We met and headed north and east, leaving St. Johnsbury and rode in the direction of Canaan, Vermont. Our route would take us over various terrain, mostly nice trails, and few bumpy ones. We stopped at one junction, and when I caught up the hood was up on one of the sleds.
Nothing major,luckily. The snow was sticking to everything, turning the environment into a winter wonderland. Snow was clinging to everything-frozen branches, weeds, trees, and even the junction signs. Winter just dotted the landscape.
We headed north and the views just got better. From the trail, the snow and ice was so thick that the mountains looked like someone had poured sugar on top.
We ventured on, winding through trails that just got better and better. The snow enveloped everything around us. We reached the power lines and the trails were wide and flat. Here you could see for miles and make better time since they were was a lot less winding than the wooded trails. 
We followed the power lines north, and eventually we went back into the woods, where the snow cover was even deeper. Pictures really can't capture the scenery as it looks to the naked eye. Expensive camera gear would make a difference I am sure, but most pictures are taken with my standard digital camera, and rather quickly as I am usually lagging behind anyway. :-) But you start taking in the scenery, and you slow down and enjoy it for its sheer awesomeness, knowing that it is fleeting. A couple degrees warmer, the snow starts to melt, and falls off the trees, and suddenly it is just woods on the trail. But other times you come across a scene out of a Rockwell painting, and you want to make it last so you slow down to enjoy it.
Switching trails again, we were confronted by a re-route. One of the trails we normally take to Canaan is a logging road, and this year it was closed due to high volume of logging expected. They let us know pretty sternly not to use the trail too. 
There has been a little controversy in Vermont this year about eliminating some of the signs to save money, make us fall more in line with other states, and to make it a more uniform experience, but they employed a unique sign to show us the way here.
After a few hours we arrived in Canaan for a late lunch. We actually ate in New Hampshire, as the first place we stopped at was pretty busy, so we crossed the Connecticut River and stopped off at a place called The Spa. Nothing fancy, but an awesome Turkey Club! And as a bonus parked outside was the Groomer.
After eating and digesting a bit we headed back towards home, going back on some of the same trails, and slowly the sun began to sink. We stopped at a junction as the sun was disappearing, and I got a decent picture of the trees getting that last bit of light before we ventured back into the woods and nightfall.
As it got darker, and we rode back into the heavier trees, the snow glistened in the headlights, and the branches bending with all the snow on them really enhanced the light, so it seemed like daytime. Then all of a sudden we were back in the vast darkness of the power lines, then into the woods, and finally, rounding the corner to that last junction before we went our separate ways for the evening. The guys back to the hotel, and me to the garage. It had gotten quite cold by then, and my helmet was frozen shut. I was lucky the groomer had come by my place so the last 2 miles was like gliding across ice, a perfect carpet of white in the snow! 200 miles door to door, I was stiff and sore, so it was time to call it a night. Here is our approximate route:
The next morning the guys came up, and we ventured out for a short 30 mile ride. The trails were smooth this day, as it was still early, so we went down the rail bed and up across the new "skyline" trail in Danville. Hardly a bump anywhere, nothing but freshly groomed trails made for a nice finish to the weekend before driving back home. The scenery was very similar as well. Breathtaking!
As we headed back, just before we parted ways, I saw this and it made me wonder-
Why does the Turkey cross the road? Probably to get out of our way! Be safe, ride right, and have fun!
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