Outside My Door in Brattleboro and Dummerston, Vt.

Park behind The Marina Restaurant just off Rt. 5/Putney Rd. in Brattleboro on Spring Tree Rd. Be careful pulling out of the access road onto Putney Rd. — lots of fast traffic. Then hunker down and tolerate the traffic for a mile using the well-marked bike lanes and take a left at the traffic light onto Black Mountain Rd. Start climbing and get used to it. You'll climb a lot on this route. First, you'll pass the School for International Training, a higher education institution with a focus on international relations in undergraduate, graduate and semester abroad programs in 41 countries. Next you pass a house built by Rudyard Kipling and then the Scott Farm, a historically preserved orchard with 130 varieties of heirloom apples. There's a farm market, Pippin's Cafe during summer and fall, a Stone Wall park where the craftspeople of the Stone Trust train practitioners in dry stone construction. Wonders to behold! You must make a stop here, if only to try an exotic, heirloom apple. They all taste exotically different than your run of the mill Honeycrisp. Climb further through a maple sugar bush, then descend to take a right on Middle Rd. Enjoy the curvy descent. This first climb and swoosh are the warmup for what comes next. At a four-way intersection, turn left onto Nourse Hollow Rd. It's gated on both ends, accessible to walkers and bikers, so you'll probably have it all to yourself. A narrow, secret valley with a tiny stream and marshes along the way, and mostly flat. At a T intersection, turn left on East-West Rd. After half a mile, turn left onto Schoolhouse Rd. and then a quick right on Miller Rd. Bear down. There's a steep, almost 10% grade in the beginning, then it mellows out. There will be a left to stay on Miller, then a right on Bunker and a left on Park Laughton, climbing for a couple miles but you'll be distracted by the orchards, meadows and 19th century homes. It's pure Vermont. You'll top out, descend to crossings of Salmon Brook, then climb through more elegant meadows until you reach the village of Dummerston, Vt. You passed through East Dummerston on Schoolhouse Rd., this is Dummerston Center and West Dummerston is miles away — all distinctly different villages. Chill on the steps of the Dummerston Town Hall, take a sip of water and then climb some more. Head west uphill then start to descend, but slow down so you don't miss the left onto Black Mountain Rd. Another mile of climbing and you'll top out just before you reach the trailhead for Black Mountain. Geographical Note. The top of Black Mountain is less than a mile east on a well-managed trail. The summit elevation is only 1280 feet, but it's a classic granite dome of sculptured rock and not many trees. Great views, not much effort for a big payoff. Tom Wessels, faculty emeritus of Antioch University New England, describes its natural history and significance in his book "The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes." There are dozens of boulder caves up here, places to scramble around with children and mossy picnic spots. You'll feel like you've ascended to a peak in the White Mountains. Speaking of payoff, now you get to reap the benefits of all that climbing. Start a gentle descent continuing along Black Mountain Rd. At an intersection at around 15.6 miles, Black Mountain Rd. veers left and you continue straight onto Howland Rd. In another quarter mile, you turn right onto Rice Farm Rd. Round a corner and stop right before the pitch steepens to enjoy the oh-my-god view. Coast down the next couple of miles. When you flatten out at the bottom, keep your eyes peeled for the West River Rail Trail on your left. The fun isn't over yet. The next four miles couldn't be more charming. You'll follow the bed of an abandoned rail line along the waters of the West River. The trail bed is reasonably firm and there's always something intriguing to look at. In early spring, the cliffs abound with spring ephemerals — Dutchman's breeches, columbine, trout lilies and bloodroot. A bit later in May and June the mountain laurel are in riotous bloom. There's a swimming hole you can scramble down to somewhere in the middle, there are a few little streams to cross and towards the end, there's a fiddlehead fern foraging spot that you must find on your own. Even the soaring pylons that support the I-91 bridge are aesthetically designed. As you get close to the end, you'll encounter lots of dog walkers, joggers, moms with toddlers in tow. It's an if-you-build-it-they-will-come scene. You'll wind up in the big parking lots for The Marina, a riverside restaurant with pretty good food, unbeatable riverside seating and a good draft selection. My recommendation for a post ride snack is the smoked trout plate with a pint of the Fiddlehead IPA, "a well-balanced American IPA with mellow bitterness and a dry, refreshing finish." A great bike ride, a snack and refreshing ale, views out over the West River marshes — priceless. For a digital map of this ride, see: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48792958 At a Glance: Brattleboro and Dummerston, VT 0 miles &emsp;&emsp;Park in the parking lot behind The Marina Restaurant on Spring Tree Rd., right off Rt. 5 on the &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp; &emsp; West River. 0.1 miles&emsp;&emsp;Turn left onto Rt. 5/Putney Rd. and follow bike lanes. 1.0 mile &emsp;&emsp;Turn left at light onto Black Mountain Rd. 1.7 miles&emsp;&emsp;Continue straight/bear right onto Kipling Rd. 3.2 miles&emsp;&emsp;Stop at Scott Farm for an heirloom apple, a walkaround, maybe some cider. &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp; Then continue Kipling Rd. 4.3 miles Turn right on Middle Rd. for a smooth swoop. 5.4 miles&emsp;&emsp; Turn left, pass around gate, onto Nourse Hollow Rd. 6.6 miles Turn left onto East West Rd. 7.1 miles&emsp;&emsp; Turn left onto Schoolhouse Rd. and then quickly right on Miller Rd. Climb. 9.0 miles&emsp;&emsp; Bear left to stay on Miller Rd. 9.3 miles&emsp;&emsp; Right onto Bunker Rd. 9.7 miles&emsp;&emsp; Left on Park Laughton Rd. 12.3 miles Arrive Dummerston Center. Right on East West Rd. 13.1 miles Left on Black Mountain Rd. 15.6 miles Continue straight/bear right onto Howland Rd. 15.9 miles Right onto Rice Farm Rd. Plunge. 17.2 miles Left onto West River Trail 20.9 miles Arrive back at Marina/West River Trail parking.