This month’s ride will bring us through two states, Vermont and New York, as we make a relaxing loop through the villages and farmlands of the Champlain Valley. Beginning and ending in the city of Burlington, Vermont, this 106 mile ride -- not counting scenic and historic detours -- will cross Lake Champlain twice. The crossings are by ferry and will cost you a grand total of $9.50. If you're riding two-up, they'll hit you for another $3.50 for the pillion rider when they float you over from Vermont to New York. Just fair warning. The best things in life may be free, but the fuel to run the ferries isn't.
Burlington is a vibrant city in northwestern Vermont, about 37 miles south of Quebec Canada as the crow flies, on the banks of Lake Champlain. It is home to galleries, shops, universities, industry and forty-thousand souls. A great little city, and well worth a day exploring, but a city nonetheless. Since this is supposed to be a back road ride we'll need to put the city behind us for a while.
Beginning at the Sheraton Hotel on Route 2 you'll head west for about a mile and then bang a left onto Route 7 (south). OK. I'll admit it... the first three miles aren't the best part of the ride as you pass by gas stations and shopping plazas, but hey, we're in a city. Very quickly, however, Route 7 leaves Burlington behind and you and the road are absorbed in the Vermont countryside.
After 7.5 miles on Route 7 you'll turn right onto Bostwick Road and begin making your way to the Charlotte-Essex ferry. For the next 8 miles you'll wind your way on gently rolling roads, through grassy fields and groves of trees, spotted here and there with a home or a farm. As you get closer to the lake shore you'll be treated to views of the lake, and New York beyond. You'll also get to see how the other half lives as you pass by "summer homes," some of which dwarf the average "all year home" of most of us. They don't call these "Million Dollar views" for nothing.
Eric Myers
In Charlotte (and if you don't want to sound like a tourist you'll pronounce it "shar LOT", rhymes with "car lot") you'll roll onto the ferry. Give the man your $5.50 (plus $3.50 for pillion rider), and enjoy a relaxing 20 minute ride across the usually calm waters of Lake Champlain to Essex, New York.
Essex, New York is a tiny spot of a town with a neat, trim main street, lined with a mix of brick and wooden buildings under the shade of leafy trees. A far cry from the bustle of Burlington, Essex is one of many classic old northeastern towns this ride will pass through.
Once off the ferry, take a left and at the stop sign continue straight onto Route 22-J. This is one of these secrets in plain sight. Most travelers following conventional maps won't even see Route 22-J listed, and instead will take the much more traveled Route 22. For the next 10 miles Route 22-J is hugging the lake shore or weaves through the countryside, offering, in turn, views of Champlain and vistas of pastures and hay fields.
At around the 10 mile mark you'll merge onto Route 9-N, which, by the way is not 9-North, but simply the letter N. Confusing and a common mistake, but there you have it. The rolling ribbon of blacktop continues southward for the next 25 miles passing through towns like Westport, Port Henry and Crown Point, and all the while you're surrounded by the lush, rural landscapes of the easternmost rim of Adirondack Park.
As you roll into Ticonderoga, New York you'll turn left and eastward on Route 74. In a short time this will bring you to your second, and final, ferry crossing back into Vermont. On the way to the ferry, to your right, you'll pass the entrance to historic Fort Ticonderoga. If you have an appreciation for early American history I encourage you to make this little detour. This fort played a pivotal role in protecting America both as an English Colony and later as the United States of America.
Eric Myers
The ferry from Ticonderoga to Shorham, Vermont is a slightly more humble affair than the first crossing. The vessel is small, the fare is only $4.00 (pillion rider included, as of this writing) and the crossing takes a whopping seven minutes to traverse the 2,200 foot span.
Once back in Vermont you'll continue of Route 74 and zig-zag your way through Vermont farmland. And zig-zag is the right word. There really aren't any twisties, and only a couple of sweeping bends. For the most part it's a sharp turn followed by long, straight, rolling stretches through fields and past farms. Unlike New York, the landscape here is flatter and the farms are honest-to-goodness working dairy farms. Up close and personal. Lots of hay, lots of cows, and lots of rich, authentic, farm smells! At times you're surrounded by countless acres of nothing but fields all around you. The trees, what there are, seem all to be lined up along the road's edge, like spectators pressed against a parade route, or a grand prix, come to see the spectacle of you on your motorcycle charging through these otherwise lightly traveled roads.
After about five miles Route 74 you'll make a northward left turn onto Route 22-A. Here again the hay fields and farms continue. The road is a bit broader and more traveled, with the silos and barns not brushing up so closely. Gentle sweeps and rolling tarmac continue interrupted for the next 21 miles. The expanse of farmland slowly gives way to clusters of woodlands and houses as the area becomes more settled.
Eric Myers
As you come into the postcard perfect town of Vergennes (that's ver-jenz, not virgins or ver-jeans) you'll turn left onto Route 7 and continue northward and pass through yet another quaint town, Ferrisburg. As you throttle out of Ferrisburg, keep alert, because in 5.4 miles after joining Route 7 you'll be taking a right turn onto Old Hollow Road. Then in 2.5 short miles you'll turn left onto Covered Bridge Road where, in a mile and a half, you'll come across a... you guessed it. A covered bridge.
(A word of caution here. Covered Bridge Road isn't paved, but it's good hard-packed dirt. If you have any reservations about riding on a mile and a half of dirt, just take your first left once you turn onto Old Hollow Road. This will lead you to Spear Street where you'll pick up the rest of the ride. You'll even pass the far end of the covered bridge if you want to stop for photos.
Immediately after crossing the covered bridge, turn right onto Spear Street. This is the last leg of your ride. For the next 14 miles Spear Street will bring you through a beautiful stretch of mixed wooded, rural, and lightly settled countryside. The environment along the road evolves slowly, gently bringing you from the pastoral countryside of Vermont, back into city of Burlington. At the junction of Route 2, take a left and in a tenth of a mile you'll be back at the Sherat
This month’s featured ride is provided by Moto-Maps® from their Vermont Custom Series booklet and is reported by the company’s web designer and product advisor, Eric Myers
Click on the map, legend and directions below to enlarge.
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