by Joann J. Ordille

Fiery fall colors and warm, but crisp, weather greeted everyone as they arrived on Oct. 10 for Bike and Hike Weekend. The excitement built on Friday night after Bill Radzelovage and Marie Nardino returned from dinner at a Rochester restaurant. There as they rounded the bend heading home was a fabulous young moose, strolling out of the woods and stopping on the road directly in front of their car. Marie later said, "We had no camera or we would have captured the elusive moose as it stood in the light of our headlights about a minute or two and then strolled back into the woods." Upon hearing this story, everyone at the lodge thought Mike Hahn would rush out at midnight to Rochester in his enthusiasm for a moose encounter. Marie reported that she and Bill "checked the moose path the next day and it was obvious and well-worn so he/she must be a regular occurrence in Rochester." Last winter a young moose was often seen on the way to the Middlebury Bowl, and caused quite the traffic jam. Recalling that, everyone was alert for a chance to see this year's elusive moose, hoping that it, too, would seek the limelight.

A photo essay is available.

Saturday morning, after a warm breakfast provided by our cook, Anne Ryan, and her brother, groups formed for the day's activities. Two groups of cyclists each set out on 40 mile rides. One started at the house and looped through Waitsfield, and the other group travelled by car to the area around Wolcott and Hardwick for their ride. Jeanne and Mike Hahn formed a third group and took their bikes by car to another favorite club ride, cycling along the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington. Mike also made arrangements with Marcia Postalian to drop off her water bottle about half way along her 15 mile run. Even with all the cycling and running, it appeared later the most athletically challenging excursion was faced by the hikers to Lake Willoughby – "a deep, cold, glacial lake with spectacular rock cliffs rising high on two sides." While Virtual Vermont says that trails up the cliffs are "maintained by the Westmore Association to make reaching the summits relatively easy," reports from our group were "anything but easy."

The Waitsfield Loop riders passed the waterfall on Rte. 100, resplendent in Fall color. They stopped for snacks at the Warren General Store, and then rode through breathtaking colors on rolling hills to Waitsfield. In Waitsfield, Audra Lobalbo and Joann Ordille stopped at the Farmer's and Craft Market. This market is a favorite summer excursion to buy breads, cheeses, fresh vegetables, clothing and accessories. Audra Lobalbo was the celebrity rider of Waitsfield Loop Group, riding the entire 40 miles on a mountain bike.
 
Photos from left: Waterfall on Rte. 100, Audra Lobalbo on her mountain bike, and beautiful Fall color.

The Wolcott, Hardwick group was a bit competitive. As the pictures show, Derek Nawrocki clearly did not want Bill Sodomora passing him on the road. Bill, for his part, may have had a little trouble finding the road. And, everyone was distracted by other wheeled vehicles from tractors to things resembling motorcycles on steroids. One of our guests and now a new member, Andy Dioro, gained notoriety for free-wheeling down Brendan Gap. When one of Andy's spokes broke, it was not possible to fix his rear break and so he descended the gap without it. Discussion at the lodge centered on how Andy had been identified as "the sleeper cyclist" before the ride, because he had a bike that weighed nothing. The group finally got Andy to admit that he had raced at the Ironman in Hawaii (and not just once).

Photos: Derek Nawrocki finds a way to keep Bill Sodomora from passing him. The group at Fisher Bridge in Walcott.  Bill climbs another hill, but where is the road? Derek and Marty Dragos investigate some new wheels. Bill is still looking for the road. Derek finds new friends from North Dakota and new, faster wheels.

All of the cycling exploits paled when, as everyone sat around the fire drinking wine, the story of the hike began. The hikers set out to Lake Willoughby which turned out to be slightly further away by car than anticipated – "almost to Canada" was one description. Undaunted, they started out from the lake on an ascent of Mount Pisgah. This inspired one participant to exclaim: "I am not going to Jay Peak unless I'm in a car." The hike turned out to be 2 miles each way, and the ascent was 1600 ft. and took 1.5 hours. Hikers were rewarded with beautiful vistas of Lake Willoughby, and out to Mt. Washington and New Hampshire. Bill Radzelovage claimed that there was 100 mile visibility that day, and called the views "absolutely gorgeous."

After the day's exploits were thoroughly reviewed, everyone enjoyed a dinner prepared by Ann Ryan's brother, who is also an experienced chef. At dinner, we all congratulated Audra Lobalbo and Derek Nawrocki, who are now engaged to be married. Joanne Schiding had just returned from safari in Africa, and had wonderful stories and pictures to share.

Photos:  Shaun Rice starts a delicious dinner.  Audra Lobalbo and Derek Nawrocki are engaged.

The next day, many of the women set out to "the beading tent." Once a year, a local jewelry company has a major sale in a tent in Waitsfield. There was much enthusiasm and many purchases that we will see in months to come. Afterwards, some of the group visited Waitsfield where Tracy Dragos enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the day skipping stones on the river, and Jeanne Hahn found an elusive moose for Mike.

Photos: Tracy Dragos skips stones, and the elusive moose appears at the lodge.

Thanks to Jeanne Hahn, Audra Lobalbo, Boyd Mathews, Derek Nawrocki, Bill Radzelovage and Joann Ordille for the photos for this article.