August 14th: Middlebury to White River Junction, VT

View of a valley in Vermont that we traveled today.

August 14^th Statistics: Middlebury to White River Junction, VT

Today’s Biking Distance – 71.8 miles
Today’s Average Speed – 13.3 mph
Today’s Time In Saddle – 5.4 hours
Today Ascent – 3,605 feet
Total Trip Biking Days – 51
Total Trip Biking Distance – 3,892.3 miles
Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 76.3 miles
Total Trip Ascent – 103,900 feet

The climb from Middlebury to Middlebury Gap may have been the most difficult climb of the entire trip. It was not the elevation gain (about 1,600 feet), but the grade (several miles at 11% to 14%) and road surface (new rough pavement). Glad it came at the end of the trip.

A highlight of the ride was traveling through the campus of the Bread Load School of English (see photos) where Robert Frost taught. The scenery was beautiful for the entire route today, but did include some heavily travels roads.

View of our climb up Route 125 to the Middlebury Gap.

View of the Vermont mountains from the Campus of the Bread Loaf School of English. Middlebury established the Bread Loaf School of English in 1919 with involvement of Robert Frost who taught there to provide graduate education in the fields of English and American literature, public speaking, creative writing, dramatic production, and the teaching of English.

Another view of the campus of Bread Loaf School of English.

Fellow biker Steve climbing to Middlebury Gap.

Robert and Doug on the route today.

I stopped to take this photo of a strange monument, an antique motorcycle mounted on a rock. A man from a house across the street from it called me over to explain it. A good friend who was a BMW motorcycle mechanic died in his sleep several years ago when he was 50. In his honor his friends took one of his motorcycles and mounted it on the side of the road as a memorial to him.