Vermont Tours

Vermont Weekend Tour July 31 - August 3 2009

The Vermont Weekend will be based out of Castleton State College in Castleton. We were first in Castleton in 2005 and it proved to be an excellent choice, both in the accommodations and the availability of good cycling routes, suitable for both ramblers and racers.

Application forms for both tours are available to OBC members with a valid bulletin board account in the Members-only Forum

For additional information, please contact the club office.

Vermont Inn to Inn Tour August 4 -10 2009

Castleton, Vermont is the starting point for the OBC's 2009 Inn to Inn tour.   The tour will take advantage of this location to explore new routes in an area of south-west Vermont and north-west Massachusetts that is little known to OBC members.   The tour begins immediately following the Vermont Weekend event on August 3rd and runs to August 9th.

The average distance between inns is approximately 70 km, with alternative routes mapped for participants wanting to cycle greater distances. Accommodation has been arranged at four inns; three in a country setting and one in Williamstown, a small, picturesque college town in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Two inns have an outdoor pool and one inn has an indoor pool.

Two nights in Williamstown, MA, will allow participants to cycle local loops, including nearby Mt Greylock, which, at 3,491 feet, is the highest point in Massachusetts. For those seeking off-bike activities, Williamstown offers The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, which houses art and collectibles acquired from the Singer sewing machine fortune. Williamstown also offers a variety of restaurants, small shops, and cafés within walking distance from the Inn. Nearby North Adams is home to  the world renowned MASS MoCA Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) and to the Natural Bridge State park, a geologic wonder which features North Americass only naturally formed white marble arch.

The tour will also spend two nights in Dorset, VT. Participants will be able to cycle local loops, or explore the nearby town of Manchester, a clothing factory outlet shopping destination, where the sidewalks are pieced together with slabs of marble discarded by nearby quarries. Other Manchester attractions include the Hildene Mansion, which is the former home of Robert Todd Lincoln, only son of President Abraham Lincoln;  Northshire Bookstore, Vermont's largest independent, voted Best Bookstore in the country by Publishers Weekly magazine and Best of New England by Yankee magazine; and Orvis, a leading manufacturer of quality fishing equipment and outdoor clothing, where shoppers can feed the fish in the store;s indoor trout pond.  America's oldest quarry, dating from 1785, can also be found outside of town, and is now a popular local swimming hole.

The tour cost will include accommodation (double occupancy), baggage transport, six breakfasts and five dinners.  In Williamstown, on the tour's fourth evening, tour participants will be responsible for paying their individual meal at a local restaurant.  Price of the tour will be published along with the application form, which will be mailed out with the May newsletter.

On the final day, tour participants will ride 54 km from the Dorset Inn to Castleton State College before driving back to Ottawa.

Tour participants should be aware that in August 2009, a valid passport will be required to cross the border into the United States.  An Enhanced Driver's Licence (EDL) may also be an option for land entry. Check with the Canada Border Services Agency for a list of accepted identification documents for entry into the United States. More information on the Enhanced Driver's Licence can be found on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation website.

Itinerary
Monday, August 3:
Castleton College to Landgrove Inn, VT: 71km (alternative routes:  79km and 130km)
www.landgroveinn.com

Tuesday, August 4:
Landgrove Inn to Trails End Country Inn, VT: 62km (alternative routes: 70km, 90km, and 107km)
 www.trailsendvt.com

Wednesday, August 5:
Trails End Country Inn to Williams Inn, Williamstown, MA: 66km (alternative routes: 73km, 82km, and 115km)
www.williamsinn.com

Thursday, August 6:
Local loops around Williamstown, MA: 27km, 46km, 63km, 69km, 80km, and 102km

Friday, August 7:
Williams Inn to Dorset Inn, VT: 81 km (alternative route: 111km)
www.dorsetinn.com

Saturday, August 8:
Local loops around Dorset, VT: 45km, 51km, 74km, and 83km

Sunday, August 9:
Dorset Inn to Castleton College: 54km

We look forward to seeing you on the 2009 Vermont Inn to Inn tour.