Burlington to Home, the Long Way

I started off the day by leaving Burlington, VT at 8am.  I headed to Stowe and stopped at Emily's Bridge and then continued towards Danville.  I stopped at the Fisher Railroad Bridge again and then detoured over some dirt roads to Danville and the Greenbanks Hollow area.  Besides a covered bridge they have the remains of an old village from the late 1800's.

From Danville I took more dirt roads to Lyndon, where I visited six more covered bridges. 

I then pointed the KLR north to Lemington, one of the northernmost towns on the VT/NH border.  I found some amazing roads:  Route 114 goes between Lyndon and Island Pond.  It cuts through a wilderness area with mountains on both sides.  Then I took Route 105 to 102.  It's a very isolated part of Vermont that reminds me a lot of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Great views and no traffic.  The Columbia Bridge crosses the Connecticut River, at a spot where you could practically throw a rock to the other shore. 

I took Route 102 south to Lunenburg to visit the Mount Orne Bridge.  Along the way I witnessed a motorcyclist that was down, laying on the ground.  It was hard to tell what happened; there weren't any crashed bikes.  It appeared that he had a medical condition, got off his trike and collapsed.  He was flat on his back and not very responsive, but he was breathing.  Some other riders were attending to him.  When I stopped to see if I could help the ambulance pulled up so I went on my way.

The Mount Orne Covered Bridge spans the Connecticut River at Lunenburg, VT and South Lancaster, NH.  Last June a truck driver from Mexico tried to drive his semi onto it and heavily damaged one side.  (It's marked 6 ton weight limit.)  While the bridge was closed an inspection revealed more problems.  The bridge needs about half a million dollars worth of repairs and it looks like federal money for bridge restoration is getting cut.  It's a shame as the Mount Orne bridge is pretty magnificent.

The Mount Orne Bridge represents a milestone for me:  I have now visited every single historic covered bridge in Vermont.  I started about 3 years ago but got serious about it last year.  I took 2 motorcycle trips with my friend Doug, some car trips with my friend John and on this 3 day trip I managed to cram in the final 29 out of the 103 total in the state.  I learned a lot about bridge engineering, the culture of Vermont and it was a great excuse to ride some excellent roads.

I had a long ride home from Lunenburg and broke it up by alternating between I-91 and U.S. Route 5.  Following the Connecticut River Scenic Byway was a better alternative than the long spells of 91 that I have done so many times before.  I got home exhausted; it was an 11 1/2 hour day and I covered about 370 miles, which is a lot for the KLR.

Pictures will follow!