Burlington, VT to Marshfield, VT 55.6 miles

I had decided when I was planning my route that I wanted to try to ride the Cross Vermont Trail to the the Cross New Hampshire Trail on my way to Maine. I had emailed the organization that established and maintains the Cross Vermont trail and asked if it was a good option for someone on a loaded touring bike. They said the trail is a mix of rail trails, gravel roads and low traffic paved roads and I should be fine on my bike but the miles might take a little longer to cover.

It turned out to be a fantastic option. Sure it was slower going and the gravel and secondary roads could have more elevation gain but it was a pretty direct route across the state and had gorgeous scenery.

I’m not sure where I had heard of Red Hen Baking Company but I knew they are well regarded and had to stop. The place was dynamite. I had a very tasty lunch and headed down the road.

The next town was Montpelier, Vermont’s capital and riding through I could see the gold dome of the Capital building. I also stopped at Hunger Mountain Co-op to see if I could pick up a loaf of bread from Elmore Mountain Bread, a bakery in the area that I have been following online for many years. It was an excellent co-op but unfortunately they didn’t have any Elmore Mountain bread.☹️

Les and Lori were my Warmshowers hosts this night. Les and his dog Carly met me coming up their driveway we parked my bike on the front porch and walked to the garden out back to meet Lori.

Les and Lori live on a land Co-op that they started many years ago. They own their house and there are two other houses with folks living in them on the property that is owned in common. I enjoyed hearing about how they started the land co-op and what their experience has been living this way. They also told me about the business they run growing micro greens in a barn across the driveway. They deliver the micro greens to their customers by electric car and E-bike. I got a tour of their production facility the next morning and it was very impressive. They have really worked out efficient systems to have the right amount of micro greens ready at the right time. Les is currently working out a new system to produce and market a new product, freeze dried broccoli micro greens.

Thank you Les and Lori for hosting me and sharing the way of life you have thoughtfully developed.