What goes UP must go DOWN...

This week was 2 years in the making... planning, saving, dreaming and worth every single dime and worry line! We knew ahead of time that we'd see one of the couples we toured with last time because I had kept in touch with them and we planned this together and I had requested the same tour leaders, one of whom I had stayed in touch with but we had no idea that 2 other people from our last tour would be joining us, it was purely coincidental but WONDERFUL!! So in all there were 10 people in our group, 8 of which had been on our last tour- it was like a reunion and we were all like long lost siblings who had just been reunited!

Our entire group on our last day of riding...so sad to see it end!

Sister riding UP a hill...one of many, cuz Vermont ain't flat!
One of the beautiful trails we rode...

The Causeway- this trail was Amazing, it cut all the way thru Lake Champlain, which to me seemed like an ocean it was SO BIG! This trail was about 6 miles long and it was so neat to ride with the lake on both sides of us.

This girl, this silly girl.... Oh the laughs we had on this trip!

Her goal for this trip was "not to fall" which for some odd reason she does quiet often...it's getting better but still she falls. I've often joked about getting a helmet cam just so I could see exactly what it is she's doing back there... well this time, I got to witness it firsthand.
In case you didn't know, Vermont ain't flat.... there are hills, there are trees and then there are HILLS!
This particular hill that we were riding was so steep that at some points you couldn't see the top because of the trees... I get to the top of the hill and stop to catch my breath, a few seconds later here comes Sister. Whizzing right by me and then BAM! Both her and the bike on the ground right in front of me! Not quiet sure what just happened I asked "what the heck?" and she says "I couldn't get my feet off the pedals!"
Apparently she realized about half way up the hill that she needed to stop and rest but couldn't because she couldn't unclip her shoes from the pedals...as she passes another one of our riders she yells "help me!" the other rider thinking she just needs some motivation yells "you can do it! keep on going!!" Well, she had no choice but to ride the rest of the way up the hill...and then lay it down right there. Once I realized she wasn't hurt (which, for as much as she falls, never gets hurt??) I couldn't control my laughter, none of us could...because really, what was she expecting the other rider to do at that point? Put her arms around her and hold her? Lay down and allow Sister to fall on her?? Really, there wasn't anything anyone could do for her at that moment....it was all quiet funny!

The weather was wet and cold the entire week, we had a couple hours of blue skies on a couple of the days but for the most part had rain every single day.... On Tuesday the rain came in around noon and we ended up riding the last 20+ miles in the freezing pouring down rain...that was a pretty miserable day!

This is me - the pocket on back of my jacket, filled with rain, mud and my new camera!! Yep, ruined. Bummer. I guess it's a good thing I have more than one camera but I was really liking this one...
All in all I would say that I prefer the Southern part of the state better than the Northern and I think next time I'll do Maine in the Summer!!

Next up..... half marathon training begins!