First I start with the sad news: Ted and Wanda left the trip early due to a family emergency. They pulled out of the parking lot of our hotel about the same time David and I and Dale and Vicky left for some mountain riding.
We started our day early because we wanted to be the first at Mount Washington today. After much debate regarding the pros and cons of riding our bikes or taking the guided tour, David and I finally decided to take the guided tour. While it would seem that we 'wimped' out, in truth, the biggest reason for the ride in the van is we both wanted to see all we could and take pictures all the way up and down the mountain. Dale called our room last night and said that he was still planning on riding his Gold Wing up but Vicky would ride the van with us.
We got to the ticket office before it opened and were first in line to buy our tickets and therefore guaranteed a seat on the first van to the summit. Our driver, Rik, was very knowledgeable about the area with insights and history regarding the geology, biology, and climate of Mount Washington. Not one question from any of the passengers went unanswered. I personally learned much and enjoyed the ride all the more because of what I learned.
The weather for the ride to the summit was perfect. All storms and rain from the previous couple of days was gone and we enjoyed bright blue skies. Many days at the summit visibility is less than 25 miles; today the visibility was at 110 miles. What that meant was the Atlantic Ocean was visible! Air temperature on the summit was 36 and wind speed was 45-56 m.p.h. Again, mild conditions compared to 'normal' at the top where winds are usually much higher, more in the 75-100 range. The highest winds recorded there reached 231 m.p.h. Even at the 45 we saw today, standing upright was difficult and the wind hurt bare skin.
Dale was already at the summit when we got there, Vicky breathed a sigh of relieve, and left before us for the decent. He was again waiting for us at the bottom. He had a good time riding the Auto Road but really didn't get to see the scenery we did. I'm still glad we did the van and perhaps some time in the future I will ride my bike up.
Our ride to Mount Washington was along US-16 which is also the main road through North Conway. The winds today whipped me back and forth in my lane on the way to the Auto Road. And since we were heading out early, the air temps were a bit nippy.
After the encounter with Mount Washington, we rode a little farther north and then west and finally south to Lincoln where we ate lunch and picked up the beginning of the Kancamagus Highway. We rode all 35 miles and back to Conway and by mid afternoon were back at the hotel where more swimming was in order while waiting for the laundry to finish.
Without trying to insult my friends from New England, I just want to say this about the Kanc - while the scenery was great, the road was not a challenge. Only one switchback and 7% grade for most of the way, it felt like most of the roads we ride every day. The pavement, however, was horrid. Dealing with the washboard surface of the road was more challenging than any of the curves.
Tomorrow we head to Vermont!
No comments:
Post a Comment