Day 2 (Newport - Lake Champlain, 125km or 78mi)
After a very windy night I got up at 6:20am, packed up and started cooking breakfast. Unfortunately, cooking on a an alcohol stove in windy conditions is close to impossible and I very soon found out I was burning through too much fuel. I finished my oatmeal but decided to change my plans for next couple of days in terms of future breakfasts, since I had to conserve fuel.
Back on road at 7:25am I was making a good progress moving through some rural land just south of Canadian border. Here is where I had the only mechanical on the trip. I found out that one of the plates in the chain has slipped off the pin and chain was just hanging on on one plate only. Not good. Fortunately, I had a tiny multitool with me and could use pliers to move the plate back in position and then push the pin in with chain breaker tool.
Sometimes I find some very unexpected things
The next step was a strenuous climb up the mountain pass in Jay Peak range. It's not particularly steep, but it's loooong so don't get too excited - the summit is still further away than you think.
Like I said before, the great thing about climbs is that there is always a downhill afterwards. Very soon I was back in the valley and next I took West Jay Rd, which is unpaved, keeping me away from trucks and cars and it runs close to the border. I mean - very close to the border.
In fact, the road is so close to the border that at some point you will find yourself in Canada, even if you didn't ask for it. That's one of those unique spots on U.S. map where the border, which is a straight line on a map, crosses the infrastructure "in a wrong way", putting the official border markers on the wrong side of the road.
Very soon I reached Richford and hopped on the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail - the first long rail trail on this trip. I like this place. It's a very easy road to ride, being flat and well graded. It runs through some open farmland and just feels relaxing in general. Not every bike route needs to be like a stage in Tour de France, right?
By 1:25pm I was already in St Albans. I suspected some overcast and even rain on this day but it was actually sunny and hot. I ran out of water, so my first step was to get resupplied in liquids and some snacks and my second step was the have beer and eat something good. I found a table outside of Twiggs Gastropub and can recommend not only their burger, but also Fiddlehead IPA - excellent in every way.
At 2:30pm I was back on road and went north towards Swanton. My plan was to reach a campground at the edge of Lake Champlain but the only way to get there was Rt78. Unfortunately, it's a terrible place for cycling. Being the only route connecting Vermont, New York State and Canada in this part of the country it's very busy with heavy car and truck traffic. I wish they built a proper separated bike path somewhere next to the road, because riding a bike there feels sort of terrifying.
When I arrived at Campbells Bay Campground I found out I was the only one with a tent. Air was heavy and humid. Felt like thunderstorm was on the way.
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