The ride from the Jay Village Inn to the Inn at Montpelier in the State Capital, 344 kilometres, was great, particularly the stretch of Vermont 108 that passes through Suggler’s Notch Pass. From Wikipedia:’’The notch, at 2170 feet, separates Mount Mansfield, the highest peak of the Green Mountains, from Spruce Peak and the Sterling Range. Most of the notch is in Mount Mansfield State Forest.
Smugglers' Notch derives its name from activities precipitated by a request of President Thomas Jefferson to prevent American involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. The Embargo Act of 1807 forbade American trade with Great Britain and Canada. But proximity to Montreal made it a convenient trading partner, and the Act caused great hardship for Vermonters, many of whom continued the illegal trade with Canada, carrying goods and herding livestock through the Notch. Fugitive slaves also used the Notch as an escape route to Canada. The route was improved to accommodate automobile traffic in 1922 thus providing a route for liquor to be brought in from Canada during the Prohibition years.
At each end of the actual mountain section of the road the authorities have laid out a chicane with heavy ropes on the pavement and posted a warning that says something to the effect of ‘if you can’t make this, you won’t make the trip on the road’’ and that’s no hyperbole. The steep grades and the series of hairpin curves are daunting for even the best of drivers and riders. The trail eventually takes you to Stowe, where I stopped for coffee and dropped into the Alchemist brewery on an errand.
This is the resort where my two boys learned to ski, many years ago.
The last thirty miles or so into Montpelier on Vermont Road 2 were under construction with many sections reduced to alternating one lane traffic; not great at the best of times and definitely no fun in 35 degree heat! I was able to fit in a visit to the State Capital Building in Montpelier. Dinner was at the bar in the italien restaurant Sarducci’s where I met two older bikers who do mostly off-road riding and have done so in many states. While the food and the watered down sangria were not great, the conversation was; nothing like bikers sharing tales, or maybe scuba divers.
Today’s adventure, 373 kilometres, took me from Montpelier to Killington via Burlington, Addison, Bristol and Waitsfield. Burlington, or at least what I saw of it was a disappointment. But I did enjoy the couple of hours I spent taking in some of the art and exhibits at the Shelburne Museum. The last bit of Vermont Route 17 from Bristol to Vermont Road 100 at Waitsfield goes through Appalachian Gap up to 2,536 feet, at one point passing higher than the top of one of the chairlifts before descending to the base of the Mad River Glen Ski area.
Tonight I am staying at Mountain Sports Inn in Killington and am planning tomorrow’s itinerary…let’s see….
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