When last I posted, I was in North Adams, taking a day off of riding.
There I visited the Mass MoCA -- one of the coolest museums I've ever seen. Here's a picture of the building, nestled into a picturesque hillside:
Among other things, I went on a guided tour of their new 3-floor Sol Lewitt gallery. Everything there was reproduced in the actual building specifically for the gallery, and the artist himself personally helped design and layout the structure before his death. The gallery will be on display for the next *20 years*.
Another gallery of interest was the collection of Guy Ben-Ner films and film-inspired work. One piece consisted of a screen rigged onto a stationary bicycle. You had to pedal to watch. Pedaling slow made the DVD run slower, pedaling backwards made it reverse.
The halls of the museum were a much needed escape, and I was glad to spend several hours of my day off inside.
The next day (Saturday) I made my way from North Adams to a hostel several miles east of Bennington, Vermont. The trip would have only been roughly 18 miles, so I took a detour out west into a little corner of New York State before going back into Vermont. This was my first real taste of small country roads and beautiful scenic views. Riding through Massachusetts left me on route 2 most of the time, a main highway with lots of truck traffic -- not nice, meditative riding. I hope that my time riding through New York (which begins tomorrow!) will be as pleasant all the while as it was Saturday.
Sunday morning, I left the remote Greenwood Lodge Hostel (a wonderful place to which I hope I have the good fortune of returning to someday) for Brattleboro and a bus to Burlington. I know this is a bike trip, not a bus trip, but traversing the mountains of Vermont from south to north in entirety is an intense challenge of its own, one that would require extra days and weeks on my part. Also, this way I will be able to arrive in Trumansburg by my Saturday deadline.
According to Greyhound regulations, all bikes must be in a box. Wish they had told me that earlier, rather than charging a (made up, i think) $25 fee and making me wait nearly 5 hours for another bus.
The halls of the museum were a much needed escape, and I was glad to spend several hours of my day off inside.
The next day (Saturday) I made my way from North Adams to a hostel several miles east of Bennington, Vermont. The trip would have only been roughly 18 miles, so I took a detour out west into a little corner of New York State before going back into Vermont. This was my first real taste of small country roads and beautiful scenic views. Riding through Massachusetts left me on route 2 most of the time, a main highway with lots of truck traffic -- not nice, meditative riding. I hope that my time riding through New York (which begins tomorrow!) will be as pleasant all the while as it was Saturday.
Sunday morning, I left the remote Greenwood Lodge Hostel (a wonderful place to which I hope I have the good fortune of returning to someday) for Brattleboro and a bus to Burlington. I know this is a bike trip, not a bus trip, but traversing the mountains of Vermont from south to north in entirety is an intense challenge of its own, one that would require extra days and weeks on my part. Also, this way I will be able to arrive in Trumansburg by my Saturday deadline.
According to Greyhound regulations, all bikes must be in a box. Wish they had told me that earlier, rather than charging a (made up, i think) $25 fee and making me wait nearly 5 hours for another bus.
In a lucky turn of chance, I ran into a guy on the bus who shares a mutual acquaintance with my girlfriend, Jean. Its a small world, after all. This UVM student was nice enough to put me up for the night in his Burlington home, wherefrom I currently post.
Today I will dine in downtown Burlington before heading out to Grand Isle (and possibly beyond) to camp for the night.
The next day, I leave Vermont and should get myself a considerable distance into New York State. From there, it'll be a good day or two of riding before I hit Lake Ontario. Then the real moving begins. There are (presumably) perfectly flat road that hug just about every inch of the Lake Ontario coastline, and this means I should be able to cover some real distance in no time at all. Once I hit Sodus Point, I make a break south. As I mentioned earlier, I should be able to hit Trumansburg by Saturday.
I don't know if I'll find a computer again before I arrive, so there is a chance, though no sure thing, that this will be my last post from the road. In any event, I'll retroactively cover my experience if the need be.
Looks like a sunny day in Burlington. I think its time to check out the city.
Today I will dine in downtown Burlington before heading out to Grand Isle (and possibly beyond) to camp for the night.
The next day, I leave Vermont and should get myself a considerable distance into New York State. From there, it'll be a good day or two of riding before I hit Lake Ontario. Then the real moving begins. There are (presumably) perfectly flat road that hug just about every inch of the Lake Ontario coastline, and this means I should be able to cover some real distance in no time at all. Once I hit Sodus Point, I make a break south. As I mentioned earlier, I should be able to hit Trumansburg by Saturday.
I don't know if I'll find a computer again before I arrive, so there is a chance, though no sure thing, that this will be my last post from the road. In any event, I'll retroactively cover my experience if the need be.
Looks like a sunny day in Burlington. I think its time to check out the city.
Burly in Burlington
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