6-1-17....Yesterday I left Burlington heading for White River Junction and a visit with Katie and Davy Kitchel and their three boys Owen, Liam and Sebastian.  Would you believe it, the sun was out and it was a beautiful ride through the Vermont countryside.  I stopped in Stowe Vermont at the Alchemist Brewery because Katie had told me that Davy really likes their Heddy Topper beer (8% alcohol) and people come from all over to buy it at $12.50 a four pack.  So I picked up two four packs and naturally I had to sample some of the product.  The bar maid and I struck up a conversation about my travels and I might have still been there today sampling but for the necessity of getting to White River Junction.  Now to say the Kitchels live off the beaten path is a misnomer.  There is no path.  You have to make your own.  It was three miles of dirt roads and steep hills but once you arrive you are rewarded with a most beautiful view of I believe the Green Mountains.  There home is right outside Hanover NH and Norwich VT and the home of Dartmouth college.

Snow on the mountain

This is Stowe on the left & Killington Basin on the right.  Notice there is still snow on the top of the mountain.

This is the Kitchel homestead and what a beautiful home it is including the breathtaking views of the mountains from their deck

Katie and Davy put together a fantastic dinner and then we sat up until midnight solving all the worlds problems.  It was a fun evening.  Let me go back a little.  As I was riding this route to White River Junction I got a call from Lou Stroller wondering how I was doing with all the bad weather we were having.  Thanks so much Lou.  Then I was about three miles from my destination when I received a call from "Batman" Cenci.  Apparently he had been conjuring with the weather gods and they let him in on some secret info that a very bad electrical storm with hail was about to strike our area.  I thanked him but was not concerned because I was so close to my destination.  Katie let me park the motorcycle in the garage and a short time later we left to take her oldest, Owen to lacrosse  practice.  The storm erupted with lightning and hail the size of basketballs, well, maybe small marbles, but very dangerous with a deluge of rain. I was so thankful to be in a car.

"Batman", thanks so much for the heads up.

This morning I surprised Owen and took him to school on the motorcycle.  He thoroughly enjoyed it and as we were approaching the school he was waving to all his friends so it will be interesting to hear how his day went.  Then I met Katie at the King Arthur Café and Store and we had breakfast.  The King Arthur Flour Company has been in Davy's family for hundreds of years and was just recently sold to the employees.  Then I came back to the house and spent a couple hours cleaning up my bike after the many days (7) that I have been riding in the rain.

Now it is cocktail time and then we are going out to the kids favorite hamburger joint.

One note....Davy has a Tesla fully electric car.  Katie took me for a ride in it.  The acceleration was better than a cat shot off the USS Nimitz.  One second I was sitting in the front seat.  the next second the bottom portion of me was sitting in the front seat while my head resided in the back seat.  It was a hoot.

Well good evening all, it's cocktail time.