Mt. Ascutney

Yesterday we made the hike to 3,150 ft. above sea level to the summit of Mt. Ascutney.  The excellent Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont by the Green Mountain Club says that the mountain derives its name from an amalgamation of the Algonquin words Cas-Cad-Nac and Ascutegnik, meaning "mountain of the rocky summit" or "meeting of the waters."  We did not find any waters meeting but we did find a rocky summit.  Our route was the Windsor trail and took us 2,520 ft. straight up in 2.7 miles.  We were rewarded with an outstanding view from the summit observation tower where we could see above the trees to the White and Green Mountains as well as the Berkshires and Taconics.  In all, it was a great way to spend the afternoon.  The dogs are more than just a bit tired today. 

The beet goes on.

Things have been rather busy up here in Vermont for the last week or so.  Here is the recap:

• As you saw yesterday, we did just fine at the Harpoon Point to Point.  Thanks again to all who donated to the cause.  The tandem is great fun and is allowing for the exploration of some new locales.

• The "Noodle Report":  The baby red tailed hawk that I (Eric) found while mountain biking is actually a broad winged hawk.  The good folks at VINS made the correct identification according the unique sounds that broad wings make.  Otherwise, Noodle is eating and growing well.  He has almost all of his flight feathers.  If everything continues to go well with him, we should be reporting on his release in the next week or two.

• Things have been very "agricultural" around here.   The garden continues to be very productive.  All of the potatoes are dug and we have been enjoying tomatoes, kohlrabi,  and beets.  A cabbage was harvested yesterday.  We have about four gallons of beans in the freezer and they keep coming.  Zucchini production is slowing but the pumpkins and corn (sweet and popcorn) seem to be doing well.  Last weekend, I attended the Billings Farm Antique Tractor show.  Twenty-two tractors were being displayed and participated in the tractor parade.  I believe the oldest was from 1937 and a few were driven by their original owner or were in the same family for several generations.  We were able to see a nice display of more tractors last night at the Cornish Fair.  There were antique tractors and souped up tractor pull riding mowers.  We watched the ox pull for quite some time.  The winning team did a full pull of over 11,000 pounds.

•  Be sure to check our Flickr for recent photos and feel free to leave comments.

Harpoon Point-to-Point Ride



It was a success!!!  A BIG thanks to everyone who donated to the ride.  A total of 700+ riders faced the challenge to travel over hill...through the rain...back to waiting beers (yum).  To date, over $107,000 has been raised for the Vermont food bank.  We made it the full 25 miles and next year hope to continue the tradition on the Mean Green Lime Machine and conquer the 50 mile ride.  Perhaps some of you will come and join us?!?!



Everything is so green.

Yesterday we made the drive, which included braving the traffic nightmare of I-95 and an extraordinarily strong rainstorm, down to Belmont Wheelworks  to take possession of "The Mean Green Lime Machine." 

 TMGLM is our new Co-Motion Periscope Scout tandem.  So far, the "around the backyard" riding test indicates that it rides well.  The metallic "Tropical Green" paint looks great, too.  It is a bit difficult to capture in photo but looks great in person, especially when the sun is shining. 

TMGLM's first official shakedown ride is coming up in less than a week when we ride the Harpoon Point to Point to benefit the Vermont Foodbank.  We are tantalizingly close to meeting our fundraising goal and it isn't too late to make a donation to our team.  You can do so here.  Some folks have found the donation process to be a bit cumbersome and confusing.  Let us know if you have any questions.  We will definitely post an update on how the ride goes. 

To beet or not to beet...

Well, today marks our second blog posting and it seems like we have set a precedent for lengthy intervals between posts. We'll do our best to do better with that but for now, enjoy some photos of today's harvest and harvests to come.

We even have a Flickr Photostream now so that you can see even more photos of what is going on here in Vermont.  Not included is the tasty jam that Teresa made today with local strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

We hope that you enjoy and make sure to leave a message for us when you stop by.