Excessive heat warning

This morning began with a run to the grocery store and a repair to a flat tire on my bike. We said goodbye to Doon and pedaled up towards the Middlebury Gap, a pass in the Green Mountains. The gradient slowly increased to 12% and the weather grew hotter and hotter. Sweat dripped off us but we eventually made it to the top. We enjoyed the 12% downhill though it was much too short. Temperatures today reached 36 C (96 F). We stopped at various gas stations and country stores for cold drinks and took a break in a river (in, not at) to cool down.

We're on the hunt for a new rack since I discovered that mine has broken two days ago. Unfortunately the Bike Center in Middlebury didn't have a sturdy enough option so we'll continue the search tomorrow. As we rode out of Middlebury the wind began to pick up. It did slow us down a bit but also provided some respite from the heat. Towards the top of one hill a man named Bill came across his front yard to give us some water, and at the top of another hill we found a spigot next to a cemetery that pumped out cold water.

Now we're in New York having taken a ferry across Lake Champlain. Originally we had planned to reach a campground near the town of Severance but the heat and hills slowed us down so we are at a motel in Ticonderoga instead. Air conditioning is a wonderful invention.

Cool house!

Pizza pavilion

Green Mountain Bicycles

Bike shop drawbridge

Make hay while the sun shines

Mike on a boat

Ferry across Lake Champlain

Waterfalls in Ticonderoga