Monday, May 9, 2022

Dahon Boardwalk Bike Overnight 2 - Doing it Right

Dahon Boardwalk, all packed and ready to go.

The Dahon Boardwalk, in it's current setup, is best suited for simple overnights. As soon as a weekend weather window opened up, I made hotel reservations a 30 mile ride away, doable at my current fitness level. The goal was to recharge in a different environment and pedal somewhere new or where I haven't been for a long time. 

I was also trying out a new front bag, attached with a Klickfix bracket to the handlepost. With a little cable management, and moving the water bottle holder to the seatpost, I added a bit more carrying capacity. I planned to head out early afternoon and our son would would meet me at the hotel after his shift, arriving around sunset.

I was so excited for this adventure, all packed and had leaned my bike against the garage door for a photo. But then I remembered to lock the front door, exiting into the garage - because it's easier - only to tap the garage door opener and watch the bike crash to the ground. Oooof! I was just talking to the neighbor also, who saw what happened. A little beside myself, of course, the equipment and bike were fine, I straightened the new bag bracket, and set out. 

After crossing the Lamoille River, the walking began.

I have always enjoyed the Lake Champlain Bikeways route. The byway hugs the lake, but steers a rider on roads less traveled.


I pedaled by older farms where the smell of cow manure was a comforting reminder of Vermont's agricultural past. Chickens and ducks, plus the odd inclusion of Canadian geese honked from nearby farm ponds.  I noticed the abundance of horse farms and/or small dairies. Daffodils and wild violets colored the roadside. 

Saint Albans Bay - a favorite stop.

Riding a 6-gear bicycle, of course, has it's drawbacks. I struggled against a 10mph headwind the entire way, and walked a few steep inclines, and noted the route was hillier than I remembered, but no amount of setback hampered my enthusiasm! I was traveling by bike and had allowed several hours of daylight to arrive at the hotel. As it turned out, it took me 4 hours to pedal 30 miles.

I arrived at the hotel by 5 pm, and stowed my bike in the room, showered, and walked to a brewery I'd been wanting to try, Mill River Brewing. I ordered BBQ takeout, their specialty, and the timing was perfect - I'd barely returned to our room when my son showed up! Hoofing it to get there before dark, it took him less than two hours to ride a nearly identical route. The fitness of youth!

We were both tired and just relaxed all evening. The next morning we took advantage of the buffet breakfast and pedaled south along a different, and equally pleasant rural route, this time, thankfully, with a tailwind. Two thirds of the way home we took a break and gobbled a huge ice cream cone, then rolled the few remaining miles home. 

This is my first experience using a hotel for a bike overnight, and it was a perfect getaway. Highly recommended!

4 comments:

  1. Nice one, Anne! As much as I like camping, there is something about a bike overnight or tour that uses hotels. Emee and I are going to be doing a tour of sorts in the San Juan Islands in August. We'll be using just one hotel (at a ferry dock) as our base and do day rides round the islands.
    -Shawn
    https://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/landing-page/

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  2. Sounds like a very nice overnighter.

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  3. I have a 9-speed bike, and I still have to walk up some steep inclines! Looks like it was a wonderful trip overall.

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