Biking in style

When my dad travels by vintage car or ultralight, everyone waves and wants to say hello. On this trip, that's how it is when I'm wearing my vintage styles. I traveled on a bike ferry (more on that later) and the captain loved my outfit so much he asked to take my picture and had me sign a waiver so they could use it to advertise the bike advocacy group that sponsors the ferry. That put the biggest smile on my face.

Today was the probably the highlight of the trip - a "rails to trail" bike path (that means it used to be a railroad and is usually level and easy to ride) that follows Lake Champlain. Several miles of it are on a causeway.  Waves lapping at you from two sides is just a really stunning way to ride. Near the end of the causeway, where there used to be a bridge, a tiny ferry shuttles hikers and bikers across the gap. It was without a doubt the most beautiful bike path I've traveled. And on the other side, I consumed a local ice cream treat called a maple creemee. It was delicious, but after biking for hours I would have been delighted by cold skim milk, so I may not be a reliable reviewer.

I've started making progress on my cheese goals as well. Due to a formal assessment at my Uncle De-I's house, I know I like mildly-stinky cheeses but not medium- or advanced-stinky cheeses. That helped the waitress recommend a lovely blue goat cheese plate. Later, I supped on a pizza made with local cheese.

Yesterday turned out to be a learning opportunity. My nine-hour drive stretched into eleven hours with breaks, and it was just miserable. I've never really road-tripped on my own, and I overestimated what I could do. I want to limit myself to four hours per day for future trips, so I can avoid shoulder pain  and enjoy myself by making interesting stops. Luckily, I can book the rest of my accommodations on this trip to ration the driving.

So, with all that time in the car yesterday, I only managed one non-ice cream stop, but I feel like it checks both the Americana and cheese boxes.