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Vieras on Vélos

29yrs of marriage, 4 kids, & the 6th grandchild on the way, we have an empty nest.Back at it!

(2022)

(2026) 33 years of marriage, with TEN grandchildren, two of which very much enjoy riding on some of our adventures with us!

08/11/2026

Day 6 LVRT:

Well, we are known for spontaneously changing our plans, which we did today. We had planned a light 23 mile day, even spending 4 hours hanging around in Hardwick, VT during the afternoon heat. From there we headed to our campsite host 6 miles further along. Once we got to the road we realized it was a 400ft elevation over 2 miles. Looking ahead, we had about a 400ft elevation over 17 miles before taking a plumet downhill for the last 18 miles. We decided that pacing out the elevation gain over 17 miles was best. We were both feeling great after riding in the cool of the morning and resting during the heat of the afternoon. We had about four hours of daylight left so decided to push forward. Why not?

The riding was great. The temperature was great. We both had the endurance to chug along, continuing that uphill climb. Towards the end we had to turn on our headlights. Night riding was a new experience for us. It was eerily cool.

We capped off the day with 51 miles…a personal record for us.

We had no sooner checked into a motel when I pulled up the weather. It had been forecast for potential showers throughout the night. Within 15 min of settling in the skies opened up and we were under a severe thunderstorm warning with 60mph winds and nickel-sized hail. The good Lord was gracious in moving us forward when He did so we didn’t have to be in the tent.

08/10/2026

Day 5: LVRT Cambridge to Morrisville

We woke up extra early this morning to the sound of birds singing and a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. Well, Chris didn’t wake up to either; he woke up to me “psst-ing” into the tent at 7:00, being all packed up and ready to roll.

We hit the trail by 7:35 and made quick time of our 22 mile ride to Morrisville, stopping for breakfast 5 miles along and enjoying lunch just before the town proper. What GREAT riding conditions. It was a mix of sun and cloud cover , perfect for taming the humidity I expected after last night’s storm.

We couldn’t check into our inn until 4:00 so we spent the afternoon lounging in a coffee shop, reading before riding 2 miles up a hill (not too bad of one) to our place of rest. We enjoyed a quick swim, showered, set out our soaked tent to dry, then proceeded to walk the 2 miles back to town for a light dinner and a movie (The Odyssey).

Tomorrow is a light day as well, arriving in Hardwick to explore another cute little town we passed through on our way to Swanton, then finishing it off with a final 6 miles on the day where we will meet up with a host that is allowing us to set up camp on her backyard.

08/08/2026

Day 4: LVRT Swanton, Vt to Cambridge.

What a great day of riding! It rained overnight but it was mostly overcast for the duration of our ride. We started the day doing laundry in town before hitting the trail and beginning our 75 mile climb towards West Danville (before reaping the fruits if our labor and enjoying the last 18 miles of a steep descent).

One would think the return trip would be a repeat of the prior trip except in reverse, but it isn’t. Well, we stopped at the same area in Fairfield for lunch and a nap, but other than that, we are seeing all new scenery, what was behind us last time.

We noticed several towns on the way down that were worthy of exploration. We decided to take an extra night on the trail so we can visit/stay in these towns, namely Morristown and Hardwick.

We found a nice “Hipcamp” just 1/4 mile off the trail on an old farm. The proprietor has made several campsite and cabins in the fields. It’s an absolutely beautiful place to bed down for the night.

Just after we settled into camp, the skies turned gray in the West and we heard distant thunder. We promptly put the rainfly up, secured the bikes and bags, whipped up supper (and ate it), just before the skies opened. We popped into our tent and felt the sun beaming on it 35 min later. We were blessed with a double rainbow to end the day.

08/07/2026

Day 3: LVRT. Jeffersonville to Swanton

Today was a great day of riding. We past farm after farm, mile after mile. The downhill was nice, but at times the gravel was looser in spots. I realized as we came back into the shade of the trees after riding for miles in full sun, that the sunny areas of the trail are looser. This does make it a bit harder to ride, but nothing to complain about (until we head uphill for 75 miles starting tomorrow😜).

Again, the camera just can’t capture the beauty: the depth of color, the layers of vegetation, the cornstalks, the miles of trail ahead on the straightaways, the smells…it’s a great way to see this beautiful land.

08/06/2026

Day 2 on the LVRT:

WHEW! For “an easy” day of (downhill) riding, it was a bit tough for me. I suppose riding in 90% relative humidity, which brought the “feels like” temp up to 95° may have made a difference. Also, the sloggiest part of my ride was at the peak of the afternoon at which time the trail left the woods and we were in full sun for the last 12 hours!

The low point was when we were changing trails 0.7 miles from our lodging and I took a digger into the pucker brush. 🤷🏼‍♀️ (it was a soft landing, at least. We shall see if there was any poison ivy in a couple of days🤭). As I was pushing my bike back up the path I noticed my rear tire was rubbing the frame in two different places. Chris assessed and realized the axel was loose and near the point of falling off! 😬 Thank God for that little mishap. (I’m not sure if it caused the fall, was caused by the fall, or had been slowly loosening, thereby making my ride slight for the end if the ride).

Today we began traversing farm after farm after farm, and continued to see different types of bridges along the way. There was a trail side sign that explained the various types.

We stopped for a great lunch (smash burgers) in Hardwick, where we ran into a group of six older cyclists we had met earlier on the trail. Talking to other folks about their experiences is so encouraging.

Once we came into Jefferson we cleaned the day’s trail dust off, donned fresh clothes and did a walk-about town before setting in for the night. Our inn had a great restaurant with live music to fill our bellies for real. (Trail food gets pretty old after two days of it.)

Tomorrow we roll into Swanton, the end of the line, before heading back towards the beginning of the trail. (75 miles of a 3% incline before crescendoing down the last 18 miles)

Several things I’ve appreciated about this particular trail: the terrain is consistent, making it very easy to ride; the inclines are consistent, leaving no sudden surprises in effort; the many roads we had to cross over were very easy to see in both directions without having to fully stop if the road was clear!

08/05/2026

Day 1 on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Vermont. (LVRT)

We started in St. Johnsbury and plan to ride to Swanton (Lake Champlain with New York on the other side). The first 18 miles were a steady incline before beginning a nice 3% decline for most of the rest of the trail. I tell you, we appreciated the reward of that downward slop after toiling uphill for so long. (On the flip side, we will reverse our trip to ride back to Eastern Vermont and will have that 3% incline for 75 miles before reaping the benefits of that last 18 miles, which will be downhill at a steeper descent.

08/03/2026

All packed and ready to roll! Heading to St. Johnsbury, VT after a morning appointment to ride the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail to Swanton, VT and then back. 200+ miles to end the season. (We will essentially be riding from NH to NY, give or take a few towns)

07/22/2026

S**o to Scarborough on The Eastern Trail (17miles).

This trip was to redeem our love of bikepacking with Finn after the disastrous trip along the Downeast Sunrise Trail last summer. For added security, we included Ellie and “glamped” at a fancy camping resort. It was a success !

Ellie kept saying, “this is the best day ever!” Both enjoyed riding the trails. They fell in love with the campground’s hot tub, enjoyed taking the trolley to the beach for dinner, eating breakfast at a campground restaurant…I had to remind them that our bike trips usually involve primitive camping with pot meats for meals. 🤭

We found four geocaches along the trail. We ended with watching Moana in the theaters. I’m thankful CJ and Abbey let us do these grand adventures with them.

07/20/2026

Off to the Eastern Trail in Southern Maine with a couple grandkids riding solo this year! We will camp at Bayley’s Campground in Scarborough and enjoy the beach too.

04/25/2026

Back on solid ground! (Reflections to come) Right now we are filling the tanks with delicious smoked BBQ at Flying Ace Farms Brewery, recommended by a local we holed up with during the thunderstorm yesterday. It did NOT disappoint! We actually ate in the (former) barn. 🤭

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Dover-Foxcroft, ME

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