Arrrgggghhh Ticks

Our rainy Spring didn’t let up last week as we had another five straight days of wet weather. Fortunately we got a break on Friday as I headed up to Vermont for a training weekend with a few of the girls. Jennifer and Amy drove up to join me on Friday, arriving at the cottage mid afternoon. Unfortunately, the lower pasture was still wet and muddy and Jennifer’s car got stuck, but we were able to get it out late in the day.

The mud turned out to be the least of our concerns. Not more than an hour after their arrival, Amy pulled a tick off her clothes. And then another. And another. Soon I was doing the same. I changed my clothes and a tick fell out of my bra while a fifth was attaching itself to my bare thigh. (I felt a “tug” on my skin when I brushed him off). Argggghhhh. I put on a long sleeved shirt, tucked my jeans into my mud boots, tucked my shirt in and sprayed my exposed skin with Deet. Walking to the brook to turn on the water, I brushed tick #6 off my boots. By the end of the night, Amy was up to seven tick encounters, I had six, and Jennifer none. (She claims her Mediterranean blood wards them off. I’m not sure if she was joking.) Doing one final tick check before bed, I found one buried in my back below my shoulder blade that needed removal. Damn it. How did it get on my back? I was covered! It was unsettling.

On Saturday, we headed to the mountain and hiked the Swoops and Loops mountain bike trail. It was a great trail and I’m excited to go back and ride it! I wore permethrin treated hiking clothes and new Hoka Speedgoats, also treated with permethrin. No ticks! After our hike, we returned to the cottage to do some chores, (mowing, trimming, and repairing some of the ruts in the road), before Jaclyn’s arrival. The three of them were registered for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon on Sunday, although Amy had to pull out with a foot injury. We had zero tick encounters on Saturday with the combination of Deet and permethrin.

Jennifer cut the grass in our war on ticks

Jaclyn arrived at 3:30 and we headed out to dinner in Claremont soon after. When we returned to the cottage, Jennifer sat down on the porch to read her book and a tick fell from the porch roof onto her lap. They were on the porch! It was raining ticks! The worst. We retreated indoors and spent the night inside, heading to bed on the early side.

The next morning, Jennifer and Jaclyn ran the half marathon while Amy and I rode our bikes up the course for a few miles, (as far as we were allowed to), to cheer them on. It was a damp, overcast day, which was typical of this Spring. My training weekend turned out to be less than what I really needed to get out of it — I needed to get some elevation training done — but the ticks really rattled me. We closed up the cottage after returning from the race and headed home.

Will borrowed my car the next day and caught a tick crawling on my steering wheel. There’s no escaping them.

Is this one from Massachusetts?
Or did he hitch a ride from Vermont?

Ascutney 2019

Purple Trillium on the mountain

We finally landed a sunny Saturday -- the first since March 16th, (I'm not kidding on the stat! It was reported by a newscaster) -- so Mike and I drove up to Ascutney to open up the cottage for the season. We had a great and productive day cleaning and sorting and sprucing up. My cousin Rich and his wife Becky also came up for the afternoon and Rich installed the water. Mike managed to attract 2 ticks within an hour of each other -- or perhaps he got them at the same time. Hard to know. He's now being called a "tick magnet", which amuses my pun-happy husband in crazy way. Lol.

The wet, rainy Spring brought more than ticks -- it brought mud. The road through the lower pasture that leads to the cottage was pretty dicey to drive through, and we risked getting the car stuck each time we passed through it, so when Mike and I woke up to a gray and damp day on Sunday, we closed up the cottage for the weekend rather than return after breakfast. We then headed out to the Windsor Diner and went straight to the main mountain entrance for a hike afterwards.

Arriving at the main gate at Ascutney State Park, we discovered the main access road was closed to cars, (until Memorial Day weekend), so we parked off the road and climbed under the gate to head to the Futures Trail.

For some reason, looking at the sign, neither one of us noted that the Futures Trail was TO THE LEFT. We both went straight. Lol. We hiked for an hour up the mountain, not really on a trail but seeing imaginary trails through the woods, following haphazard lines for a mile before calling it a day and turning back. In all, it was only two miles roundtrip and not exactly what I needed for training, but it was fun. A great day for a hike.

Next time, we'll take the actual trail.

The Futures Trail. GO LEFT.

The sounds of the stream lead us back

Harpoon Point to Point

Chip loved his rider jersey and made this pic his screensaver

Ready to ride

Chip!!! Ohmigosh, he cracks me up. We had a GREAT time over the weekend riding the 25 mile route of the Harpoon Point to Point. It was Chip's first ride event and the longest mileage for him, but no kidding I think he could have handled the 50. He was strong! Rich joined us for the ride, (his third P2P), and both guys left me well behind on the hills -- the first on Back Mountain Road and the second on the dreaded three mile Brownsville-Hartland Climb. (I expected it.) For me, it wasn't my best Point to Point, and looking at my Strava stats I noted it took me 15 minutes longer to climb BHC this year. Ha!

On our drive home, Chip talked non-stop about the ride, and cycling in general, and how much fun he had. He's decided that cycling is his sport -- the way swimming is for Will, and tennis is for Zach -- and can't wait for another event. He made a plan for us to ride the P2P 50 next year and the 100 in 2016. Ambitious! It's a good thing I've restarted my training efforts, because I'm going to have to work hard next year to keep up with him. Seriously.

Chip's "selfie" of Team Cronin-Schalck at the start

The guys chose a shady spot next to some sheep
while waiting for me on a hill.

Ascutney, Vermont

A great weekend in Ascutney... and another Point to Point is in the books. Chip and I were the only Cronins to make it up to the cottage this summer, and with football season now underway, it's doubtful any of us will get up to Vermont again this year. I'm a little sad about that, but happy Chip and I were able to get in a few rides together this weekend. Perfect weather.

Harpoon Point to Point 2014

We had a spectacular day in Vermont for the Harpoon Point to Point, benefitting the Vermont Foodbank on Saturday. A record 800+ riders set out over three routes, (100, 50 and 25 miles) -- each a challenging route among rolling hills and a few steep climbs. I scared myself out of riding the 100 mile route, in part due to repeated emails from Harpoon noting route changes and elevation details. I knew the 50 mile route was tough all on it's own, and I had an attack of self-doubt on whether I could do the 100 or not. In hindsight, I know I could have.

While waiting for the ride to begin, I ran into Beth Patrikas (who I rode the Seacoast Century with last fall), and her friends Lynore and Peter, so I joined them for the ride. It was a fantastic route starting at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, heading north to Quechee and Woodstock, and turning back towards Reading and Brownsville to Hartland, (and back to the brewery). Riding in Vermont is spectacular -- through the small towns along the Ottauquechee River, down a few hardpacked dirt roads, crossing small covered bridges, and passing farms and horse pastures along the way. So gorgeous. The hills are definitely a challenge... but it's worth the effort.

After the ride, I met up with fellow Cyclopaths Anne and Drew, (and Anne's daughter, Lauren), who completed the 25 mile route and already had their first beer in hand. I quickly changed and rejoined Beth, Peter and Lynore for some food, and then located Anne, Drew, and Lauren for a post-ride beer. (Or in my case, Harpoon craft cider.)

It was a great day for a great cause, and I look forward to next year's 100 mile ride!!

Thank You for Supporting the Vermont Foodbank

Many, many thanks go out to the Cronin, Schalck and Lancy families for supporting me in this year's Harpoon Point to Point -- and for supporting the Vermont Foodbank's mission to end the growing problem of hunger in Vermont. Thank you!!!

(P.S. Next year, Rich promises to ride.)

Summer is flying

Hard to believe a week has passed since my last post, but my birthday in the middle of the week, (which included houseguests), plus a weekend escape to Vermont left me little time to blog. The boys didn't want to head up north, so I left for Vermont alone on Friday, arriving in Ascutney early enough to get in a quick ride to Windsor as a warm-up to Saturday's Harpoon Point to Point. (Being smart and somewhat lazy, I parked at the small country store a mile from our road, knowing the minute I got up on the mountain I wasn't coming back down.) I headed out and looped the Connecticut River, and then got in the car and drove up to the cottage. So smart.

The route I took is a great little loop from Ascutney to Windsor along the Vermont border, crossing the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge to the New Hampshire side of the river, and then south along the Connecticut River for about 6 miles before crossing back to Ascutney. I repeated the loop on Sunday as a post-Harpoon recovery ride before heading back to Massachusetts. A nice way to end the week.

A little riding, A lot of rain

My intentions for a weekend of hill riding were good -- but the weather conspired against me. Sunday's planned ride through the foothills of Mount Ascutney and the Brownsville-Hartland climb were washed away when rolling thunderstorms came crashing through before I even got dressed for the day.

I did get in a quick ride Saturday, although not the hills I had planned for. We got a somewhat late start to Vermont, and after getting settled in at the cottage, I headed towards Windsor for a ride along the Connecticut River. The rolling terrain on the Vermont side is a nice little workout, but after crossing the covered bridge in Windsor to Cornish, New Hampshire, it turns fairly flat until crossing back into Vermont. (I totally forgot about that.) After looping the river, I headed up Back Mountain Road towards the entrance to the auto road up the mountain, knowing Shayne wanted me to do more climbing... But I took a look at the pitch of the road up Ascutney and said, "Maybe tomorrow." Hahaha... that climb taunts me.

Continuing up Back Mountain Road, I plotted a challenging route in my head for Sunday's ride to Woodstock, turned down Cole Hill Road and ended up passing Kennedy Pond on the way. It was a hot muggy day and the pond was open for swimming -- so I headed back to Ascutney, ended my ride, and grabbed the boys to go swimming. Who knew it would rain so heavily on Sunday? Oops.

(A least the boys had a great time at the pond.)