Day 46: Albany NY to Brattleboro VT

It was warm (64F) and overcast this morning.  Rain was possible, but there would be no guarantees either way.  I felt fairly strong early, but was in no particular hurry because Brick Susko (XC2013 rider) and writer of a very influential blog for our group was joining us for the ride today and I wanted to get a chance to ride with him a little bit.  I'm also starting to feel the beginning of the end of this journey, and that it causing more than the usual amount of introspection.

Within the first few miles we entered Watervliet after a wake-up climb

After quickly passing through Watervliet, we crossed the Hudson River to arrive in Troy.

Troy claims as they are the founding city of the US mascot "Uncle Sam".

Impressive stone church with slate roof in Troy.

Road view near Mile 20

We had our first SAG stop at the Big Moose Deli and Country Store -- fun place with great food and novelty items.
(Thanks for the coffee tip, Brick!  I'll let you know if it lives up to its label).

Does every middle age guy love a place like this?
Soitenly!

12th state line

A few miles past the Vermont state line, we began a 7.1 mile climb.  The first 3-4 miles were at an increasing grade that peaked near 5%.  The final 3-4 miles ratched quickly to 8% that was sustained to the top. Because of the increasing temperature and high humidity, it took every gear I had and all of my strength and focus to ascend that hill without stopping.  My jersey was soaked with sweat when I reached the top.  A CrossRoads van waited for us at the top to resupply fluids or energy foods, or just to heap on some praise for climbing such a tough hill (Thanks Larry!).

The other side of pain.
There was another one of these signs about a mile down the hill.

Vermont has a way of making run-off look beautiful.

Typical roadside lake in Vermont.

Around Mile 60 we had another climb of 3-4 miles to the top of Hogback Mountain.  It wasn't as gut-wrenching or sweat-stenching as the climb at Mile 36,  but it more than got my attention.  Unfortunately, my Garmin unit crapped out earlier in the day, so I wasn't able to record any of this.  

Michael and me at the crest of Hogback Mountain on SR 9E.
No rain yet, but threatening.

Leaving the peak of Hogback Mountain was not fun or funny.  At the beginning of the descent, the rain started and visibility was decreased immediately as a result.  We quickly learned the traffic lanes were narrow and road surface crumbled at the edges such that there was no effective paved shoulder.  The descent itself was very steep and winding.  Finally, the drivers seemed to give us less room than drivers in previous states.  It was almost a "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen" attitude on their part.  And this attitude seemed to be proportional to the size of the vehicle.  It was a wet, dirty, hair-raising, spine-chilling, death-defying scare ride to the bottom. 

Getting closer to the bottom of the descent from Hogback Mountain, the rain eased up and skies seemed a little brighter.
It's not that this scene or photo is so great, but it is a glimpse of paradise relative to the dark, wet, noisy  hell that was the upper part of the descent.

Creamery Bridge  in Brattleboro
1879

One more full day of riding tomorrow -- 90 miles to Burlington MA -- before the final short ride on Fri, Jun 27, to the Atlantic Ocean.