James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead
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Vacation, day 2:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 2 Up and Down the Mountain
Day 2 of our journey starts & ends with the big mountain. In the morning I ride myself up & down it a few times, then in the afternoon we hike all he way to the top.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 2 Up and Down the Mountain
Day 2 of our journey starts & ends with the big mountain. In the morning I ride myself up & down it a few times, then in the afternoon we hike all he way to the top.
You needed to ride up to the Lodge at the top. We used to do that for 2 of the 4 days of our trips. That climb hurts. I love Vermont!Vacation, day 2:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 2 Up and Down the Mountain
Day 2 of our journey starts & ends with the big mountain. In the morning I ride myself up & down it a few times, then in the afternoon we hike all he way to the top.
Zaskar
Well-Known Member
We camped at Gifford Woods in early July. Great campground made even better by the recent trail adds.
River access/swimming in Stockbridge
River access/swimming in Stockbridge
Vacation, day 3:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 3 Adventure Day
Day 3 of our vacation is my last work day, which ends at noon and rolls into the Killington adventure day, with all sorts of base camp shenanigans going on over there.
@Mitch I can think of a bunch of things I would rather do than ride my bike up that. Like:
1. Get a root canal
2. Get a colonoscopy
3. Get a root canal while getting a colonoscopy
I can go on.
@mattybfat - let me know your Qs. I got As.
@Zaskar - that's where we rode this morning. That trail network is a hair disjointed maybe but pretty much all 13+ miles I have ridden in 2 days has been top-notch. And I did not even get to the Betty Loop nor the Only Roller (semi) loop. It's legit.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 3 Adventure Day
Day 3 of our vacation is my last work day, which ends at noon and rolls into the Killington adventure day, with all sorts of base camp shenanigans going on over there.
@Mitch I can think of a bunch of things I would rather do than ride my bike up that. Like:
1. Get a root canal
2. Get a colonoscopy
3. Get a root canal while getting a colonoscopy
I can go on.
@mattybfat - let me know your Qs. I got As.
@Zaskar - that's where we rode this morning. That trail network is a hair disjointed maybe but pretty much all 13+ miles I have ridden in 2 days has been top-notch. And I did not even get to the Betty Loop nor the Only Roller (semi) loop. It's legit.
Vacation, day 4:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 4 Killington Downhill
Today was all about the downhill bike park. Met up with Alex & Mark and did a full day of downhill riding then followed it up with a great dinner with great friends.
Did almost 41 miles at the downhill park. Good day.
Julia even rode. Crazy times.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 4 Killington Downhill
Today was all about the downhill bike park. Met up with Alex & Mark and did a full day of downhill riding then followed it up with a great dinner with great friends.
Did almost 41 miles at the downhill park. Good day.
Julia even rode. Crazy times.
Vacation, day 5:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 5 Hiking with Friends
After a big day yesterday we did an assortment of smaller things today. Started with a mountain bike ride, then a hike, group lunch, then a small hike to a waterfall before Alex & Mark started their journey back home.
Good to have these guys come by for a bit. Always have fun with them.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 5 Hiking with Friends
After a big day yesterday we did an assortment of smaller things today. Started with a mountain bike ride, then a hike, group lunch, then a small hike to a waterfall before Alex & Mark started their journey back home.
Good to have these guys come by for a bit. Always have fun with them.
Vacation, day 6:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 6 Back to Killington Bike Park
@JimN - yeah it is pretty cool up here. I now want to come back in the winter but it is pretty expensive to ski here.
Day 6 of vacation and back to the bike park we go. We had a big day Saturday bit today was even bigger. Zac and I had more miles than last time, and Julia pumped out 11 downhill runs. Great way to start the week.
Tomorrow we are off to North Conway. Going to be hard to beat this place, honestly. That said I think we have done everything we could have here. So on to the next stop. In the pouring rain.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 6 Back to Killington Bike Park
@JimN - yeah it is pretty cool up here. I now want to come back in the winter but it is pretty expensive to ski here.
Day 6 of vacation and back to the bike park we go. We had a big day Saturday bit today was even bigger. Zac and I had more miles than last time, and Julia pumped out 11 downhill runs. Great way to start the week.
Tomorrow we are off to North Conway. Going to be hard to beat this place, honestly. That said I think we have done everything we could have here. So on to the next stop. In the pouring rain.
Yeah, lift tickets haven gotten way out of hand. We had a free place to stay and I only had to buy two tickets per day, but taking a family of five up there has gotta be outrageous. You can pre-buy lift tickets on www.liftopia.com and save a little cash.
jackx
Well-Known Member
You can also get good deals on lift tickets at REI. Last year I hit up Bretton Woods, NH for like $59 (mid-week) from REI vs. $98 or so, but I imagine Killington is charging around $130 per lift ticket and I don't recall if they offer discounts. I drove thru North Conway twice last year, and now they have an REI there.
Zaskar
Well-Known Member
REI has discounts Kiliington, I think they're $90. They've done a ton upgrades over the past few years to improve mountain flow with new lifts and tunnels to easy congestion. The new K1 base lodge is gonna next level just like the summit lodge. I'm like everyone else that hated Killington in the past but it's come a long way. Weather (like all NE mountains) is still the major issue so plan to be flexible and don't rent too far in advance.
Vacation, day 7:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 7 From Killington to North Conway
The internet sucks up here so I am cobbling things together as best I can.
As the hurricane dumps rain on the east coast, we end the Killington part of the vacation and head up to North Conway, for the next part of the adventure.
As best we can tell, Killington is too big to care about discounts. That may change with the New World Order, but we'll see.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 7 From Killington to North Conway
The internet sucks up here so I am cobbling things together as best I can.
As the hurricane dumps rain on the east coast, we end the Killington part of the vacation and head up to North Conway, for the next part of the adventure.
As best we can tell, Killington is too big to care about discounts. That may change with the New World Order, but we'll see.
Vacation, day 8:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 8 Hiking & Biking in North Conway
Internet up here blows. So this is a piecemeal operation now.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 8 Hiking & Biking in North Conway
Internet up here blows. So this is a piecemeal operation now.
Vacation, day 9:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 9 Black Cap Hike plus Bike Shuttle Runs
Today we hiked up to the top of Black Cap with great views of Washington, then over to Cranmore and back. Later we drove up & down the mountain 3 times to do shuttle runs. Then hamburgers and ice cream.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 9 Black Cap Hike plus Bike Shuttle Runs
Today we hiked up to the top of Black Cap with great views of Washington, then over to Cranmore and back. Later we drove up & down the mountain 3 times to do shuttle runs. Then hamburgers and ice cream.
Vacation, day 10:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 10 Maine Blueberries and Rattlesnakes
Friday is a reverse day with a biking stop at Marshall Conservation area then we drive to Maine and do an absolutely fabulous hike then end the day with Thai food and ice cream.
I know, I know, I am behind on this. With no Internet in the hotel I just gave up. Plus it became more important to use what little Internet I had on trying to help CR stay open. So the blogging took a hit. This is day 10 (of 12). Just 1 more full day plus 1 drive home to go.
The weather here sucks. It just sucks. As I'm writing this blog post above, I'm reminded how awesome the weather is up there. I know I go through this every year but man, it is getting harder and harder to understand the logic of living here. I am sure I will forget this in a month but mowing the lawn in NJ is akin to being in a torture chamber.
So after being in Killington for a few days, at the bike park, the reality is that our backyard park sucks. I mean it's great what we did. But now we also know that we need to embark on phase 3. That began yesterday. This is still a WIP right now. And I am realizing that I need to obtain some clay to make this stuff longer lasting. I also think the lip of this is a tad steep for the landing but I suspect that after riding it a few times, it'll pack in & grind down. I may add some dirt tomorrow to make the angle less steep.
And yeah, that berm down there isn't going to cut it when this is ready for full speed. This is why I have a 14 year old crash test dummy in the house to try these things out.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 10 Maine Blueberries and Rattlesnakes
Friday is a reverse day with a biking stop at Marshall Conservation area then we drive to Maine and do an absolutely fabulous hike then end the day with Thai food and ice cream.
I know, I know, I am behind on this. With no Internet in the hotel I just gave up. Plus it became more important to use what little Internet I had on trying to help CR stay open. So the blogging took a hit. This is day 10 (of 12). Just 1 more full day plus 1 drive home to go.
The weather here sucks. It just sucks. As I'm writing this blog post above, I'm reminded how awesome the weather is up there. I know I go through this every year but man, it is getting harder and harder to understand the logic of living here. I am sure I will forget this in a month but mowing the lawn in NJ is akin to being in a torture chamber.
So after being in Killington for a few days, at the bike park, the reality is that our backyard park sucks. I mean it's great what we did. But now we also know that we need to embark on phase 3. That began yesterday. This is still a WIP right now. And I am realizing that I need to obtain some clay to make this stuff longer lasting. I also think the lip of this is a tad steep for the landing but I suspect that after riding it a few times, it'll pack in & grind down. I may add some dirt tomorrow to make the angle less steep.
And yeah, that berm down there isn't going to cut it when this is ready for full speed. This is why I have a 14 year old crash test dummy in the house to try these things out.
The weather up there is nice compared to the weather down here right now. Think about December-March though. Unless you move to San Diego, the weather someplace else will always be better than the weather where you are for some portions of the year. My goal is to have two small houses/condos, one in Colorado and one in maybe AZ or UT. Move back and forth every six months and airbnb it or let friends stay there the other six months while we aren't using it.
Vacation, day 11:
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 11 Last Full Day in North Conway
Last full day in North Conway has us starting at the Marshall Conservation Area for more biking then off to Diana's Baths for a small hike and some watering.
@JimN yes I know. And as I was sitting outside with D today, after burning yard trash for literally 36 straight hours, having sweat out 900 pounds of water over that time, still sweating, and the subject of Zwift came up in regards to me not watching much TV these days. And I said, which I know will happen, "I'll watch TV in the winter when I will say how much I hate the cold and don't care how hot it is but I want summer to come."
Yeah I know this is my cycle. It's like being an alcoholic. The first step is admitting it.
But today was about the most brutal day ever in the history of weather. Maybe only yesterday was worse but today was terrible.
We have talked about the whole north thing before. In a place like Killington or North Conway, you have an actual ski season. You don't have that here. You have mud here. Getting more into skiing makes me wish the skiing was better here.
Wait. I'm not done.
THAT SAID, I know that skiing is not an everyday thing. And I know I am doing that thing where you go somewhere on vacation and declare it's awesome. I also know that road biking is great for a few days but then after you have ridden there a week you realize there is exactly ONE road into and out of town. And you get sick of riding that same road every other day.
I know, I know, it's not all peaches & herbs. But you know what? F this weather right now.
Summer 2020 Family Vacation Camp – Day 11 Last Full Day in North Conway
Last full day in North Conway has us starting at the Marshall Conservation Area for more biking then off to Diana's Baths for a small hike and some watering.
@JimN yes I know. And as I was sitting outside with D today, after burning yard trash for literally 36 straight hours, having sweat out 900 pounds of water over that time, still sweating, and the subject of Zwift came up in regards to me not watching much TV these days. And I said, which I know will happen, "I'll watch TV in the winter when I will say how much I hate the cold and don't care how hot it is but I want summer to come."
Yeah I know this is my cycle. It's like being an alcoholic. The first step is admitting it.
But today was about the most brutal day ever in the history of weather. Maybe only yesterday was worse but today was terrible.
We have talked about the whole north thing before. In a place like Killington or North Conway, you have an actual ski season. You don't have that here. You have mud here. Getting more into skiing makes me wish the skiing was better here.
Wait. I'm not done.
THAT SAID, I know that skiing is not an everyday thing. And I know I am doing that thing where you go somewhere on vacation and declare it's awesome. I also know that road biking is great for a few days but then after you have ridden there a week you realize there is exactly ONE road into and out of town. And you get sick of riding that same road every other day.
I know, I know, it's not all peaches & herbs. But you know what? F this weather right now.
