Sometimes I like to zoom out and reconsider whether what I know to be true really is true. I find this to be useful when trying to understand points of view I disagree with, or when learning a new concept in math. Actually, I do this a lot when I am trying to work out a math problem. I'm reminded of so many times I should have learned this lesson. When I heard the line "Why do I believe what I believe?" or when teachers always told me to ask "is this even true?" or when someone says "war is a classist sacrifice fueled by propoganda, wherein the working class is led to believe that it is its own enemy by the bourgeoisie elite landowners. Wake up sheeple!"

So I started to really wonder why I was biking in the first place, and even more basically, where I was biking to. And then it hit me like a Facebook comment by Vincent, a phone call from my dad, and a strong hatred for the 401, that I should go to Montreal instead.

This solved all of my problems! I could save some money for a bike trip with Sarah. I could explore the best parts of the ride, while avoiding the endless waterfront path, which winds cozily between then 401 highway and Lake Ontario. I could also do a shorter trip, which is something that bothered me last time. All in all, there's a new destination. Montreal.

Today I didn't bike a lot. I can come up with a lot of excuses. It was hot, It was hilly, I got up later than usual, I went to visit the birthplace of the founder of the Mormon religion, Joseph Smith, I had a flat tire. But all of these things were overcome relatively trivially. I drank lots of water. I FUCKING TANKED those hills (and whined a lot about each one right before starting it). I got a private tour of the Joseph Smith birthplace hilltop. I repaired that flat tire really fast. Overall, I really knew what I was doing. In fact, this has been a theme this trip. I feel like I know what I am doing, and that I'm ready to experiment.

Tomorrow is going to be an experiment. I'm right now in Barre, Vermont. That's about 225km away from Montreal. It's a 12 hour bike ride, mostly flat. I stopped early tonight to finish my blog and to sleep early. Tomorrow is going to be an experiment. Tomorrow I'm gonna wake up early, say to myself that I'm gonna go as far as I can in one day, and then give up half-way through because of rain. I've got a place to stay, and sitting on this comfortable bed on my laptop in the cool night air, I'm couch-motivated.

Anyway, here's a map of today.

As you all probably know from my excited Facebook posts, I stopped by the birthplace of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. I had no idea that he was born in Vermont, but when I saw this sign, I knew I had to go:

The way to the monument was a very long and steep hill. At the start, a kind cyclist, Liv, was just coming downhill. He turned his bike around and chatted with my while climbing the hill. Super awesome guy. I have his permission to share this photo.

Liv told me about a red house with a water pump owned by a guy who loves passing cyclists. The guy wasn't home, but I used his pump anyway. The water was delicious!

Liv also told me about a pond I could have jumped in, but I decided to skip out on that. I don't like water. Maybe this is a thing for the next trip. Anyway, I made my way to the monument. The whole area was dotted with these amazing floral arrangements. 10/10.

thing weighs a lot, and took some poor Mormons 33 days to transport it up the hill in December of the early 1900s. Why december? I have no idea.

There was a nice little museum there (of which I got a private tour by the mormon missionary who lives up on that mountain). Here's some pictures:

This is the hearthstone of the house in which Joseph Smith was born. Mormons don't deify the location, and don't consider the place spiritual in any way (Ray, if you're reading this, correct me if I'm wrong?), but I still think it's nice to have seen.

After walking around looking for someone (I only saw the tour guide later), and doing a live video on Facebook, I wandered around up to the monument. It's beautiful!

At the place where the house once stood, there is a plaque

After resting, drinking water, and wandering around a bit more, I set out again. Luckily, the hill I climbed was not for naught, since Google found a route that continues from it without backtracking, and that saves a few feet of elevation! Speaking of elevation, it's not the total amount, but the gradient that matters. I've climbed up huge hills at low gradient, and enjoyed it. The really tough hills are the steep ones. This one was particularly treacherous. It was mud, and, well, very steep. I had to zig-zag my way up it, and even so, I fell off my bike once.

But the view at the top... Oh my

At some point I started going downhill. Fast. I think I hit about 60km/h (yes, this was over the legal speed limit for cars), when a sneaky stop sign in front of a highway popped up. I stopped in time, and saw this house in front of the mountains.

At this point, the big climb of the day was supposed to start. As with all road climbs, there was a river that follows the road. Or vice versa, when I think about it.

As you get higher and higher, the river gets narrower and narrower, until it becomes a small stream. Then it disappears altogether when you go over the hill. Then new rivers pop up, this time flowing in the direction you travel. It's nice. Anyway, pigs!

Flat tire!

After doing it over and over last trip, this was a piece of cake. A sweaty, hot, humid, and annoying piece of cake. The hand pump kills me. It's kind of funny how weak my arms are compared to my legs. Because the road follows a river, and rivers follow valleys, the whole climb was pretty much this grand view of mountains hugging the valley

So pretty!

Just to make sure, I'm still in the US, right?

I'm a bit harsh on the US these days. It's a beautiful country, really, and unless you're black, muslim, from a shithole country, have no visa, mexican, brown, lgbt, non English-speaking, poor, socialist, native American, ... , I urge you to visit! I finally got to the top of the hill

A fish swims into a concrete wall. "Dam"

After a long downhill ride, I finally settled on packing it in early, and going to bed in a roadside motel in Barre, Vermont. I'm packing my things tonight for a speedy morning, and going to bed now.

Oh, one last thing - when I checked my GPS to upload the co-ordinates, I noticed my top speed today. Yeah, that's not reliable. The position is reliable, but momentum isn't. thinking_emoji_jpg. Back to index