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| Leaving home |
I woke up Tuesday and checked on the weather first. We were getting a mix of rain and snow. Not great weather to start a trip in. I wasn't planning to leave until early afternoon, as I didn't need to be to Dennis's mother's house until around 6pm. I did want to leave a little early, as I wanted to stop at Radio Shack in West Lebanon to pick up an audio adapter and cord to try to get my GPS audio working through my J&M Integratr IV audio integrator. I also had a sly plan to move the Vermont tag on my way through the area.
I did a last minute checklist- GPS was programmed; everything mounted; supplies packed; I suited up and headed out. This was going to be my first test of my heated jacket liner, as temps were in the low 30s. I was hoping they would warm up as I headed south, which they did...for a while. I carefully left my driveway, which still had an inch or so of wet, sloppy snow and found the roads to be wet with very little slush. As I got further from home the temp came up a few degrees, leaving less chance of finding ice on the road. Once I got into Vermont and turned south the temps rose a bit but it was raining on and off on my way south. My first impression was that I LOVE heated gear! I was toasty warm. My heated seat actually gave some warmth through my beaded cover when on high, and my handgrips worked great. But the jacket liner was the most effective. I usually kept it on low or medium for the temps in the 30s to low 40s I was seeing. First stop- Radio Shack for my cables. The young guys working there gave the impression I was a bit off for riding in this weather. I'm getting used to those looks. I got what I needed and decided to grab a quick lunch while I was off the highway. Unfortunately even with the new adapter and wire the GPS still wouldn't send audio to my headset. Back on the road south, next stop: Curtis's BBQ in Putney, VT for the old Vermont tag. I got the photo and got back on the highway.
Next stop: Hogback Mountain, on Rt. 9 in southern Vermont. 9 is a beautiful road for bikes, with lots of turns and lots of hills. Hogback is the largest of these with an exceptional view from the top on a clear day. This was NOT a clear day. By this time I had no rain, but I was watching the thermometer on the ST drop. Over 40 degrees when I turned onto 9 from I-91. 35 by the time I got near the bottom of the mountain. I also began seeing snow flurries. I dropped my speed anticipating the road getting slippery as I started up the mountain. The flurries got a little heavier but the road was still clear. I made it to the top and got my photos. They don't accurately show how heavy the flurries were. I was happy I made it to the top, and thought all I had to do is drop some elevation and the snow would stop and I would be safe. Wrong.
I dropped down the mountain at a slow speed and sure enough the flurries let up a little. I was happy and picked my speed back up. I passed Wilmington but noticed the sky looked darker up ahead. Then I started seeing flurries again. The road gained in elevation, and the snow gained as well. By the time I got to the top of the next mountain the road had a layer of wet snow on it. I was riding in one of the well-traveled tire tracks which was the only place without snow. As I progressed I started having second thoughts. I debated stopping- but where would I stop? And the road wouldn't get better with time; it was evening, so it was only going to get worse as the temps dropped. I pushed on. I was moving at about 20 mph with my flashers on and my feet hanging just off the road. As the road got worse I let my feet slide along like outriggers. I stopped at the edge of a pulloff to let a couple cars by and once again weigh my options. Coming up with no reasonable solution I pushed on. I felt the bike slip slightly a couple times, and my heart was racing. A couple miles before Bennington a car came up behind me, and when I tried to wave them past, they just dropped back and put their 4-way flashers on. I very much appreciated that, as it could have possibly kept me from being hit on the way down the last mountain. I made it to the top of the last hill which drops down into Bennington and eased down it. The road was still covered with snow at the top, so I really wasn't crazy about adding a steep downhill to the equation. I kept the throttle steady and gently held myself back without breaking the tires loose. Half way down the hill the road started to clear up. By the bottom the road was wet but had no snow, and the temperature had risen from 28 degrees to 34. I found a good place to pull over at the bottom and took several deep breaths. I waved as the car passed, thanking them for their courtesy. From here the last few miles to Williamstown was easy- clear roads with no snow.
I arrived and met Dennis's mother, a very nice woman. She offered for me to hang my wet gear near the furnace, but I was surprised to find only my gloves were wet. I laid most of my gear out on the bike to air out, but hung up my pants and gloves. We made introductions and talked until Dennis arrived by truck soon after. We got to know each other and discussed the route and plans for the trip out. Its always fun to meet someone after only talking by internet and phone. We had a nice home cooked dinner and after a little more talking and planning went to bed, planning for our early departure.
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