Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Bretton Woods to Whitefield via the Wing Road-Hazen Road Loop 9:30 am

Reminder: Bartlett 4th of July Parade!! I signed the bike club up for a spot in the parade again this year. Meet at the Attitash parking lot at 10:00 am on Tuesday, July 4th, ready to ride to Bartlett Village to line up and be ready for the parade at 11:00! Bring bikes, red white and blue and your houseguests, kids and grandkids! It's a fun, traditional, crazy event!!!



Thursday, June 29th, 2017

Let's DO IT!!

UPDATE AS OF 6:30 THURSDAY MORNING:  I think we can get a ride in before showers threaten. We can shorten the ride to about 28 miles, cutting out the Whitefield part and doing more of an out and back on route 115 with a loop on 1115A and Valley Road. Still a scenic ride, gradual climbing for a good work out too!


This is a great ride with Presidential views. Start at the Bretton Woods Ski Area, parking in the lot near the entrance on the right, across from the fitness center. We ride west on Route 302 straight through the lights at Twin Mountain to Beech Hill Road, River Road then Wing Road along the Ammonoosuc River then to Route 116 to Whitefield. We can eat lunch and/or ice cream at the gazebo on the town green in Whitefield, then head out a mile on Route 116 to Hazen Road. Hazen Road takes us to the small airport and wood chip power plant that goes past the entrance to the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge. There is a climb here up to Route 115 and the scenic vista, then downhill back to Route 3 and Route 302.

Ready to Ride at The Bretton Woods parking lot:  9:30 am  NOTE EARLIER START TIME!

Total loop from Bretton Woods parking lot: 37 miles.

Shorter options:  Start at the big Zealand winter parking lot (not the campground) on the north side of Route 302 for 29 miles. Look for riders passing by at about 9:50. For even shorter, park at the visitor center/tourist info gazebo at the Twin Mountain 4 corners where Routes 302 and 3 cross at the light.  This will make a 25 mile loop.

Meet at 9:30 am, ready to ride at the big parking lot across from the Bretton Woods Fitness center building. The fitness center is on your right just after you enter into the Bretton Woods Ski Area road.

Carpool? If you want to carpool, meet at Attitash in the parking lot across from the lifts at 8:45 am.


Map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/deerfield-nh/wing-and-airport-roads-in-twin-mountain-route-20582176

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Franconia Notch Bike Path from Loon 10:00 am

Thursday,  June 22nd, 2017

Welcome First Full Day of Summer!

Looks like we have good weather to ride the Franconia Notch Bike Path this Thursday!

I like setting up our ride over there before the path gets too crowded with summer vacationers. Keep it to ourselves!!

This "Bike Path" is not a flat, casual rail trail...it is a winding, up and down funhouse adventure! The views of the rugged, rocky slopes of mountains of Franconia Notch are excellent! We have a clear nice day predicted for this ride! We will check out the Shrine for The Old Man of the Mountains on the way.

Meet at the Loon Ski Area parking lot, ready to ride at 10:00 am. Starting at Loon, we ride the back roads of Lincoln to Clark's Trading Post, up Route 3 to The Flume, then enjoy the roller coaster of a bike path. It is about 32 miles round trip. 

For those that want a shorter ride, start at The Flume for a 19 mile ride. Park near the bike path entrance, at the northern end of the lot, up on the left relative to the entrance off of Route 3. Meet the riders coming up from Loon at about 10:50-11:00. 

If you want to carpool, meet at the far end of the Attitash parking lot, away from the lifts,  at 8:55 am. 

Bring a lunch to eat at the height of land on the bike path with Mt. Lafayette views.

Drive over Bear Notch and go up and over the Kanc to Lincoln; left into the Loon Ski Area parking lot.

If you like, there is good food and home brew at the Woodstock Brewery for après-bike. If you have the NPR or NHPTV discount card bring it for a 2-for-1 meal deal. 


Here is a map:  http://www.mapmyride.com/us/deerfield-nh/franconia-notch-bike-trail-from-loon-route-220707567

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Lupine Ride in Randolph and Jefferson 10:00 am

Thursday, June 15th, 2017

The Lupine:  I drove through there today! Beautiful!  We will have peak blooms on Thursday!  

The Ride:  The route goes by some of the best displays of panoramic scenery and lupine fields in the area. The lupine photo that I have had on this blog and the photo on the MWV Bicycle Club website shows the stunning beauty of this area.

The ride includes the entire length of Valley Road, a hidden treasure, running in the valley parallel to Route 2 but without the traffic. Valley Road lacks pavement for about 2 miles. but is typically ridable. Today the grader was working on it, so there may be loose rocks but less washboard - take your time and view the lupine! 


Durand Road is a terrific ride, lined with summer houses from the 30's and their nice gardens and lupine along the roadside. The mountain views from the Jefferson Meadows are spectacular. 

The ride starts in Randolph on Pinkham B Road at the intersection with the rail trail. We bike out Pinkham B to Route 2, cross Route 2 and enter Durand Road, a scenic quiet road parallel to Route 2. At the end of Durand Road, we ride Route 2 for about 1.5 mile then turn left onto Valley Road. We ride Valley Road to Jefferson Meadows then up to the convenience store in Jefferson for lunch and snacks, then enjoy an amazingly scenic ride, Presidential views, back to our cars.


You can ride a road, hybrid, touring, randonneur or mountain bike on this ride, all welcome, BUT you will likely enjoy the dirt roads better on something other than really skinny tires. 


Start time: 10:00 am ready to ride at the parking lot on the west end of Pinkham B Road at the rail trail crossing.


Carpool: if you want to carpool, meet at the Jackson Ski Touring/Wentworth Golf Club parking area, across the street from the J-Town Deli at 9:10 am.


Ride length:  To Jefferson store for lunch stop and back, 32 miles


Directions to the start: The start is at the Randolph end of the Pinkham B Road. There is parking right next to where the Presidential Rail Trail crosses Pinkham B.


IF you don't mind driving a narrow dirt road with potholes (but scenic in the trees..), you can drive all of Pinkham B to get to the sparking area. Access Pinkham B Road from the Dolly Copp Campground and Horton Center entrance off of Route 16. As you drive down the hill on Pinkham B and come out of the woods, the rail trail crosses the road at a public works department building. There is parking on the left side near the rail trail.

If you don't want to drive Pinkham B's adventurous dirt and "pavement", drive Route 16 to Gorham, follow it towards Berlin and take a left on Route 2 at the traffic light. Go up the big hill and down the other side. Just after the hill flattens, Pinkham B Road will be on your left. Take the left and drive about 0.5 mile to the parking area near the rail trail on the right.


Map:  http://www.mapmyride.com/us/berlin-nh/the-lupine-ride-in-randolph-and-jefferso-route-87558153




Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Lady Slipper Ride, Out and Back: Kanc and Bear Notch 10:00 am

Thursday, June 8th, 2017

June?? Really??  More like April lately!  

BUT....I gather that we will be happily biking in June weather this Thursday!! Excellent!!

Lets do something slightly different... 

Lady Slipper Orchids, Waterfalls and 2 Covered Bridges. Sounds good!

Let's go up the Kanc along the Swift River, head past Lower Falls and Rocky Gorge. We turn right on to Bear Notch Road and head up as far as you like. The goal is to head up past the gate and enjoy the typically beautiful display of Lady Slipper Orchids along the right side of the road. They are blooming in various areas in the valley and I am hoping we hit them perfectly on Bear Notch Road. Head to the summit of Bear Notch Road, otherwise just go as far up as you like.

Our return will be that great downhill on Bear Notch and the Kanc to the Albany Covered Bridge. We can stop to regroup at Rocky Gorge for a lunch break ...IN THE SUNSHINE!!!   Return to Conway via Passaconaway Road.

It is not easy now to get group parking in Conway Village. I was told that our typical starting point at the Saco Ranger Station is posted for no parking!  We also have been shooed away from the parking lot behind the bank. Let's try a new idea and see how this works.


Meet at the parking lot on Route 16 at the ShurFine and NH Liquor Store Plaza. If we park at the ShurFine end, away from the front of the store, we should be OK, and we can access the road that goes over the Saco Covered Bridge directly by a back driveway. We then ride into Conway Village and then take the right turn up the Kanc. A bathroom stop at the Ranger Station might be required (also to check to see about that parking limitation).

Meet at the ShurFine parking lot, ready to ride at 10:00 am. Bring a snack or lunch.

Distance: about 26 miles, longer if you climb to the summit of Bear Notch.