Stowe Bike Ride

With our hike conquered and our legs warmed up, it's time to switch gears—literally. Next up: a bike ride! Does that make sense? Of course! Or maybe we've just lost our marbles. Either way, let's pedal to the metal and hit the Stowe Recreation Path!

We make our way to the parking lot for the trail, only to find a car being towed. Don, ever the curious one, strolls over to the tow truck driver to make sure we’re in the right place and not about to join the towed car club. The driver assures us we’re good, explaining that the car he’s towing was left in the lot when the rains came two days prior and flooded the area. It was a brand-new car with only about 200 miles on it, now filled with water and mud. You could see the mud line halfway up the side of the car! YIKES! The driver also mentioned they had received 4 inches of rain in 2 hours that day. Yes, the very day we got those tornado warnings and sought refuge at Ben & Jerry’s (just 9 miles from Stowe)! 😳 We even saw spots on the path where mud had covered it, trees were leaning over, and bushes and tall grasses alongside the river were all laying flat.

The path took us across several bridges and followed along the West Branch Little River. We did an out-and-back ride, stopping at a park with a cute chairlift swing and having an early dinner at Idletyme Brewing Company. For dinner, we tried Cabot cheese fritters with jalapeño aioli dipping sauce. Delicious! Don had a beer, and Beth tried a local cider brewed right in Stowe: Stowe Cider, High & Dry, Super-Dry Hard Cider. It was refreshing and delightful!

As we headed back and crossed one of the last bridges, Don noticed something in the water. It was a beaver! 🦫 How cool is that?!

All in all, it was a great day despite the previous two days of rain!Read more