Having finished with my official business in Vermont, I said my goodbyes to my wonderful host at the Grey Gables Mansion and my friend Chris and Carol to begin heading my way towards home, and the Veil Gal, but not before Chris introduced me to the local cultural-side of rural Vermont—the Vermont sugarer.
In some southern states, moonshine is the special brew, prepared in the deep woods. In Vermont the special brew is Grade Fancy, Maple Syrup. Finer than Grade A, this is the stuff the local Vermonters keep for themselves. The "lesser" grades are the ones that typically make it to the shelves of retailers selling genuine Vermont Maple Syrup.
Chris took me to Hue, a 95-year young sugarer who has been preparing maple syrup for "his entire life." Hue is the real deal, one of the few remaining of the early last century ol' timers who spends much of his time reducing the sap of Maple trees by 40-fold (through a special boiling process) to produce some of the finest Vermont Maple Syrup there is, period.
Hugh was currently operating a 50% production capacity as he is changing to a vacuum-fed "plumbing" system. That 50% amounts to about 4000 trees! Know the it takes about 40 gallons of tree sap to reduce to one gallon of grade fancy maple syrup.
We started kibitzing, which led to joke telling, which led to raunchy joke telling. Hue invited Chris and I into his house for a visit and we ended up staying with this most-kind and spiriated gentleman for more than two hours; a gracious host spoke of the Great Depression and what it meant to a milling town and the logging families.
One couldn't help but admire the strength of character and fortitude of one of the Greatest Generation that forged this great nation (whose spirits are fading, through subsequent, younger generations). He didn't have an easy life, to be sure, but he continues to live it with the verve of his youth. Hue is a good man.
For some of the best damn authentic Vermont Maple Syrup, call Hue, and tell him, I (Cowboy Bob) sent ya, and while you are it, ask him to tell his "papa mole, mama mole, and baby mole," joke. I don't care who you, it's funny as hell!
Hi-Vue Maples
512 Jay Road
Richford, VT 05476
Owner: Hue Smith
Tel: +1 802.848.7776
512 Jay Road
Richford, VT 05476
Owner: Hue Smith
Tel: +1 802.848.7776
All things come to an end, and so this week did too, we parted ways on Sarturday and I began making my way towards Saratoga Springs, New York, by way of Burlington, Vermont and some awfully pretty countryside.
I proceeded on VT 104 to Interstate 89 South, where I came across several Vermont State Troopers driving hunter green vehicles.
I missed the Lake Champlain ferry crossing by a few minutes, so I proceeded on VT 7 south to VT 22A and ultimately VT 74 west which crossed over the southern part of the lake into the Ticonderoga, NY area and northern Lake George region.
While on VT 22A, I came across an instant-on K-band trap where the speed zone had dropped abruptly 20 miles to 30mph. Sure enough traffic patrol was sitting quietly in a parking lot adjacent to the road running instant-on police radar getting vehicles going both directions.
At the time I was running the Escort Passport 9500i, the Beltronics STi-R, and a certain high-end Whistler windshield mount radar detector. As I had observed once before on this trip (several weeks ago on instant-K in Pennslyvania on my way out to Ohio to meet up with Steve), the Whistler actually alerted first to the instant-on speed trap.
This incredible experience solidly underscores that ultimate radar detector performance goes beyond mere sensitivity/distance numbers on charts.
In the real-world other factors come into play, which from time to time, can manifest themselves. My hat's off to Whister for being able to not only hang with the biggest of the big boys, but sometimes, outrun them!
I ultimately came to I-87 again and proceeded south to Saratoga to meet up with one of my old time college buddies and visit one very historic thoroughbred racetrack (older than Churchill, by one year: Founded in 1864) and much more exclusive (their meet only open only six weeks out of the entire year!)
One of the few racetracks which sport two, count 'em two inner turf courses
As expected things were very quiet on the Northway until I got to the Saratoga and Glens Falls area. Here I found a lot of instant-on and steady Ka action. One New York State Trooper was operating the Stalker Dual (I could tell because of the dual bogeys, signals provided by both the Valentine and the Escort Passport 9500ci. I understand, that while this is an incredible police radar gun setup, its quite expensive and requires a very skilled operator to manage effectively.
This was actually the second time I came across the Stalker Dual, the first being in Ohio, by Grayton road, with Steve one evening.
I just love gals who love guys in cowboy hats!
Big Brown is expected to run here in several weeks, at this years Travers Stakes
Where one gathers after hitting a big trifecta.
The other Saratoga, standardbred racecourse
It was very hot in downtown Saratoga—my in dash temperature gauge registered 106F.
On Sunday, 8 June, after hunting the Northway for Ka action, which I found in spades, I ventured to back to the Burlington, Vermont area, to visit some family who spend much of their year living in a extremely remote and wooded area in the Vermont countryside. Black bears and other critters are often seen here, along with an occasional big cat.
Paula's and Al's place was a slice of heaven on earth, which allowed me to decompress for the evening to the sounds of the wilderness.
On Monday I had to move on to visit Boston for business for a couple of days, so with a heavy heart I said my goodbyes and prepared to make my way back to civilization. Al had relayed that he just got a speeding ticket, so I gave him one of mine, the Beltronics Vector 940 (V940) as a good starting point. Since Al never drove with a radar detector, I went over the basics including the proper role a radar detector should play in enhancing driving safety, how to mount it, operate it, and most importantly how to interpret its behavior.
From Vermont to Mass. on I-91
Heading to Boston for a couple of days on business.
I proceeded on VT 104 to Interstate 89 South, where I came across several Vermont State Troopers driving hunter green vehicles.
I missed the Lake Champlain ferry crossing by a few minutes, so I proceeded on VT 7 south to VT 22A and ultimately VT 74 west which crossed over the southern part of the lake into the Ticonderoga, NY area and northern Lake George region.While on VT 22A, I came across an instant-on K-band trap where the speed zone had dropped abruptly 20 miles to 30mph. Sure enough traffic patrol was sitting quietly in a parking lot adjacent to the road running instant-on police radar getting vehicles going both directions.
At the time I was running the Escort Passport 9500i, the Beltronics STi-R, and a certain high-end Whistler windshield mount radar detector. As I had observed once before on this trip (several weeks ago on instant-K in Pennslyvania on my way out to Ohio to meet up with Steve), the Whistler actually alerted first to the instant-on speed trap.
This incredible experience solidly underscores that ultimate radar detector performance goes beyond mere sensitivity/distance numbers on charts.
In the real-world other factors come into play, which from time to time, can manifest themselves. My hat's off to Whister for being able to not only hang with the biggest of the big boys, but sometimes, outrun them!
I ultimately came to I-87 again and proceeded south to Saratoga to meet up with one of my old time college buddies and visit one very historic thoroughbred racetrack (older than Churchill, by one year: Founded in 1864) and much more exclusive (their meet only open only six weeks out of the entire year!)
One of the few racetracks which sport two, count 'em two inner turf coursesThis was actually the second time I came across the Stalker Dual, the first being in Ohio, by Grayton road, with Steve one evening.
I just love gals who love guys in cowboy hats!
Big Brown is expected to run here in several weeks, at this years Travers Stakes
Where one gathers after hitting a big trifecta.
The other Saratoga, standardbred racecourseIt was very hot in downtown Saratoga—my in dash temperature gauge registered 106F.
On Sunday, 8 June, after hunting the Northway for Ka action, which I found in spades, I ventured to back to the Burlington, Vermont area, to visit some family who spend much of their year living in a extremely remote and wooded area in the Vermont countryside. Black bears and other critters are often seen here, along with an occasional big cat.Paula's and Al's place was a slice of heaven on earth, which allowed me to decompress for the evening to the sounds of the wilderness.
On Monday I had to move on to visit Boston for business for a couple of days, so with a heavy heart I said my goodbyes and prepared to make my way back to civilization. Al had relayed that he just got a speeding ticket, so I gave him one of mine, the Beltronics Vector 940 (V940) as a good starting point. Since Al never drove with a radar detector, I went over the basics including the proper role a radar detector should play in enhancing driving safety, how to mount it, operate it, and most importantly how to interpret its behavior.
From Vermont to Mass. on I-91
Several days later, upon completion of the Boston portion of my trip, I decided to leave to get home. I hadn't seen the Veil Gal in a number of weeks for any real period of time, and my heart was starting to feel it. Although I thought better of it, I decided to make the trip during the evening, knowing full-well that I was at a higher potential risk for a speeding ticket.
Perhaps I should have listened to my instincts because, while both Connecticut and New York passed by quickly and without incident, New Jersey was another story, entirely.
I fell into the mistake of driving fatigue and not checking my rear when I pulled back onto I-287 south at nightime, after getting a full-tank of gas. I did not notice the NJ State Trooper, who must have been closely behind, when I re-entered the highway. At any rate, the Speed Trap Hunter finally, himself, became the hunted, being pulled-over for allegedly traveling 83mph in a 55mph zone.
With unarguably the best radar detector equipment yet conceived, how could this be? Simple. Remember, radar detectors are not cop detectors—the officer claimed he paced me the old fashioned-way, with his speedometer.
We'll have to try to win this one on a technicality, no doubt. I immediately called my personal police radar and traffic enforcement guru and proceeded to cry on his shoulders for a minute and to plumb his extensive knowledge of the subject of my outs (to use a hold-em poker expression).
Having a car badged with all kind of racing stickers and a bumper that reads GOT SPEED? didn't seem to be my strong suit. Indeed, it likely made my situation worse, as the ticketing officer cited me for an obstruction violation. The culprit, my trusty Valentine One, mounted very low on the windshield. Un-phased, I remained calm, professional, and pleasant (keeping in mind that it's OK to lose a battle and win the war).
Even if I don't win this particular war, I will ultimately chalk this one up to "taking one for our team," and as a form of an additional road-tax—for the privilege of enhancing my driving freedoms.
This incident—having set-back my average speed by quite a bit—now behind me, I managed to safely arrive home after accumulating nearly 6200 miles—all of them almost completely ticket-free.
Here are some real-world videos from this segment:
Whistler Outrunning the Biggest of the Big Dogs in Vermont against Sneaky Instant-on K-band Speed Trap
Just Minutes Later with this Same Sneaky Back-road Instant-on K-band Vermont Speed Trap
Opposite-side Approaching Steady 34.7ghz Ka vs 9500ci, STi-R, Valentine 1
OUCH!: Why EVERYONE Should Drive with a good RADAR DETECTOR
Passport 9500ci, Beltronics STi-R, High-End Whistler vs Three Approaching Ka-band Cruisers
The best for last: Beltronics STi-R, Escort Passport 9500ci Absolutely Trounce Approaching 35.5ghz KA
in a 25mph Speed Zone, After a High Speed Approach
At any rate, I have come away from this intense real world driving experience with a renewed sense of respect and awe for what both Beltronics and Escort have accomplished with their new ultra-high-end remote radar detectors, the Beltronics STi-R and the Escort Passport 9500ci!!!
Each of these fabulous radar detectors really are game changers, they're that good!
My next driving route will soon include the north-western states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana (and possibly Idaho and Washington). Fortunately for me, I am taking the Veil Gal with me on this business trip (along with my other trusted companions).
Drive happily and safely, and remember to keep it between the lines...
Bob, the Speed Trap Hunter
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