The sign informed us that Shard Villa is not only a National Historical site, but is a level III Residential Care Home. It looked like a lovely place to be.
Some of the inclines were challenging, but we made it up the hills one pedal at a time. About half way to Brandon, we came to Lake Dunmore, a lovely lake surrounded by hills.
There were many homes, cabins and camps surrounding the lake. Today the traffic was light, but we imagine that during the summer the area is most likely VERY busy!
Of course we had to have a photo stop at Kampersville with the giant squirrel!
The lake was very pretty and was surrounded by woods. We rode east around the top of the lake, then turned south to ride along the east side of the lake.
At some times today it was very windy, other times very calm.
Branbury State Park was on the shore of the lake, the buildings in the distance above
and below are a part of the State Park. We did not stop, we just rode on to Brandon.
We arrived in Brandon about 12:30 after riding about 28 miles. Thankfully, our van was still at the Gazebo Inn. We loaded the bikes and headed on to The Inn On Park Street, our home for tonight.
Another beautiful Inn, we were greeted by the owner, Judy and shown to our lovely room.
A very inviting and relaxing porch.
After getting settled, Judy gave us some suggestions for activities for the afternoon. She said the foliage colors are more vivid in the Green Mountains, so we took a drive for an hour or two and were not disappointed! It really felt good to be back in the seat of the van again and we REALLY appreciated NOT having to pedal up the mountain pass!
The colors were amazing, unfortunately, the photos just don't show how beautiful it really is.
There were about 20 wild turkeys in this meadow.
We stopped in Rochester at a pretty park where they had several locals
selling fruits, vegetables, baked goods and crafts.
Next we stopped at The Rochester Cafe' and Country store where they had an old fashioned soda fountain. Judy told us it was a very popular place to stop. The Maine Black Bear ice cream cone I had was delicious! A vanilla ice cream with black raspberry swirl with chocolate buttons filled with black raspberry. WOW! It was YUMMY! So good that I ate it before thinking about taking a picture of it!
We really enjoyed the drive, the colors and beauty of the mountains.
Back at the Inn we spent some time reorganizing our "stuff" as we prepare for the next leg of our trip. Biking clothes, shoes, etc. could all be put in the van and replaced in our luggage by our "regular" clothes. The evening was enjoyable as we ate a delicious dinner in the Inn with other guests from Australia. Now it's time to relax!
Our time on the bikes in Vermont has ended. What a wonderful opportunity to see a small part of this beautiful state in a very unique way. My legs are tired but it was well worth it. Coming from an area in Texas where the only and biggest hill is the railroad overpass, I was kind of worried that the hills of Vermont would be more than I could handle (maybe even "eat my lunch!")
Sometimes I rely too much on my own strength to only dare to dream things that I KNOW I can do rather than rely on God to equip me with what I need to accomplish His plans. Doubts, fears, feelings of inadequacy and many other things keep me from seeing with God's vision.
How many opportunities have I missed by not being willing to see with God's vision?
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
Philippians 1:9-10 NIV
Lord, help me each day to be willing and able to be the person you want me to be,
do what you want me to do and LISTEN for your guidance and direction.
Amen
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