[catamount]

Wednesday looks like it's going to be warm and dry. How about a trip to the gap and back? OR we could change it up and go for a jaunt up through Smuggler's Notch.

Preferences?

[markbvt]

I'll be out of town. *sigh*

--mark

[Tiger_1050_VT]

I have to work till 5, and Smugglers' is rush hour by then. How about Friday the 21st? I have that day off.

Pete

[SSearchVT]

Still not healed up enough to ride...

Run both gaps - Holiday valley road out to Jeffersonville, turn up the access road. In Stowe take the back way out past the high school, up over 100B in Duxbury, over 17, and then back through Richmond...

[catamount]

Well I just remember that I've got a welding class on Wednesday so I guess I'm out. Ooops.

[Doc]

Where are you taking a welding class? I need some welding done.

[catamount]

Originally Posted by Doc

Where are you taking a welding class? I need some welding done.

Burlington High School has a 5 week program. Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-9. $300.

Sounded fun to me so I signed up.

[Vix]

Just got back from the gap. Route 17 was awesome but on the ride down there apparently a lot of farm or other trucks have been traveling the road and dropping gravel to manure and everything in between on the road in various spots. Followed two huge trucks on the way back that were spilling gravel out on the road in front of me every time they bounced.

[BigShel]

Do you Vt peeps ever ride Rt17 on Sundays? Me and a few Massholes wanna ride it one of these days before summer is gone.But is it really worth the hike?

[nerijusj]

Originally Posted by UPANDCOMING

Do you Vt peeps ever ride Rt17 on Sundays? Me and a few Massholes wanna ride it one of these days before summer is gone.But is it really worth the hike?

Shell, I went up to Rt 17 on labor day weekend. I can tell you it's one helluva road! Nicely paved, tight turns, couple insane hairpins, elevation changes and good views. I went up there with a buddy of mine. It was 2 day trip, total of 660 miles or so. But we didn't do straight shot to VT. We did pretty much all backroads ( hitting western Mass and NH on a way back ) getting there and back. It'd be tough to do it in 1 day. I'm guessing it'd be around 320-380 rountrip miles if we took 119 to vt100 north to vt 17. There're couple more roads before vt 17- like vt 73 and vt 125 that are nice and twisty too. The ride would take ALL day with minimal stops. You ready for that old man?

[Vix]

Route 17 through the gap is nice and curvy, lots of fun. A bit cooler up there than the temps at lower elevations. I think it's an awesome ride and very scenic too. Some of the colors are just barely starting to change.

Yes, usually quite a few bikes going through on the weekends. I try to hit mid-day because the temps are a bit better (we are getting into the 40's at night but sometimes up to the 70's during the day). I'm supposed to ride on Sunday with friends but I'm not sure where we're going.

[markbvt]

Word from a member of my Triumph RAT pack who lives in Waitsfield is that the Gap was crowded this weekend with sportbikes, and many of them were crossing the double yellow into oncoming lanes.

Anybody from here ride up there this weekend? Were people really riding that stupid?

--mark

[Slyder27]

I was up there on sunday and there were a pile of bikes. I however didn't see anything stupid, though I wasn't there for long. recon'd my way up from bristol, hung out at the top a bit and then went back down and back up and then on to waitsfield.

Mark were you there sunday afternoon? I saw a bonnie come up from bristol and head to waitsfield sunday while I was up top, I tried to get a good look at the pipes to see if they were wrapped but I couldn't tell.

[koalamonkey]

I was also up there sunday afternoon, it was packed with both bikes and cars, but I didn't see anything too stupid other then some cars doing 25 - 30 the whole way up

[markbvt]

I was out of town this weekend, so the Bonnie you saw wasn't me. Might've been the guy from my RAT pack -- was he riding kind of slow and conservatively?

My Bonnie's easy to spot because it has a green/silver tank, no fenders, and wrapped headers. And fairly loud pipes -- and when I ride the Gap I gear down and rev fairly high.

--mark

[Slyder27]

I know, your bonnie sounds pretty damn good

He was conservative, of course it was up at the top, I don't see many people fly through there. His sounded pretty good as well.

[Vix]

I went through again yesterday (I'm addicted to the gap) and there were a number of cars going through pretty slowly with out of state plates...are the leaf peepers here already? The colors are changing a bit up there. I found out yesterday how a single leaf feels hitting a mesh jacket going at about 50mph.

[Slyder27]

leaf peepers will be all over soon.

nothing like coming around a blind corner to see a car with CT tags blocking the majority of the lane, stopped, with some pinhead taking pics of trees.

they seem offended when they get stared at while shaking my head.

I bet the peepers will be out on the kanc in full force real soon if not already.

[markbvt]

I think we'll be dealing with lots of Canadians in RVs for the next few weeks as well. They were freaking everywhere as I was driving back from DC on Monday.

--mark