I start the long day with a short road ride, early in the day, before anyone wakes up. Between morning work and the 6+ hour drive, there won’t be any time to ride later. Thus, I awake early and hit the road, putting in some miles before I sit a lot for a long time. It’s a fine looking day to start.
The work day starts with an 8:30 call, a 10:30 call, then we pack. We may not be the most proficient packers out there but we get out of the house in a timely fashion. By 11:20 we hit the road and after swinging by Julia’s mother’s house, we rapidly put some miles in the rear view mirror.
It’s a long drive.
Today we start in New Jersey, hit New York, sneak into Connecticut, buzz across Massachusetts, before finally getting into Vermont. Of these 5 states, I really have no affinity for Connecticut. It really offers the least to us in terms of a travel destination, so it’s a stepping stone from A to B. I imagine the people who live in Connecticut feel the same about New Jersey. Fair enough.
In honor of the Stepping Stone State, we stop there for lunch at Panera. We decide to eat inside, because we need a break but more than that, it’s empty inside. It’s nice to take a break from driving for a bit.
After 4 hours we stop and swap drivers, where I hop into the passenger seat and do some work for a bit. Thankfully it’s a low-key day so I only need to put in 30 minutes and I call it a day.
Eventually we make it to the Stowe Inn, which is better than nothing but certainly not the best place to stay in the world. That said, it will do the job for the weekend and the location is great. Plus, it was very affordable.
In comparison, Alex & Mark have a huge room and we end up spending most of our free time there through the weekend. In the end, when we combine everything we paid for the rooms and dinners, it would have made much more sense to pay the premium for a house with a kitchen. In hindsight, everything is always so clear. So it goes.
We bounce around a few ideas and end up at Ranch Camp for dinner. We sit outside and eat. Solid food, close to the hotel, and a nice place to sit and enjoy the evening with good friends.
We head back to the hotel and hang out in Alex & Mark’s room for a bit. Since they have the space, D is going to sleep there through the weekend so we don’t need to ask for a rollaway bed.
Back in our room I start to get ready for an early morning ride. Zac shows interest as well as D plus Alex & Mark. I assumed nobody would want to wake up at 6:00 am to ride. But in the end, they all want to wake up and go with me. Far be it from me to turn away some company for an early day ride.
Day 1 comes to an end. Wake up in New Jersey and go to bed in Stowe, Vermont. Good direction to start the weekend.
Traveling Normandy 