearing. We chatted for a short while about cycle touring and my route and then I enquired whether Vermont's State Capital (Montpellier) was worth a visit. Debbie informed me that it was the only State Capital without a McDonald's, to which I said that I'm definitely going then. This would mean a detour from the planned route but I'd decided that arriving in Vermont today and leaving it tomorrow did not provide for sufficient time to get an appreciation of the State, it's people and culture and, therefore a detour was needed.

So Debbie then said that I should coming to a wedding in East Montpellier, which was occurring tomorrow afternoon! That sounds great, but surely I cannot just turn up at a couple's wedding without their invite?, said I. Debbie then explained that David and Mary were fellow cycle tourists, living off the grid, and would be delighted to meet me ..... i was easily, and wanted to be, convinced that it would be okay .... so tomorrow I go to East Montpellier!

And tonight I stay with Doug and Johanna, my warm shower hosts for the night. Stupidly I took a wrong turn in navigating to their property and so decided to use Google Maps to route there. Obviously I took the most direct route offered, which resulted in me having to walk my bike along a narrow, heavily rutted trail through a wood for part off the way, approximately 3/4 of a mile! Thus both further delaying my arrival and resulting in much huffing and puffing. Lessons most definately learnt.

I have had a very pleasant evening with Doug and Johanna. Johanna cooked a great meal and, amongst other things, Doug has helped me plan a route to East Montpellier. Unfortunately I was enjoying the chat so much that time has slipped by so that it is now very much way past biker's midnight, I am very tired, and so will say good night (I think that pretty soon I'll need another rest day). Goodnight.