Like always, Chloe and I didn't leave Tom's house until after lunch. We turned the corner laughing at the fact that we still had 65 miles to travel for the day. To our excitement we were greeted with our first steep climb, Blue Mountain at 3,759 feet. From here on out we are gaining elevation and Vermont will be no exception. Everyone keeps telling us we have the hardest hills to come. From Blue Mountain we continued to climb East Inlet Mountain, the topographic colors on the map seem to be getting lighter...I don't know how I feel about that. We enjoyed a nice break in Long Lake, about 11 miles away from where we started. Yes, progress!! We are always a little to our goal than before. Sometimes I like to look back when the road is open and free from traffic, I think to myself " wow, I may never be on this road again, with every stroke of the pedal I am moving further east." I like to cherish those moments of peace and quiet.

In Long Lake we saw something awful. It just about broke our hearts. Allow me to explain.

Chloe and I love to people watch. On this day we were resting at the Custard Shack and watching a cute family talk about their vacation and activities for the day. We noticed something strange, one of the daughters was not enjoying her ice cream as much as one typically does with a cone in hand, piled high with creamy custard goodness, and sprinkles. She said to her mother " I don't want all of this."  What my eyes witnessed next was a cardinal sin. She walked over to the garbage can and literally threw half of her ice cream away! I thought I was going to be sick. But, there is a lesson to be learned here. I think all to often we are quick to throw things away when instead we should try to re-purpose them or dispose of them properly. For example: many of the foods we do not finish can be composted, most of the packaging our food comes in can be recycled. When I say most I mean pretty much everything. Just something to think about friends!

Anyway, we continued to climb over rolling hills and were not sure of our final destination for the night. We ended up in a town called Paradox. It's so funny how everything has a way of working out, I'll explain. Tom gave us some contact information for a friend he has who lives in Paradox, unfortunately a violent storm from the night before left everyone without telephone service. We had no way of contacting this infamous friend but I had the words Sally Friedman, Letsonville Rd. scribbled down on a piece of paper. I was determined to find her, even more so because of the fact that it was  nearing dark and there was yet another hill in front of me. We turned down Letsonville Rd and I saw a house connected to a Post Office. I thought, "o.k there is a Post Office and whoever  runs it must deliver the mail to everyone around here, surely they will know Sally, right?" So I knocked on the door, (which honestly isn't as easy as you would think because everywhere you go you are a stranger and sometimes I get plain nervous before I go walking up to someones front door.) The post mistress came out and said "hello." I asked if she knew Sally and to my great excitement she did! I explained our situation and she was curious and asked "well do you know Sally?" I said "no, and she isn't expecting us but we thought we might try to meet her." (little-girl-voice) It was a funny situation but Sally came down to the post office and met us. She was so nice and greeted us with a warm smile and allowed us to stay with her for the night!

We had such a wonderful time with Sally! She is a scenery artist, (which there are only about 200 in the entire world) and was definitely a master of her skill. She had many pieces of beautiful art and made us feel so welcome in her home. As we chatted the night away we discovered that Sally is an amazing swimmer, its also apparent in her decor. Chloe and I fell in love with the aquatic themes around every corner. The next morning after breakfast Sally took us for a swim in Lake Paradox! It was such a wonderful time! I felt like a mermaid swimming stroke by stroke alongside this endurance racer. The three of us swam to the rocks on an island in the middle of the lake. We sat in the sun for a while, it was such a peaceful and perfect moment. The lake was warm and the sun was shinning, its light made the calm waters glisten and we all smiled, happy to be swimming.

After our swim we had a small lunch and said goodbye to Tia Sally. She was wonderful and we fell in love with her, her aquatic house, and not to mention the cabin she is finishing. (Which by the way, Ben & Jerry used to own.) 

The weather was beautiful as we continued to Middlebury. We were reluctant to leave Sally so we took it slow, very slow. We crossed into Vermont by way of the cable ferry and started riding through the most beautiful, green farmlands I have ever seen. It was spectacular! After a few miles we rested at a sugar bush. A maple syrup farm! That is what Vermonters call a field of Maple Trees, a sugar bush. We tasted the local syrup and toured the farm, it was a lot of fun and very educational.

We ended up riding into the night due to all of our "short" stops and because we treated ourselves to dinner at the best Thai Restaurant in town. The campsite we were planning to stay at was full. Which left me with no choice but once again to knock on a door, and hope for the best. Which is exactly what I received! Chloe and I stayed the night outside of a beautiful farm house in Vermont. Don and his grandson John were so kind to let us pitch our tent and stay the night. In the morning we visited with John and his other half Julia. They were so fun and energetic, it was a pleasure getting to know them. They talked non stop about the town of Burlington and the amazing Farmers Market. We simply had to go. Detour time! So we made our way to Burlington and had a great time walking along the shores of Lake Champlagne and eating the local fare. We met a wonderful guy named Tom at a stoplight and a steep hill. He was out for a day ride and was very nice, he encouraged us to keep peddling! Later we met up with friends of John and Julia who welcomed us to stay with them for the night in Burlington.

The Farmers Market was amazing! Oh, the food was so fresh and local, Chloe and I were in heaven. We just love food. I love it. Period. We also really like artistic jewelry, which brings us to our meeting with Terri! She is a beautiful artist who hand makes glass art and jewelry. She was so enthusiastic about life and our adventure! It was fun to visit with her and experience the town of Burlington. 

Tomorrow brings us a new day and another adventure! 

I can't wait.

-Hannah