Not a Fast Fifty, but Well Ridden

Monday, October 13.  St. Johnsbury to Gorham

Omigosh.  The hills of New Hamshire are in full color – what a treat.  The color, that is, not the hills.  Yes, they do go on and on.  There was a walker today.  And there were several crawlers, one roller, and multiple riders. 

 

But it was a great ride!  We started our day by walking the bikes through .5 miles of road construction, then hopped on and rode a few blocks to the local diner, where we had a good breakfast, including gluten-free toast for Diane and Vermont maple syrup for Rob (which he shared).

 

Then we hopped on our bikes again—by this time it was 9:00 a.m. and 35 degrees.  But we were never cold because we began climbing immediately.  We rode through moose-crossing countryside, but saw no moose.  Darn.  But at the top of each climb there were unbelievable Fall vistas!  About twenty miles into the day, close to the Vermont/NH border, we took a side road to go through the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge, and then followed the river into Lancaster, NH.  We ate lunch from our pack in a laundromat (Diane’s idea to stay warm while eating), and then continued on. 

 

Rob uses an app on his android phone that graphs the elevation gains and losses between points, so we knew we had some big hills climb and one long descent outside of Gorham.  When we saw that last hill coming up, we each thought to ourselves (later confirmed) “that’s a walker.”  But instead it was a crawler, because of a new smooth surface and two lanes plus a wide shoulder going up. So new, that the only markings on the highway were the double yellow  lines dividing the two-way traffic.  What a difference the surface makes.  Also, by this time we had a gentle tail wind that helped whisper us up.  The top was about four miles from the hotel; the downhill comprised a two mile 8% grade followed by a two mile 6% grade.  Diane braked, but Rob let it rip, reaching 42.5 mph. 

 

The Top Notch Inn proved to be nice home away from home, and dinner next door, “J’s Corner Restaurant” provided an opportunity for gluttony (for Rob, that is; Diane ate sensibly).

Tomorrow, we experience our last day in NH and our first day in Maine. 

 

A little road construction to start our day.

 

Looking for Moose, but to no avail.

 

Mt. Orne covered bridge.

 

And since we are featuring structures, note the "flying buttresses" on the St. Agnes Catholic Church in New Hampshire - an omage to the great cathedrals of Europe.

 



But back to Fall Colors and ....

... a great smile.....

..... even up a crawler.