Middlebury Blast

Entering Vermont we thought that maple syrup would have to be tried since they are known for their great liquid sugar. We stopped at the first road-side stand we saw and bought some maple candy. It was great. After talking to the owner for a while he offered to give us a tour of the maple syrup production process. It was very interesting and sweet. I love real maple syrup.

Riding along one afternoon we stumbled upon historic Fort Ticonderoga . Its was a very interesting to say the least, with great tour guides and lots of cool artifacts. A couple things that stood out were chewed up bullets and candles made of reeds. The bullets that were on display have a very painful history. They were used for a pain coping mechanism as solders’ limbs were removed in battle, hence the term “bite the bullet.” The oil soaked reed contraption was a device used when there were no more candles. From this, the saying don’t burn the candle from both ends was derived. It would last half as long with only slightly more light . The fort was very interesting and well worth the free admission and our time. Many pictures from the visit can be found on our photos page in the Fort Ticonderoga album.

After using the ferry to cross into Vermont from New York we found ourselves talking to a couple of Middlebury locals as we were checking out the gorgeous Middlebury College campus. They thought we looked hungry so they invited us to eat at the college cafeteria as guests. It was great food (and free!). We ate so much that we almost could not walk. This happened throughout our two day stay in the oh so gracious town. Middlebury spoiled us! Bente, the young lady we met earlier rejoined us along with her friend, Colby, and a full growler of IPA from which we learned the traditional way to drink . Great fun! Next we went to Colby’s work and his coworkers made a pizza that was wonderfully delicious. He helps run American Flatbread, a gourmet frozen pizza company. With pizza and beer in our bellies we decided to go swimming. The stars were out and the water was calm so off went the clothes and we jumped in to the slightly cold water. Being that we usually only wear shorts when ridding, we have a very white middle section. That sparked one of the gals to ask why we were wearing white spandex. I laughed and said its just white skin. I then looked down to see for myself, and boy was I as white as my underwear.

The next day was quite full with bike repairs, beer tasting and a tour at the Otter Creek Brewery, and making great cookies at Bente’s house. All and all, Middlebury was great to us.