Fall Cruise

I haven't had much to ramble on about lately, so I have changed my mind about not jotting down the ride I had this past Sunday. This will be an informal ride journal, just to give me something to type :) I brought my camera, but was hung over and a little cold, so I opted instead to remain in motion for almost the entire duration of the day. It turned out to be a great ride though.

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After a long, hard Saturday night of becoming a little too friendly with a few too many Red Bull & Vodka's, I awoke with some pretty thick cobwebs in my head. I thought of my plans for later in the day that were to go over to my buddy Ernie's house to play pool and watch the Pats game. The mere thought of a loud, smoky room combined with the generous offers of beer were more than enough cause me to mutter to myself- “Screw That”. I quickly settled on an alternate plan for the day, one that sat much better with me. I would spend the day alone in the fresh air, riding around scenic parts unknown, taking it all in.

The day started slow, but by noon I was showered and dressed, and ready to start some planning. I again pulled out my trusty Motorcycle Journeys Through New England book and thumbed through my options. It didn't take long to find my day's route. It was the book's closest route to my starting point (home) and just enough miles to constitute a good ride (200). There are plenty more rides in there that will no doubt be in my future, however a good portion of them require a long ride just to get to the correct region of New England and thus are either very long days requiring rolling out of bed much sooner than PM or even more than one day.

With my route planned, I began suiting up. Today was cold. The feel of the day would be in stark contrast to last weekend's long ride, when it was still warm enough to feel like the fleeting days of summer. Today's high of 60 meant I would spend many hours of riding in the 50's. I had never taken a ride of the length I was planning in these chilly temps. Knowing that warmth and comfort was everything when it comes to distance, I put on everything I could fit. Fleece-lined jeans, chaps, long sleeve t-shirt, 3 fleece shirts, jacket, fleece neck-warmer and hat. Good to go.

Shortly after 1:00 I left the driveway and again headed north up RT 16. A good trip always starts with some boring, familiar ground before getting into new and exciting territory. Still reeling from last night, I thought to myself that I felt like shit and should probably have plunked down on the couch for the day.

“No,” I thought to myself. I would press on.

Reaching Rochester, I exited 16 and began heading northwest up RT 11 and the southern tip of Lake Winnipesauke. This leg was also rather too familiar, straight, and boring, but this didn't last long. In no time, I reached Alton, and banked a left on to RT 140. I may have been on this road once or twice, but not enough to consider it a traveled road. So began the good stuff. This road is very windy through the rolling hills and trees. My gear was doing a good job of keeping me warm as the temps remained around 55 and I was comfortable.

After 20 or so miles I once again broke out into civilization in Tilton. Not hungry, but hoping a little more sustenance would aid my innards, I stopped for a small bite to eat at McDonalds. I ate outside in a constant, hard wind and enjoyed the fresh air, and my solitude.

After the short break, I joined up with RT 132 north. I had taken this road from Concord up to Tilton before and found it to be a great road that has a place pretty high up on my list of fun roads in this area. This would be the first time I traveled the leg north of Tilton, and I couldn't have been happier to do so.

As soon as Tilton had vanished from my mirrors, I found 132 in this section retained it characteristic winding, scenic attitude. Only now the scenery became even better. The road began to cut between large hills that had very steep sides, allowing you to see a wall of trees darting toward the sky. I came past high, flat rock faces that were remaining traces of the work put into creating this gem of a road. As great as the southern part of this road was, this section was ten times more beautiful. I was also happy to see that it still closely paralleled the interstate, crossing beneath it in several sections. This resulted in me seeing virtually no traffic, as everyone is in a rush to get someplace nowadays, and a road like this is of little use to those who have succumbed to the hustle and bustle. I passed sections of tall pines where there was virtually no undergrowth. This allowed me to gaze deep into the woods at the moss covered rocks strewn about the forest floor. I felt like I was hiking out in the woods on a nature walk somewhere. And all from the seat of my bike!

RT 132 joined up with RT 3 and 25 in Ashland where I headed due east. This brief portion of my day had been traveled in a car many times in my past when I was living in Ossipee and would drive up to Plymouth to visit friends. I was surprised to find that as many times as I had been through here, I had never noticed or given any thought to the road I soon turned off onto. RT 113. The first leg of this essentially amounted to a scenic loop off of 25, as it joined back up with 25 near West Ossipee. I never knew this and after traveling it wish I had been aware of it sooner.

RT 113 quickly took a close second place behind 132 for best road of the day as I rode past more steep hill sides, a few scenic overlooks, and countless beautiful houses on vast expanses of property. Many of these houses looked to be seasonal cottages for the rich, with fences or chains across the end of their driveways. Must be rough. And since this road was a longer, scenic alternative to RT 25 that parallels it nearby, I was again one of the only vehicles on this road. The author of my trip book has done his homework, and I was lucky enough to be reaping the benefits. By this time I had long since become one with my surroundings and was feeling in much better spirits. I'm so glad I was smart enough to stay off the couch.

I wished that this road would continue forever, but sadly I soon came out to 25 again. A quick push east brought me again to a split and I continued on 113. This portion through Tamworth was familiar territory for me and not as scenic as the new section. But I was in the zone and wearing a large smile on the inside if not on the outside.

I reached RT 16 in Chocorua and turned north for the ride to Conway. Again I had been on this piece of pavement hundreds of times and, like my first leg of the day, went on auto pilot. My day's journey had already provided me with all of the new territory I would come across and had already fulfilled my day's goals. The remaining portion of the trip was just gravy.

I reached Conway and turned south on RT 153. This is also a very scenic ride, though being high on my list of favorites due to it's close proximity to home, is one I have traveled many times. To mix it up a little at least, I was able to take it from north to south, which I have only done a handful of times. I rolled along enjoying the remainder of the day, as the shadows beneath the trees grew longer and longer. The late afternoon sun was getting low on the horizon and I knew my day was soon drawing to a close.

In what felt like no time, I ended the last scenic part of the day and was back out onto 11 and then 16 for the quick mindless ride home to the warmth of my house and Laura. I used this time to ponder the beautiful ground I had just covered and how lucky I am to live my life. I pulled into the garage and the comfort of a warm, beckoning couch at 6:30, a little over 5 hours and 220 miles after starting.

I could do this everyday.