Let's try for a ride

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Looks like a ride tomorrow might be possible. It would be nice to get a ride in these relatively mild temperatures, and do some sight seeing of the rushing rivers.

Meet at the public parking lot behind the Eastern Slope Inn in North Conway at 10:00 am, ready to ride if the weather is dry. We can do West Side Road to Conway Village then up the Kanc to look at the Swift River. Return by Passaconaway Road and West Side Road. This would be about 28 miles. It is easily shortened if the weather turns wet, or lengthened if the sun comes out!

Lakes and Pine Barrens Ride: Madison to Tamworth Loop

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

The Lakes and Pine Barrens Ride starts at the King Pine Ski Area parking lot (across the street from the lifts), travels south down route 153, then goes east though the Ossipee Pine Barrens on Bennet Road. The route goes by Camp Calumet at the northern tip of Ossipee Lake, crosses Route 16 and goes on Route 25 in West Ossipee for about a mile, then takes old route 25 and 113 into Tamworth Village.

We can eat at the picnic tables behind The Other Store (or the other store next to it...). You can buy food and/or ice cream there. After the lunch stop in Tamworth, return via Depot Road, the northern end of Silver Lake, East Madison Road, and up and over the hill back to King Pine.

The distance is 34 miles.

Meet at the King Pine Ski Area parking lot at 10:00 am, ready to ride.

For those from the Glen/Bartlett/Jackson area, meet for carpooling at the Grant's (old Dunkin Donuts location) parking lot at 9:00 am.

Here is a map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1528097

Autumn in North Fryeburg 10:00 am

Thursday, October 18, 2012

It should be a beautiful day for a quiet, traffic-free ride in the North Fryeburg-Chatham-Stow area!  

I am away again this Thursday, riding in the Boston area. 

Start 10:00 am, ready to ride, next to the North Fryeburg Fire Station at the corner of Route 113 and South Chatham Road.  The ride will check out the status of the corn, potatoes, soybeans and turf fields. The route starts south on Route 113 to Cornshop, then Route 5, Fish, McNeil, Harbor, Union Hill, Meadow, the Stow Store and the Chatham Loop or the Basin. Choose your favorite route!

Basic ride to Stow Store: 23 miles. Add the Chatham Loop: 30 miles total. Add the Basin: 39 miles total. For a longer ride, start at the Maine Visitor's Center on Route 302 just over the NH border at 9:20 am. Ride up Route 113 to meet everyone at the fire station or as they ride towards Cornshop Road. Starting at the Visitors Center will adds about 18 miles round trip. If you want to carpool to North Fryeburg, meet at Grant's parking lot at 9:15.

North Road and Evans Notch 10:00 am

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Since I am in VT riding a Gap on Thursday, I will share the fun by posting a Notch for ThursdayBike!

How about North Road to Evans Notch? It should be beautiful in the past-peak golds, rusts and copper.  To make it different, start in Shelbourne Village instead of the usual Hogan Road/North Road parking area near the dam. By starting in Shelbourne, you will cut out about 3 miles and 2 tough hills at the end of the ride. You add a mile of flat scenic farmland and river, not a bad exchange. 

Mileage: about 33 if you do the whole ride to the top of Evans Notch, about 30 if you go to the bridge just before the climb goes from gradual to steep. 

Time:  ready to ride at 10:00 am

Start from Shelbourne Village, just off Meadow Road (a left turn off of Route 2 about 5 miles east from the route 16/2 junction in Gorham). Meadow Road joins North Road at the triangle intersection close to the Philbrook Inn. 

After turning left into Meadow from Route 2 take a quick right onto Village Road. Park across from the library or in the ballpark. Bike back out to Meadow Road, take a right, cross the Androscoggin River bridge and take a right onto North Road at the grassy triangle.

FRIDAYBike? Foliage Ride? Lost Nation! 10:00am

The Lost Nation Loop 10:00am start

Thursday looks like a rainy day, but FRIDAY is the best day of the week with sunshine, warm temperatures and peak foliage. So I would love to do one of my favorite rides for spectacular scenery!  This ride dressed up in fall foliage is amazing!!

Farms, fields, horses, cows, mountain views, covered bridges, rivers, streams, villages, little white churches, closed papermills, etc. This ride has everything the region can offer!  Let's see what the tourists from all over the world are up here this week to enjoy!

The full loop is 50 miles, but a really nice 30 mile option is possible out of Lancaster. Email me if you plan to come on the ride and let me know if you prefer the shorter version. At least one person will do the 30 miler, so we can arrange carpooling. marianneborowski@yahoo.com

The Lost Nation Loop starts in Whitefield at the town green with the gazebo in the center. We ride east towards Jefferson on route 116, then North Road through Grange and Lost Nation to Groveton. We then ride about 2.5 miles down Route 3 (wide shoulder) to Northumberland and cross the CT River into Guildhall, VT. We ride the VT side of the CT River on Route 102 then cross the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge just south of Lancaster. We ride almost to Dalton along the NH side of the CT River and then take route 142 back to Whitefield.

For the map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nh/lost-nation/300382908

Start time: 10:00 am, ready to ride

Carpooling: If you want to carpool, meet at the Attitash parking lot at 8:50 am

Directions to Whitefield: Route 302 through Crawford Notch to the light at Twin Mountain four corners. Take a right onto Route 3 and follow it to the center of Whitefield, a tiny town green with gazebo.
Parking in Whitefield: There is parking around the town green in the center of Whitefield (intersection of routes 3, 116, 142).

Ride Distance: 50 miles

Shorter Option:  30 miles  This spring, Tom, Denise and Walt did a shorter, easier loop out of Lancaster, parking at the Shaw's Supermarket. If you want to do this version, meet at the Whitefield Gazebo and drive up to Lancaster. You will meet the 50 mile riders at the dairy farm at the corner of Lost Nation Road. You will have cut out the longest and steepest climbs. 

History: Lost Nation seems to always be associated with The Republic of Indian Stream, (perhaps because of the book written about this interesting region of NH?). The place called Lost Nation, where we will ride (don't blink or you may miss it...), is not geographically contained within The Republic of Indian Stream, so I am curious as to how they are historically related. Can anyone help with this history?Information about the Republic of Indian Stream: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Indian_Stream

About the novel, Lost Nation, by Jeffrey Lent: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Nation-Jeffrey-Lent/dp/0871138433