Giving Back: Twinfield Bike Rodeo

Four members of our local mountain bike club headed down to the local school this morning to help kids get on bikes. The morning started with parents dropping their kids off with bikes, helmets, and school supplies, and the bikes were organized by classroom. We set up a bike skills course and safety check station (helmets, brakes, air in the tires, chain oiled up - check!) and the kids came out one classroom at a time. Student volunteers were set up to support the younger cyclists throughout, with games of red light-green light, obstacles, traffic simulations, and a winding serpentine to practice bike handling skills. The kids had a blast, and so did we!

 Oh, and after the safety course, the kids cruised around on their bikes. Who went off-roading? The girls. No big deal, we're pretty awesome.

Happy Trails!
~Sarah 

Tour de Foliage

Our recent Marshfield-Cabot-Danville-Peacham-Groton loop brought us to such great places as Cabot Creamery, Mack Mountain Road, the beautiful and quaint New England village of Peacham, and Groton State Forest. Many of the loop's 50 miles were on dirt roads, and about 12 of the miles were on the car-less Cross Vermont Trail. The tour brought us through pages 41, 42, 47, and 48 of the Vermont Gazetteer. More importantly, it brought us past rural artisans like potters and Birdman Woodcarving, and definitely bring cash for the many farm stands and farmers markets you will pass.

This was a good one; here's the route: Hollister Hill Road (Marshfield) to Ducharme Road to Route 215 (Cabot) to Danville Hill (Danville - this is a long climb!) to Route 2 then Mack Mountain Road to Main Street (Peacham) to County/North County Road (this one is very rugged, so seek an alternate route on South Main Street), to Route 302 (Groton) to Route 232. Note that the route linked above does not show the Cross Vermont Trail, which was our actual journey. To get on this dirt path (it's fairly smooth with 3%-grade climbs or less) take a right at the parking area about one mile into the Route 232 leg of this trip.

Ride like the wind.

Today starts the beginning of a new phase of a  project I've been working on for some time now, one that is finally taking shape. I have finally erected the first of three wind towers constructed completely out of old bike parts, or objects that would otherwise end up in a land fill (or Kip's garage) that I will be using to harness the power of the wind, hopefully by next year, to use on our property in some way, shape, or form.  I was inspired by the artists of Sculpt-cycle in Montpelier a few years ago who constructed wind mills at the rotary on Main St. that I drive by every day. Slowly but surely I will be building and writing about the process as it moves along.Wind power and the towers we see high on some of the ridgelines here in Vermont have been a very touchy subject the last few years.  Through this art/energy project I'm hoping to learn more about how we as a culture view renewable energy sources visually and economically in our state and in our backyard.

Well, here goes nothing!

Or something?!!

We'll see.

T.