Date: 2015-07-15
From: Bennington, VT

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Not stirring until 8:00am, I knew I was in for a slow day. We all managed to get up and pack our gear by 9:30am before checking out of the Catamount Motel and walking a few blocks downtown to the Sunny Side Diner for a quick breakfast. For reasonable prices and healthy portions, it was a good choice for breakfast for what I would later hear was only the second beat place in town for breakfasts. When my meal of 3 eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, and blueberry muffin arrived, I knew I was in trouble. As we enjoyed our breakfast, someone tossed out the idea of taking a zero in a nice town such as Bennington. Any hiking plans for the day would soon go downhill as we discussed pros and cons for the idea. After a 2-2 tie for and against taking a zero, we asked our waitress to be a tiebreaker and she suggested relaxation. The day was decided.We hobbled the few blocks back to the Catamount Motel and asked the owners, who were just finishing cleaning our rooms, if they had any available rooms. Within ~20 minutes we would be checking back into our same, clean rooms again. During our wait Yoohoo and I crossed the street to the Salvation Army to look for any good buys. Unfortunately the selection was surprisingly limited compared to the size of the building. We returned to our motel where we'd spend the next couple hours being lazy, watching TV, playing games, and making phone calls. I called both my mom and twin brother and caught up a little. Around 3:00pm we decided it was time for a late lunch and walked to a nearby Friendly's (a version of Denny's) and dived into more food. Wanting to hold off for dinner, I enjoyed a small side salad, a clam chowder that was too watery, and several Coke's as Yoohoo, Huey, and Rabbit dived into their large quantities of food.We next headed for downtown and returned to the gaming store we visited yesterday. We originally planned to possibly hang out and play some games, but I think the nerd vibe glot to us and we soon headed out. We dropped into an old book store located on the second floor of a building. Walking in was like stepping into something like a Harry Potter movie with walls lined with books stacked from floor to roof. Although the old books looked a bit disheveled, handwritten stickers clearly defined the many different categories. Although I had no intention of buying another book, I enjoyed walking among the tightly packed shelves, seeming to bow under the weight of books, and literally smell the stories held within. Not wanting to keep the guys waiting long, I kept my visit to just under half an hour before we returned to the streets.Rabbit would return to the motel as Yoohoo, Huey, and I would walk close to a mile across town to visit the historic Old Bennington section of town. Here the streets are lined with historic homes, each containing a plaque of what 1800's year the building was constructed. An old cemetery containing graves dating back to the 1800's lined one side of the road leading to/from downtown. The highlight is a large oblisque standing a couple hundred feet high, commemorating the battle at Bennington in 1777. Statues of both Brigadier General John Stark and Colonel Seth Warner, commander of the Green Mountain Boys, stood at opposite sides of the large circular field surrounding the oblisque. As the sun began it's descent in the early evening hours, we had the entire area to ourselves, walking around and even lying in the grass as a cool breeze filled the air. The day would've been perfect for hiking, especially along high ridges, but we all agreed it was just as perfect being able to relax in.We headed back downtown to a restaurant called the Bennington Station, housed in the old train depot. Yoohoo enjoyed a steak with garlic mashed potatoes, Huey dived fingers-first into chicken wings, and I enjoyed a couple of blue mountains for I was still feeling stuffed from lunch a couple hours earlier. After dinner we made our way back to the motel and, unlike yesterday when relief was found in the form of air conditioning, tonight would be the warmth of the rooms as the night brought cooler temperatures. If the next several nights bring similar temperatures, I will definitely find myself experiencing difficulty at night.I spoke with Burnsides earlier tonight and he informed me he has put in ~115 miles over the past 4 days trying to catch up. I let him know my pace has slowed and he should catch up within the next 2-3 days. No excuses for a nearo/zero the next couple days as nice weather is expected. A few sketchy days will follow starting this weekend and will determine my output come then. Tomorrow begins with a ~10 mile climb out of Bennington before easing up, but only slightly. Time for sleep and to get back at it.Here's to peer-pressured zeros, the smell of hundreds of first editions, and the small-shire charm of Bennington, VT.