Brookfield Floating Bridge, Vermont

[Becka writing] This 45-mile loop ride from Montpelier is one of my favorites. We had lovely day to glide along the Rt. 12 river valley south to Northfield and see the newly tilled farm fields! Yummy brunch at the Red Kettle, and then up up up Rt. 12 into Roxbury/Brookfield. Swooping down to the Brookfield Floating Bridge, the highlight of the trip, we stopped for a bite to eat until the black flies decided to have the same. Looped over to Rt. 14, to pedal back to Barre & Montpelier. We did not ride across the bridge itself - slippery and gets your brakes wet. A delightful ride, several interesting highlights, and a nice snapshot of central Vermont.

Taliesin via Bicycle: A mini-tour in Wisconsin

[Becka writing] Tom's profession as an architect was much inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. In 2006, family connections brought us near both Taliesin and Taliesin West, neither of which Tom had had a chance to visit before. In October, a wedding found us in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A., and we decided to add a bicycle tour to visit Taliesin. From Madison, we took a bus to Spring Green, overnighted in a charming B&B, and took the in-depth tour of Taliesin. Pedaling south on local roads, we found the Military Road multi-use trail. We had planned to camp, but the temperatures approached to freezing and overnight precipitation was forecast. We opted for a motel with hot tub instead, and delightfully found a fresh coast of snow along the trail in the morning!

Retrospective: 800 km in Quebec

[Becka writing] For our travel in July 2006, we sensibly decided to leave the car at home! We bicycled from our house to the Montpelier Vermont Transit station, where we took a bus to Montreal and another to Mont Laurier in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, Canada. Pedaling along, we covered 800 km in 2 weeks, hauling our gear. This was our first long tour, with Becka researching the Quebec bicycle network La Route Verte. Tom has put together photos and maps on his website summarizing our tour.

Retrospective: Our first tour

Since Tom is an architect and I am a bicycle planner, we find a good mix by travelling to architectural sights via bicycle. Our first bicycle tour: A simple overnight to visit Sinaguan ruins at Wupatki National Monument in Arizona, U.S.A., April 2006. We pedaled the Sunset Crater / Wupatki loop road, and camped in the national forest (aka desert). Hint: if you are doing this tour by bicycle, the shoulder on US 89 is wider and better on the northbound side.

On this trip, we also visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (via car). Those who wish to bicycle to this site would be well-advised to pick a cooler day (it was 98F), and to get a copy of the regional bike map from the Maricopa Council of Governments.

Retrospective: True Love?

[Becka writing] I have long been a fan of the folding Bike Friday. In January 2006, Tom and I started a romantic connection, and within about 2 weeks he had decided to order a Bike Friday, too. A positive sign!

Retrospective: Our First Date

[Becka writing in 2007] Tom and I met through a group interested in the Danish concept of co-housing in Central Vermont. The group stopped meeting (although it later resurrected and 3 years later has a housing project in the works).

Tom and I kept in touch very occasionally via email, and Tom invited me sailing once or twice on his brother's sailboat. About a year after we met, we determined that we were both game to go "bicycle-canoeing" -- that is hauling the canoe on a trailer using our bicycles for transportation. In July 2005, we were "just" friends. But in retrospect, we have decided that this was our "first date."


We put in at the Montpelier High School, and paddled the Winooski River into Middlesex. Paddling with the canoe full of bicycles was challenging -- very heavy -- and there were some easy rapids. With Becka setting the course from the stern, Tom backferried like a champ.