The Salsa has certainly given me some good miles this summer, so it’s currently in the shop getting some TLC from the fine folks at Bootlegger Bikes. That doesn’t mean 251 rides stop though! I looked through my map and found a route that was lighter on the dirt so it could be more easily handled by the Jamis that I also have as a touring rig. It has skinnier tires and doesn’t feel quite as home on the rougher stuff, but luckily the towns on tap didn’t have much in the way of rougher stuff to throw at it (though I managed to find a little!).
I began by parking near a semi-popular mountain biking spot called Mud Pond. I’d considered incorporating some of the single track into the route when planning, but certainly wasn’t going to tackle any today. Instead, I headed out South Road down towards Lake Iroquois. From there I headed north towards Butternut Road, which I had seen but never been down. It didn’t disappoint! A fine cruise was had all the way down until I crossed Route 2A to be met by Brownell Mountain…and my first detour of the day. When mapping it appeared that there was a logging/Class IV road that skirted around the mountain to the north. But once there, I was met by some pretty steep and gnarly double track with a “No Trespassing” sign to boot. So I tucked tail, and rerouted north. Quick side note: after getting home, I probably could have made it through to the other side had I just continued siuth on Lincoln Road. I would have had to hike a bike for 100 yards or so, but the detour may not have been totally necessary. Oh well. Next time.
I worked my way up 2A, a little perturbed at the speed of the traffic. I also was moving closer and closer to the box store zone of Williston: Taft Corners. Luckily before I got sucked down in, I took a left onto Walker Hill Road and headed due south again on Brownell Mountain Road. There was less traffic here, though I did get passed by at least three FedEx trucks. Their distribution warehouse is just north of here, so many, many of their deliveries must head down this road. After getting out of the literal shadow of the mountain, the landscape really opens up into the Champlain Valley. This is the first ride that’s really included any of the prime views and prime agricultural lands around Lake Champlain. It’s a gorgeous area with views back towards the spine of the Green Mountains to the east and towards the lake and the Adirondacks of New York to the west. My friend Cory actually works at a farm called Bread and Butter Farm along the route and I swung in, though she had the day off. They’re a great place: running camps (even during COVID!) and Burger Nights (in the before times at least). The other notable thing about this farm is it’s mainly in Shelburne, but the entrance road “Leduc Farm Road” is in South Burlington, and is one of the very, very few dirt roads in South Burlington. I wanted to be sure I got my wheels on dirt while I grazed South Burlington border. I continued south on Dorset Street gaining more lovely views and also getting to see one of my favorite oddities: the VORTAC tower. It looks like a giant white sombrero but is in fact a transmitter that helps in aerial navigation. Read all about it HERE.
At this point I has been in Shelburne and had been for a while. Shelburne has a few distinct flavors, and I’d sampled the rural farm flavor, quickly tasted the quaint village flavor, but eventually tucked into a large portion of the coastal flavor. Heading past Shelburne Community school, I turned right onto the Shelburne “Ti Haul Trail“. It has that curious name because it’s along this corridor that the steamer ship Ticonderoga was pulled out of Lake Champlain and up to its final resting place at Shelburne Museum. It was 1955 when the “Ti” (the last of an era of of steam-power on the lake) was carefully and laboriously moved after having been purchased by Electra Havemeyer Webb for her Museum. It’s an amazing piece of history and I’d highly recommend going to see it.
As for the bike journey, I had been calling audibles a few times during the day and decided to call another here. Originally, I’d not planned to cycle out the point, but it was such a beautiful day and I wanted to be sure I saw the lake in case my next unknown section of road didn’t pan out. In looking at the map now, I should have continued up the Rec Path, but instead I took Bay Road out to Harbor road and headed up the Point. Quickly the houses became more hidden, which means they’re for sure getting fancier. Eventually, a glimpse of Shelburne Bay came and I felt like I was on the ocean. I worked all the way up the the Shelburne Shipyard (where the Ticonderoga was built actually!) only to be boxed out by private drives. It’s not all anti-climax though as you get a sweet 180-degree view towards New York just shy of the end of the road.
I now had to turn back and retrace my steps all the way to Shelburne Farms. This other historic museum/property is also associated with the Webb family. Electra’s parents in-law built their estate and a model farm there in the late 1800’s and it now serves as an educational non-profit and agricultural center. In fact, I used to work there! Like the Museum, I’d highly recommend visiting, or at least ordering some of their tractor cheddar if you can’t make it in person. After zipping by the Shelburne Farms gate, I came up against my other unknown portion of the ride: Limerick Road. It seemed to be a possible connector down to the Town Beach area and Bostwick Road. There are beautiful views from there and I was excited to maybe get there without riding on Route 7. Unfortunately, once I rode out Depot Street, I was met by a gate and a sign warning that you must be registered with Meach Cove Trust and that you must display your registration badge. Being a rule follower, I wanted to avoid any possible trouble, despite the mile and a half length of the road meaning I probably could have gotten away with it. So, again I turned around and rerouted back towards Shelburne village.
At this point, began the climb back up into Williston. I tried to zip through Shelburne, but had to stop for a quick picture of an adorable painting of Champ (the lake monster) next to a sewer grate asking people to consider what goes down the drain and not mess up Champ’s home. From there, I wound up past Shelburne Pond enjoying the relatively long stretch of dirt and lighter traffic. That changed briefly when I turned onto Route 116, but I took a quick break at the Saint George Town Hall. Saint George was named after the Patron Saint of England (and dragon slayer) and is one of a trio of “Saint” municipalities across the state. At only 3.6 square miles, it’s the smallest town in Vermont (though the cities of Vergennes and Winooski are both smaller at 2.5 and 1.5 square miles respectively). I was excited to get onto Ayer Road, as it is a steep dirt road that’s closed seasonally. I’d never ridden it and it didn’t disappoint. It was a good narrow stretch with a thick canopy making it cool and dark. After topping out, I quickly zipped back to the car on the smooth pavement.
Like my other close to home ride, this was a good mix of the familiar with the unexplored. I enjoyed getting it checked off the list and the fact that I was able to so it quickly in the morning and still be able to go see friends and spend the afternoon in Montpelier. With the days getting shorter, it might be more difficult to do this, but for now it’s time to wring out as much from summer as possible!
The Details:
https://www.strava.com/activities/3922031177
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz16el5z/ckdxr9cqr00013h695boafqut
Dirt 251 