Apr 24 2009
Three kinds of trillium grow in the woods down by The River—white, painted, and red. This one is a painted trillium. How do I know? I’ve seen them before in this same spot. The three different trillia do not seem to enjoy one another’s company. Within a week I’ll find out if I was right in my identification.
Apr 23 2009
The fifth annual Tour of the Battenkill 2009 has concluded, and Outside Up North is delighted we had a photographer on site to document much of the action. Tony Jancek has done us proud, and we’re pleased to feature a sample of his pictures here. We’ve received many requests from racers who participated in the race asking if we got shots of them. If you see yourself or friends in any of the photos here, please let us know.
Saturday dawned chilly and wet, and the weather didn’t improve very much as the hours passed, but that didn’t hinder the background crew from their duties to supervise, organize, and mange the event. And the weather sure didn’t stop intrepid racers from turning out in great numbers to compete in what race organizers call one of the largest road racing events in the country. It’s certainly one of the hardest road races, with 62 miles and over 4,000 feet of climbing on dirt and gravel roads. Spectators, too, did their part and turned out in large numbers to cheer on the cyclists. A good showing! Now, let’s see who’s…
Getting Ready The small village of Cambridge swelled on race day, and racers prepared for the event under overcast skies.
While racers fine-tuned their bikes and made all those last minute adjustments necessary before a race, organizers, marshals, police, and spectators made their own last-minute preparations.
Let’s Race! By all accounts, registration and assembly went smoothly, and the Pro-Am race began with a sea of color as racers turned off Broad Street and onto Main.
Gathering on Meeting House Road Round about mile 48, with 14 miles of hills and sections of dirt roads to come, the peloton passes the intersection of Country Route 68 in White Creek. They’re here and gone in a flash, or so it seems to photographers, but to the racers, the hills are never easy, even if this is not the steepest grade on the circuit. You might get faster with training, but the climbs are always hard.
Crossing the Line! And then it rained, again. But Saturday’s race is almost over, and everyone looks forward to finding out how well they did. And they also look forward to peeling off sweaty, salty kit, having something to drink and eat, and taking a shower before a good night’s rest after a day’s job well done.
The winners of the Pro Race, Chad Beyer with Tom Zirbel in second place, accepting their commemorative bottles of Battenkill Creamery’s chocolate milk. Way to go!
There’s More to Come… That’s it for now. On Saturday we’ll bring more photos, this time of the race on Day Two. Official results aren’t yet complete, and when they’re published we’ll be able to give credit to the racers we show in our photos here. Again, if you recognize yourself or anyone else in the photos, please let us know so we can put names to faces. We’re also working to have a gallery up online within a couple weeks where full-sized versions of all Tony’s photos will be available, so stay tuned!
Thanks go to Tony and his able assistants Venus and Nic Jancek for giving Outside Up North the opportunity to cover the Tour of the Battenkill. If you like his photos as much as we do, send him an email and tell him so.
Apr 22 2009
How could I have gone so long without discovering Nutella®? For several years, I’ve been seeing jars of the stuff on HyperMart and food co-op shelves, but for some reason I’ve never been tempted to toss one into the cart. Until now. I can’t explain why it took me so long. I love chocolate. I love hazelnuts. And Nutella has both.
Maybe it was the price. Nutella certainly doesn’t come cheap. But it’s no more expensive than many other spreads and condiments that I buy without a second thought. (And then use sparingly!) Or maybe it was just familiarity—or rather, unfamiliarity. After all, despite the fact that Nutella’s been a well-known brand in Europe since the late ’60s, and similar chocolate and hazelnut pastes have been around for much longer, it’s not yet a household word on this side of the Pond.
Well, whatever the reason, I didn’t take the plunge till a few weeks ago. That’s too bad. And it’s certainly my loss. I can’t believe what I’ve been missing. Read more…
