Category: Uncategorized

Bicycle Trip: Lincoln NH to Phoenixville PA – Day 2: Loudon, New Hampshire

Day 2 started early in the morning, waking up to the rat-ta-tat-tat of the woodpeckers. There was a storm coming, so we had to try to get our riding hours in before noon. We were on the road before 7:00 am, our butts still sore from yesterday. We passed through Laconia, a cute little town, and stopped to take a few pictures (and rest). Today’s ride had several elevation challenges (HUGE hills…. I’m going to have nightmares of Fellows Hill Road for awhile). Mark is always saying “Never give up; never surrender” (Galaxy Quest), so I kept saying that in my head as we pedaled until we had to walk to make the final ascent on the last two. It took awhile for the temperature to get comfortable today, and I had trouble shaking my chill from the night before.

What I noticed today were lawn decorations. Folks up here have some very rustic ways of decorating their lawns. Lots of stuff you would see on American Pickers. Wishing wells and windmills everywhere. Rusty wheel barrows in the middle of gardens. Old stationary bikes and plows that had been converted to mailbox stands. Old horse drawn carts and tractors that had been converted to planters. Lots of old stuff; I didn’t even know what some of it was. Passed lots of farms and friendly folk starting their Spring clean-up. In the rural areas, everyone waved and drivers gave us wide berth (not so much in the larger towns as people were rushing to work and we were definitely in their way).

We were making good time, and were only a few miles from our campground when we found a place for lunch, “The Hungry Buffalo”. Had to wait a few minutes outside as it wasn’t open until 11:30 AM. It was the only restaurant Google could find around Loudon and it doubled as the local tavern and pool hall. The regulars started lining up at the bar by noon. LOL. Great food, especially if you have a hankering for some less common meat choices (bison, elk, wild boar, venison, alligator).

After a great lunch, we made it to the campground with only a few sprinkles. Set up camp, showered and did laundry already as we are only traveling with 3 sets of riding clothes. Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer and drier which should make for a much more pleasant day.

Old train station in Laconia
Cannons in Laconia center
The Hungry Buffalo in Loudon
Set up and ready to brave the storm.

Bicycle Trip: Lincoln NH to Phoenixville PA – Day 1: Meredith, New Hampshire

Day 1 is in the books. Rode 39 miles to Meredith Woods Campground near Pemigewasset Lake (just west of Winnipesaukee). Slow start getting out in the morning. Stopped for bagels, the ATM, and the obligatory trip back home for Mark’s raincoat (of course it didn’t rain). A lot more uphill than I expected (I mean, we’re riding OUT of the White Mountains, right?), but none so bad that we had to dismount and walk. Lots of beautiful backroad NH scenery… rivers, mountains, waterfalls, covered bridges, and trestle bridges. Pretty much followed the course of the Pemigewasset River right out of Lincoln. Went through downtown Plymouth and then crossed back under I-93 to have lunch in Ashland at the Village Pizza and Grill. Gotta love the great service and food when you get off the highway. Checked into Meredith Woods Campground around 4:00 PM. The desk clerk was so excited to hear that we biked down from Lincoln that she gave us a free sticker and upgraded our campsite. Great first day. Our butts are sore and our knees are creaky. First order of business was to find the Ibuprofen.

Ready to go
Crossing the Pemi
Had the place to ourselves at lunch
Set up for the night
Responding to Facebook
Note the Ibuprofen on the table.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Day 29: Lincoln, New Hampshire

I’ve been repeatedly reminded that I didn’t “finish” my trip …. so here it is:

DAY 29 – We got home to our place in NH on Wednesday. Total counts: 5456 miles on the motorcycle, 24 nights in the tent, 1 night in a cabin, 3 nights crashing with friends, 5 new states, and 3 major league baseball games.

Dedicated Friday to the dreaded tasks at the DMV. The whole thing took less time than it would have taken just to wait in line in California. One trip to the town hall, and one trip to the DMV and we got the Jeep, the motorcycle and the trailer registered, along with getting both driver’s licenses transferred. It only took a couple hours and under $400 (take that Todd Lilly… you need to move to the “Live Free or Die” state).

Kevin Dixon and Faye Harwell came up Friday night and hung out with us on Saturday. We did the HOA meetings and they did the brewery tour at the Woodstock Inn. I think someone got the better end of that deal. Today, we finally got out to enjoy some of the spectacular beauty of NH at the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Days 27-28: Phonexville, PA and Hammonasset Beach State Park, CT

Day 27 – Dropped in to visit my older son, Mike and his lovely bride, Christine in Phoenixville PA. Crashed in their spare room, ate their food, drank their beer and did our laundry. What a great role reversal!

Day 28 – Rode into Connecticut the long way around, trying to avoid pulling the trailer in NYC traffic. It didn’t help since Connecticut is always a parking lot. Spent the afternoon exploring the Connecticut shore. Grabbed a site at Hammonasset Beach State Park for the night.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Day 25: Pittsburgh, PA

Day 25 – Made it to Pittsburgh. I had driven through before on the Interstate, but I gotta say, this city is far more beautiful than I ever imagined. I guess I was envisioning burnt out factory buildings and coal-polluted skies. Downtown is beautiful and vibrant. People everywhere and boats up and down the three rivers. We took a ride up the Duquesne Heights Incline, a funicular that scales the side of Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington. It offers spectacular views of downtown. There are a few cute restaurants at the top where we ate a late lunch. Then, off to the Pirates game (baseball stadium #16) where they beat the Reds 6-2. Three home runs celebrated with fireworks plus the end of the game celebration. Someone forgot to tell them we are bad luck for the home team.

Camping on a hilltop somewhere northeast of Pittsburgh. Seeing fireflies for the first time in a very long time.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Day 24: Cleveland, OH

Day 24 – After a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast at Ed’s, we rode into Cleveland to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Lots of great music and memorabilia. Took advantage of the free motorcycle parking lot. They probably weren’t expecting a setup like ours when they decided to offer this benefit. After a few days respite with friends, we are back to the campgrounds tonight.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Day 22-22: Lake Michigan and Elk Lake, Michigan

Day 21 – Hoped to take the high-speed ferry across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee but the motorcycle section was full. Had to ride 100 miles north to Manitowoc WI to take the low-speed ferry, the SS Badger, to Ludington MI. Four hours instead of 2.5, but it was fun. They kept us entertained with BINGO and trivia along the way. Since we arrived much further north than we planned, we pushed on to Elk Lake to visit Wendy & Doug Warner. Arrived late and then stayed up even later telling stories and reminiscing.

Day 22 – The Warners are the best hosts ever! They took us on a beautiful hike, an amazing bike ride (with a stop for some craft beer), and a pontoon boat ride to dinner. What a great day and the weather decided to cooperate.

Motorcycle Trip: CA to NH – Day 20: Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Day 20 – A busy day. Rode into Madison to meet up with our niece Carly for brunch. Saw the wiener mobile and some majestic sand cranes hanging out in her neighborhood. Rode on to Milwaukee to the Harley Davidson museum and I scored a new t-shirt. Mark tested out his next Harley. Now, at the Brewers game (MLB Park #15) and the Brewers are leading the Cubs at the 7th inning stretch.