Let's Ride New England 2009

[EbarDP48]

Bert's "Let's ride New England" Tour
2009



Have you ever heard the story about how the “3M post it” came to be produced?
In 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M accidentally developed a "low-tack" glue. The story goes that they originally thought it a failure and then realized their failure had actually turned out better than they could have every hoped for.
That's a little like how Bert's 2009 "Let's ride New England" tour came into being.
The original plan was to ride the SW corner of Colorado in July. That fell apart when the ecomomy took a dump and our driver couldn't get away from his business.



A true adventure motorcyclist never lets a little change in plans throw him a curve. We simply shifted our focus, got out the maps and charted a new course for the northeast.
What I originally thought was a true failure turned out better much than I could have ever expected or could have ever hoped for.
Originally we were going to ride the whole loop from central Florida north through the Carolinas, New York, ending up in Maine and then looping back home. At the last minute, we opted to trailer up to our company office just North of Charlotte NC and start the ride from there.
Day 1 Friday September 4^th 2009
Bob Mehl and I loaded the truck and waited for our final participant, Robert Noa...A.K.A. Bar Shark to come home from work. Robert makes it in around 5:00pm and we're on the road by 6:00pm. We jump in the truck and after a few stops (for gas and..this one's for you Doug...FOOD) we make it to Savannah Ga. We got off I-95 and checked into the first motel we came to. Turns out we should have looked a little more as This place scored about a 1 on a scale of 10.
But we were tired and just wanted a place to lay our heads.
The place smelled like mold and I was soon to understand why. I got up to take a shower and found that the carpet was wet in spots..soaking wet. So much so that Bob wore his tennis shoes into the bathroom to take a shower. Now that's rare.
Robert's not known for being the tallest rider out there but Bob and I almost fell out of bed laughing when Robert laid down to go to sleep on his roll-a-way. His head hung off on end and his feet hung off the other.
Lesson #1
The inconveniences and troubles you encounter on any adventure will be the very things you remember the most and laugh about when you return home.


Day 2. Saturday September 5^th 2009
Early to rise we head for Salisbury NC.
We still had a four hour drive and of course there where still stops to make for things such as stretching,



Getting gas,


eating



and disposal of trapped bodily comnaminates.

We made Salisbury NC about 11:30.
This would be the jumping off point. The bikes were unloaded and we prepared to hit the real route.



I had just locked the gate behind us when we had our first mechanical failure. Seems Robert's KLR somehow sucked the inner fender up against his rear tire.

A few well placed slaps to the inner fender and a quick trim with a knife made short work of this issue and we were off.

From here we'd jump on US52 and head North where we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) in Fancy Gap Virginia. This route would take us through Mount Airy and Mount Pilot.


Pilot Mountain as seen from US52



For you youngsters out there..this is Mayberry country..






as in Andy, Otis, Gobber, Floyd, Aunt Bee and of course Barney.





I'm not sure what was going on, but from Mount Airy to the BRP we rode through what must have been the worlds longest yard sale.


It stretched for miles and miles on both sides of the road. Made you feel like you were driving through a gauntlet with crazy attacking cars ready to pull onto the highway in front of you at any moment. Each ready to find the prize pearl in the plastic oyster in the next sellers booth.




We made the BRP and...to quote Gomer Pile, surprise, surprise, surprise there was very little traffic for a holiday.




Great views, great weather and an open road ahead of us. We certainly had it going our way.


I never get tired of riding the Blue Ridge.









Sharing a ride on the BRP is about a good as it gets.



From the business end of the bike.






We would use every bit of sunlight up on this day.





Clouds moved in and we rode the last 20 miles of the BRP in both the rain and the dark. This would be the only real rain we encountered during the whole trip. We pulled off the BRP at dark thirty and into the little town of Waynesboro. This is where the BRP ends and Skyline drive begins. With not much to chose from in the way of motels on the GPS we again pulled into the first place we found.


Robert shows off his "Ronald McDonald" signature line rain gear. If only I would have had the chance to take a picture of the pancho he used as well.
We made him vow that he'd never use this gear again if he rode with us.



And another pose.


This was almost as bad as than the first motel we stayed in, but again, we were tired and ready to get some sleep.







As we would do each nigh, the cargo was unloaded and brought into our living quarters for the night.
Here's a hint you won't find in your travel guide. When you check into the flea bag inn, don't buy the two year old chocolate bars they sell at the front desk.
"It went in my mouth and down just fine, but 30 minutes later I was all but crying."
I may not be a poet but for the next couple hours, you might say I was “internally cleansed”.

At least until the morning...but that's another story.


Next up...Day 3 Skyline Drive and Gettysburg

Bert

[PhotoBiker]

Great Ride Report in the Making here. . .

[EbarDP48]

Day 3 Skyline Drive to Pottsville Pa.

We wake up refreshed and ready to take on a new day. Our night at the flea bag II wasen't so bad looking back at it.
With everything loaded we head out and look for a bite to eat


The morning was absolutly beautiful. What a difference a few hours made. The rain from the night before made the flavors and scent of the Skyline come alive.

We pull to the ranger station, pay our entrance fee and receive our "E" ticket for a sweet ride. We settled into a comfortable pace and enjoyed the views.



We ride a little further and can't help but notice that the posted 35 MPH speed limit is hard to adjust to. The BRP was 45 and the 10 MPH slower sppeds are really noticable.
But the views are great.



Each of us has now picked the pace up a few notches. The sweeping vistas are taking less time to view as we approach the overlooks.



It was about this time that I dropped back to take a few pictures and Bob took the point.



And then as we rounded a bend in the road who would appear but the Park Ranger in her brand new SUV....Busted.


Robert and I get on the brakes and leave Bob out to dry. The Ranger pulls a quick U Turn and we all pull over in the scenic overlook.
Bob gets off the bike and the lady ranger starts backing up. I thought she was about to pull out the Tazer.
She informs us that we were doing 51 MPH in a 35 MPH zone and lets us off with a "just slow it down boys"
The thing I really liked was Bobs response to her question,"Did you know you were doing 51MPH"? Bob did his best..."You've got to be kidding" response...51MPH, Really?
We thanked her and laughed at our good luck.
We just laughed and got back on the bikes and headed north towards Gettysburg.
I'll post Gettysburg to Mt Washington New Hampshire tomorrow.
Bert

[Gadget Boy]

BRP and Skyline Drive never got old... thanks for the pics and report

[EbarDP48]

Day 3.....On To Gettysburg

I really enjoyed Skyline drive, but at 35 MPH..I was ready for it to end when it did.
We hit Front Royal and started looking for someplace to eat.



As we rode through town, Robert...formally known as Bar Shark and Chiclet received a new nickname by this point in the ride. You see Robert is a big Coca-Cola expert and every time he see's anything with a coke logo, he gives us (and everyone else as well) a run down on the history of said item.
We started calling him the Coke Fairy..He blows into town and all kinds of Coke history unfold before your very eyes.
Here in Front Royal he spots a Coke mural on the side of an old building. The Coke fairy was telling me all about it..right before I hit the starter and motored away.




We headed out of Front Royal towards Gettysburg. US 340 took us through Harper's Ferry. Although we didn't stop and go into the park, I did get a sence that our history lesson had started.

HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in the states of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, John Brown, "Stonewall" Jackson, and Frederick Douglass are just a few of the prominent individuals who left their mark on this place. [Learn more about these notable people].
The story of Harpers Ferry is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It involves a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. [Learn more about Harpers Ferry history].



The Potomac River was full of people taking in the Labor Day retreat on the water.


In a matter of minutes we went from Virginia.



to West Virginia



To Maryland



Before we knew it we had even made the Pennsylvania State Line.




As we approached Gettysburg I got a feeling this would be special.
We passed a few monuments just off the main road and the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

We parked the bikes in front of the Pennsylvania memorial.



Introduction:
The story of Adams County, from the days of Indian raids to the development plans of today, spreads over two centuries. But our area is best known for just three days of that time, July 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 1863 - the Battle of Gettysburg. Though the conflict ended well over a century ago, each year nearly 2 million people make the pilgrimage to this venerable site, the largest battlefield shrine in America with over 1,000 monuments and cannon and over 40 miles of scenic avenues. They come to see for themselves the spot where thousands fought and died for their "cause", the spot where President Lincoln spoke and still speaks to us today.

Here's a nice short version that gives a better explanation of the history and battle that took place in Gettysburg July 1st, 2nd and 3rd of 1863

http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/bogstory/story1.htm

Another view of the Pennsylvania memorial.


Battlefield map



A cannon overlooking Pitzer Woods



Lincoln



Meade



The Minnesota memorial looking towards to "High water mark"




Almost 150 years ago...


So long ago, but looking at the big picture it was just yesterday.

10/01/09	Reply with quote	#30
Before leaving Gettysburg, I thought I'd share 4 of the 20 pages of history contained in this Internet storyboard of the battle of Gettysburg. http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/bogstory/story1.htm The Extraordinary Story of the Battle of Gettysburg Page 12 When the cannonade ceased 12,000 Confederate soldiers marched from Seminary Ridge in parade dress formation to launch a famous, heroic attack upon the Union center, forever ingrained and immortalized in history as Pickett's Charge. The Confederate objective was a small clump of trees, 1 mile away across an open field. Once the smoke from the cannonade cleared the field, Union forces watched their soon to be combatants in awe. They admired the intense patriotism and desperate dedication of the men before them. Still, once within range, the Union artillery hit and mowed down the columns of men like blades of grass. Two out of three Confederate soldiers would not return. Picture left: A young Confederate soldier. Picture right: Dead soldiers after Battle. Page 13 Incredibly, a small number of Confederate forces reached the small clump of trees in their brave determination and held the land for a brief period of time. Their courage and heroism gave way to the devastating realities of war as Union forces engulfed them from three sides. The group of trees became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. Picketts division and other elements in the attack were virtually destroyed. Page 14 Retreating back to Seminary Ridge, General Lee waited and upon seeing General Pickett and realizing the defeat that occurred, advised Pickett to reform his division in the event of a Union counterattack. Pickett, looking at Lee responded, "General Lee, I have no division." With these words, and after 3 days of devastating carnage, the battle ended with the Confederates being defeated and retreating back to Virginia the next day. Sadly, the horrors of the war would continue for another two long, bloody years. Picture left: General George Pickett. Picture right: Troops on the move. Page 15 By coincidence or perhaps an omen, the next day happened to be July 4th, known as America’s Independence Day. It was on July 4th, 1776 that the first 13 colony states formally broke away from Great Britain and formed a new nation called the United States of America. In perhaps another omen that the United States should be one country, this same day, the Confederate stronghold and gateway to the west, the city of Vicksburg, MS fell to a Union general, who 2 years later, would accept the surrender of General Lee and Confederate forces at Appomattox, VA. That General - Ulysses S. Grant. Picture left: Declaration of Independence. Picture right: General Grant. It was hard not to stop our tour right here and spend the next three days. Gettysburg is one of those places I have visited, where I mark it for a return trip later. It's hard to look out over the now calm fields where those three days of bloody fighting took place and not feel sad or have a heavy heart. Those three days of fighting earned these fields labels like Plum Run, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, High Water Mark and Big Round top. I can only imagine the lead, steel and blood that's still buried in these fields today. If you care to read the whole story click on this link. http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/bogstory/story1.htm Bert

[Pantah]

Good report. Gettysburg is special. If you know the battle before you see the park, it really comes to life for you.

I rode the BRP once on a supermoto. I couldn't stand the low speed limits. Once was enough for me, but I like riding either sides of the Ridge. Both the Shenandoah Valley and the horse country on the piedmont side. Very pleasant riding.

Looking forward to your tour through New England and your impressions of it.

[EbarDP48]

I rode the BRP once on a supermoto. I couldn't stand the low speed limits. Once was enough for me, but I like riding either sides of the Ridge. Both the Shenandoah Valley and the horse country on the piedmont

Ditto that for me. We end up coming back through the Shenandoah Valley.
Bert

[EbarDP48]

Day 3 the final chapter

We headed out of Gettysburg through downtown. Here's hint...Avoid downtown Gettysburg over the Labor day holiday. This picture makes it look calm ( I took a small detour) but the main streets were packed.




Not far removed from Gettysburg I started noticing little brown deposits on the country road we were traveling. We crested a small hill and found the source of those little brown deposits.
I grabbed the camera quickly and snapped this picture.





We continued North to the capitol of Pennsylvania..Harrisburg.




Harrisburg has another claim to fame. Seems three mile island sits just outside Harrisburg.
You might recall this little bit of information about Three Mile Island

The Three Mile Island station is located on 814 acres of an island near the state capitol at Harrisburg. Three Mile Island may be the most widely known nuclear power plant in the United States due to an accident to its number 2 reactor. The second reactor was permanently shut down following an accident on March 28, 1979. A combination of equipment malfunctions and human error led to a loss of coolant. It remains the most significant accident on record at a U.S. nuclear power plant.





We did an end run around the city and hit US 209 where we ended up in Pottsville for the night. Day three was in the books and again we'd been blessed with awesome weather.
We were tired, but couldn't wait for tomorrow as Day four would take us into New York and Vermont.


Schuylkill County Courthouse

[EbarDP48]

Day 4 Hello New York and Vermont

We woke up in Pottsville and decided to run Interstate 81 North to Bingington and then 88 East towards Albany. We did this as we were running a little behind, but I can tell you that even the interstate ride is nice in that part of the country.
I haven't mentioned it before but I can't believe all the great farms we've seen up to this point.



and



and



And I know that the Idaho crew saw lots of corn out west, but They certainly grow their share in this neck of the woods as well.



and





We got off 88 around Cobleskill Creek NY and headed North through the Adirondack State Park on Hwy 10.

We hadn't made it far off the interstate when we found this neat old hotel and I had to take a picture.



Built in 1813 as Apollo Hall, Saltsman's has been open ever since."


It was closed when we passed by but I knew it was unique... I just wasn't sure why.
when I got home I dug up a little history on the place.


The History

Saltsman's Hotel, located at the Junction of Routes 67& 10, in the village of Ephratah, has offered unique country style dining for almost 200 years. Built in 1813, Saltsman's is one of the oldest restaurants in New York State. When it was first built, with a dance floor (known as Apollo Hall) on the upper level, Saltsmans Hotel served as a coach stop along this busy farming route. Five generations of Saltsman's operated the inn between 1889 and 1979 when Jim and Tammie Subik purchased the restaurant. The guest book in the front parlor bears the signature of President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Other more recent notables who have dined at Saltsman's are Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, white house press correspondent Helen Thomas, philanthropist Owen D. Young and all the way from Japan, the president of Nippon Steel.

A Trip Back

The year is 1846. The season is winter. You are dressed in your Sunday best and are on your way to Ephratah, a small village nestled in a picturesque farmimg valley. After a brisk but pleasant ride through the snow laden countryside, you pull your sleigh to a halt in front of a large inn. Handing your horses' reins to one of the young stable boys, you enter the well lighted foyer. The enticing aromas of roasting meats and freshly baked pies greet you as an attendant takes your outer apparel and engraved invitation. Hearing the first strains of orchestra music maft from the upstairs ballroom, you feel incredibly pleased to have been invited to attend the New Year's Ball at Apollo Hall!

The invitation to this ball and many other functions are on display in our front parlor. Built in the early 1800's by Phillip Empie, Saltsman's was originally named Apollo Hall. The establishment was a year round hosterly, noted for it's spacious upstairs dance hall and it's excellent bill of fare. In 1889 the Saltsman's family purchased the Inn and began to incorporate their own fine German traditions into the food and hospitality offered at the hotel. Our present day cuisine includes the Saltsman family's recipes and the kitchen secrets of several generations of neighboring farm wives. Thank you for sharing in the unique history of one of the oldest establishments still operating in New York State.

Before we knew it we were entering the Adirondack State park.


We wandered past lakes and lake houses where everyone seemed to really be enjoying the Labor day weather.

We made a stop in Speculator NY to rest our butts.




We're not in Florida anymore boys...



Rested and full of ice cream we pressed on.
Our next treat was crossing the Hudson River.



A little bridge history



Looking South down the mighty Hudson





Stay tuned for more of New York and the crossing of Lake Champlain by ferry.

I guess I forgot that we still had a little more daylight to burn on day 4.
We arrived in Ticonderoga NY late in the day. I'd almost forgot that I'd included a crossing of Lake Champlain into Vermont on a small ferry.
We sat and waited in line with come locals.



Once we got on board we asked how far it was to the nearest bridge. "18 miles to the North" one of the crew responded. I'd say this little ferry makes quite a few trips each day.




Here's the specifics.





That would be Vermont on the other side.



A little Ticonderoga ferry history



"The Fort Ticonderoga Ferry has operated on Lake Champlain since 1799 officially and since 1759 on an unorganized basis. Only a few businesses in the United States can claim to have served the American public longer. Among Lake Champlain Ferries, the Ti Ferry is the oldest."
"The first ferries were most likely glorified rowboats or canoes, but a double-ended sailing scow was in service by 1800. This vessel was about 30 feet long, with a mainsail that would swing completely around the mast to provide a simple means of reversing course. There appears to have been ramps on each end, leeboards to prevent sideways drift, and a sweep oar manned by a strong man to keep it on course."
"Barges grew in size as traffic increased. They kept the leeboards, the on-board exit and entrance ramps, and the sweep oar, but the sails were replaced successively by steam and gasoline launches alongside."
"A cable guidance system was installed in 1946. This eliminated the need for the sweep oar. The cable system much improved, is still the system used today. It consists of two 1-1/4" steel cables, stretched parallel to each other across the lake and securely anchored in concrete on either end. The cables are lifted and carried by four hardened steel sheaves, one on each corner of the present barge, and serve to steer the barge between two landing ramps, one at each end of the course. With this cable system, operation is assured in all but the most severe weather."
"Today the ferry barge is powered by the Addie B, a sixteen ton double ended tugboat built in 1979 in Maine. The ferry barge, the Fort Ticonderoga 11, is a 94 ton unrigged steel barge built in 1959 in Warren Rhode Island. The cables are tight, but not taut. When not actually in use on the sheaves, they return to their resting place on the bottom of the lake and do not interfere with other boat traffic. They are replaced every 4 years. Lake Champlain is a Federal Waterway, which means that the personnel and equipment of the Fort Ti Ferry are inspected and qualified by the United States Coast Guard."


Here's a picture of the Tugboat.




We exited the ferry in Vermont and immediately I noticed a change in the scenery.
In New York we had spent the last 1/2 day in a state park. Now we are riding through rolling countryside full of green farms with big barns and silos.



You could taste the freshness in the air.









I had researched some covered bridges before we left and put them on the route. Here's the first one we came to In Vermont.



And a close up




I always love the interior beam work of old covered bridges.


This had turned into one our better riding days. I'm not sure why..but we just had a great day riding. The pace was great, the weather was great and the scenery was awesome.



Here's the last covered bridge we'd see before the end of business day.
This one near the township of Middlebury

Coming...




And Going...



We made Middlebury our end of the road for day 4. Middlebury happened to be a small colege town and we were very limited when trying to find a place to stay.
We ended up at a small mom and pop motel called the Sugar House.

































It was far from the worse motel we'd stay in, but it was the most expensive.

Life lesson:
When the pickens are thin...those that own the pickens get to name the price.

It was all good. We had a great meal that night and got a good nights rest.
Tomorrow would bring Mt. Washington and another great day on the road.

Bert

[kaipara]

Cheers for that!
Some great shots.

[Pantah]

What...You didn't stop and do an hour?!!! That is one of the most historic forts on the continent! Didn't your ever read Last of the Mohecans?

Oh well; I am pleased you took the route through there, and took the ferry to make your way to Middlebury. And BTW, Middlebury College is the all-time force in division 3 ice hockey. They also produce some great winter Olympians. Its their thing.

I am surprised you enjoyed the fragrence of Vermont dairy farms. Most pilgrims don't refer to them as fresh...

Keep her coming. Great story.

[EbarDP48]

Day 5 Vermont, New Hampshire and Mt. Washington

Day 5 started off great. Each morning we've been treated to clear skies and temperatures in the low 50s. Today was no exception.

I'll tell you in advance that this was another one of "our best ride"days. Vermont must be one of the neatest states in the union.

We passed many little churches like this on our way to Montpellier.



and



Only a few miles into our day we stopped in Bristol Vermont. What a neat little city.




Okay...I'm going to go ahead and say something that you won't hear many Florida crackers like me say. If you're from "up north" and have moved to Florida, you've probably said something like,"I wish ***(fill in the blank) was as good as it was back where I came from"! to which a cracker like me might say,"Well the road goes north as well as it did when you came south"!
I know, I know....Not so sensitive or PC am I.
But here's the thing. There are some really great little town in the northeast. And what's so neat about them is they are genuine. They are old and crusty and aren't commercialized like towns have become here in Florida. You'll still find buildings that were built in the 1800s being used as a Subway sandwich shop or as we see here, the Bristol Bakery and Cafe.






This would be our breakfast stop. I know only Tom and Doug can appreciate this, but Robert somehow always managed to be the first one inside for breakfast.



Once inside the smells put 5 lbs on you. This place was the best.



Robert and Bob started with the hot stuff and worked their way into the pastries.



I know I'm spending a lot of time here with our breakfast stop, but that's just the kind of place we'd happened across this morning....A place that felt inviting and begged you to spend longer than you planned while you enjoyed the cool Vermont morning.



While we were eating, I couldn't help but feel someone (thing) was watching me.



As we rode out of town, I had to snap a few more pictures of this quaint New England town.










Neat place that Bristol Vermont.

Not far up the road we came to another covered bridge.




And before long we'd found another. Bob gives it a good "look see"



And did I tell you that everywhere you looked was a farm full of corn?



Waitsfield like Bristol was full of history and charm



and covered bridges too







For those of you that forgot, Montpellier is the capital of Vermont and also happens to have the smallest population of any of our state capitals (7800).

As we rode into Town you couldn't help but notice the shinning center of attention...The State Capitol building.



It was kinda neat riding through town with a low lying fog. Funny I'm not sure where it came from.



I can't say how much I enjoyed riding thought the towns the the New England area. I have a hard time describing the sense of history and genuineness you feel while riding through..





As we left, I turned to grab on more shot over the river looking back at the capital.



Yeah, another neat town and another neat memory filed away.

We took US 2 East. It wasn't long before we'd run our of the fog and had clear skies again...And not just clear skies...beautiful sunny clear skies that were almost too goo to be true.

Here's a few samples.








I'm sorry...I can't stop with the pictures.




We'd been seeing these signs for some time,but no evidence of the long legged creatures.



Then while following a log truck, we saw him get on the brakes hard and there just ahead was a mother Moose and her calf.
I tried to grab my camera fast enough but this is all I got as they split up and when into the woods.

Look real hard she's in there somewhere.


This is somewhat what it would have looked like coming from the other direction. Wish I'd of got a picture....Dang!


We followed the truck (see picture) to about the New Hampshire state line.




Stay tuned boys and girls. The second part of Day 5 offers some amazing photos of Mt. Washington..
Bert

[junker]

Nice RR!

[EbarDP48]

Day 5 continued..On to Mt Washington

I don't know that I'd ever heard the name Mt. Washington before. But as I was preparing for this trip my boss actually told me about it and suggested I make a stop. We traveled to New Hampshire to ski with his family and loved the area. I went on Youtube and found some fantastic video....I knew I had to add it to the route.

We arrived just before noon and turned into the drive.




The base of the Mt. Washington auto road starts at 1600' elevation and goes to a few feet shy of 6300' in just under eight miles of roadway.
The road is about 80% rough pavement with a section of dirt.
There is a weather observatory at the top as Mt. Washington is know for it's extreme weather conditions. In fact the highest recorded wind speed on earth (231 MPH) was recorded here on Mt. Washington.



The grounds at the base of the mountain were beautiful.





Most of you that have taken photos of spectacular vistas like the ones seen here and can attest to the fact that the pictures can't do justice to what you experience first hand.



The first few miles were made of broken and bumpy asphalt. Trees and large rocks lined the side of the road and obscured the view. I knew from the videos I'd seen that we'd soon loose the tree line those spectacular views would soon emerge.
It is about here that our view started to be exposed.



We crested a small rise in the road and rounded a corner to find this.



I'll try and keep the notes simple as the pictures really do speak for themselves.



Bob with a view



Robert was in awe as well.



Every direction you looked could be a post card.



Just posting these pictures bring back such great memories.



It's hard to see the real 3d world in a 2d picture.
Notice the road below.



Notice the ski slopes in the distance?



We finally reach the summit and look back down from where we had just come.



Sorry if I'm posting too many pictures of this place, but each of them seem to earn the right to be posted.





You reach a place like this, after five days together on the road and you just want to sit down with good friends and enjoy the moment together.



I had started reading the book "One Man Caravan" by Robert Fulton before I left on this trip. It's about his 18 month odyssey around the world on a Douglas twin motorcycle in 1932. I'd like to quote a passage he wrote in the middle of page 39 as it seems to apply here so well and the words he wrote seemed to express the way all three of us felt just after this photo was snapped.

"Words would have been something too insignificant, too inexpensive for the night. It was one of those moments when one doesn't talk or think or do. One of those moments when one just lives, when time and the elements cease and there is only all creation moving in an unknown dimension."

Yeah..it was a moment like that.
None of us stated it publicly, but as we stood there, each of us realized that our trip had just reached both the summit and the half way point at once.
These last two sentences help explain both the excitement we felt and the sadness in our heart as our return would come much sooner than we'd like.
It was the best day of the trip and the worst all at the same moment.

After a while we reluctantly got back on the bikes and headed back down.




Below you'll find more information about the Mt. Washington auto road.


http://www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com/



"

History

The history of the Auto Road began in the wheat fields of Canada. There were huge crops to be shipped out in winter, but there was no ice-free seaport available. So, a railroad line was built from Montreal to Portland in 1851. It passed through Gorham and opened up the east side of the White Mountains to the tourist trade. In 1850, the railroad had paid for rebuilding the road from Gorham into Pinkham Notch. Further, the railroad financed the construction of the Glen Bridle Path

to the summit of Mount Washington and started its own Alpine House Hotel in Gorham - one of the many fine hotelries of the Grand Age of Hotels.

It was a busy time. The first Glen House, at the foot of the Road, was completed in 1852; the same year that the first Summit House was built on Mount Washington. (There have been two other Summit Houses since.) The Tip Top House, still standing, was erected in 1853, and in that year, the New Hampshire State Legislature granted Gen. David O Macomber of Middletown, Conn., the charter for the Mount Washington Road Company. The grand plan envisioned horse-drawn omnibuses on the Road, a massive hotel and observatory. Not all that came about, but work on the road began in the summer of 1854.

Building the Road was an enormous task. The nearest source of supplies was eight miles away, and all transportation was by horse, oxen or on the backs of men. Dynamite was unknown. Black powder was the explosive, and blasting holes were all drilled by hand. There was no machinery to handle the countless tons of rock and gravel that had to be moved. Even in Mount Washington's bad weather, laborers worked 10-12 hours a day and lived in primitive shanties or tents.

Work progressed until the fall of 1856, when the halfway point was reached. Then money ran out, and the effort was halted. But, a new company, the present Mount Washington Summit Road Company, was formed in 1859. The next year, work resumed, and the first tolls were collected for passage to the Halfway House.

The gala opening of the Road to the summit took place on August 8, 1861, with many local dignitaries arriving at the summit in a Concord Coach. But, the honor of driving the first horse-drawn vehicle to the summit went to Col. Joseph Thompson, then proprietor of the Glen House. To be sure of beating out his friendly rival, Col. John Hitchcock, landlord of the Alpine House, Thompson drove his horse and carriage to the summit three weeks before the official

opening. The last few yards were still so strewn with boulders that help was needed to keep the carriage upright, but he made it. And, he saw to it that a photographer was there.

After the Road was opened to the public, its business doubled every year until 1869. That year, the Cog Railway was completed, on the west side of the Mountain; and many found the relatively short trip and enclosed cars preferable to an all day journey on the Road in open mountain wagons. Road management responded by building the Stage Office at the summit to lure Cog passengers down to the Glen House from which they traveled to the railroad station by six-horse tally-ho, and took the train back to where they started in Crawford Notch.

Still, for years the Cog Railway carried many more passengers than the Road, and it took an unexpected new development to turn the tables–the motorcar. The very first motorized ascent was by Freelan O. Stanley, of Stanley Steamer fame, in 1899. There were more steam-powered ascents during the next three years, and then in 1902, the first two gasoline-powered cars reached the summit. Clearly, the automobile age had begun on the Road, despite sometimes-strident criticism. In 1912, the first motorized stage appeared, a second-hand Thomas Flyer.

Since then, except when gasoline shortages intervened, the history has been one of steady growth: 3,100 private cars in 1935, 6,600 in 1955 and 12,800 in the Road's 100th anniversary year, 1961. In recent years, more than 45,000 vehicles have driven the Auto Road each year.

[EbarDP48]

Day 5 the closing out the day

We got to the bottom of Mt. Washington and stopped at the lodge across the street for a bite to eat and to grab a couple souvenirs.
I pulled my atlas out as I knew we needed to make a few decisions about the rest of the trip.
To a man we had decided early on that we would ride at the pace we felt comfortable....and that anytime anyone wanted to stop, we'd stop.
In short...we wouldn't be afraid to correct our sails and go in any direction our hearts desired.
All we really knew is that we would head in a Northeast direction....we just didn't know exactly where or how far. Today we'd have to make a few decisions that would answer the how far question.
The facts we were faced with.
1. we were five days into a 11 day trip.
2. Robert had indicated that an early return wouldn't hurt his feelings.
3. I had originally planned to ride east crossings Maine into Canada and then into Bar Harbor to pay a visit to Acadia National park.
4. I'd allowed a day of flex time back in North Carolina to Visit with Coon Tail Tim. I could blow that off and head straight back to the truck...Sorry Tim.
5.Heading further to the NE or Canada meant we had no flex time on the way back and no room for errors..i.e. flats, weather, etc.

I really wanted to do everything. We could reach Canada if we rode to the north about an hour or so. Bar Harbor could be reached by the end of the day. All these thoughts ran through my mind, but I didn't want to do either if it meant simply putting in a token visit.
We sat there in the lodge for some time coming to a conclusion. Finally we decided to head South through Conway, then into Maine arriving on the coast at Kennebnunkport Maine around 5:00PM.
This area sorta reminded me of the marsh flats along the coast of Florida.



We headed to the beach to check it out.




Hey..is that a Kennedy over there?







Bar Shark is on the prowl





From there we headed West along the coast. Robert had suggested a real Maine lobster and I couldn't think of a better way to complete the day.



We found a great place to stay on the Southwestern most point of Maine in Kitery, right near the river that separates Maine from New Hampshire. It wasn't so much a room for the night as much as it was a small house.
Two bedrooms, a living room, a bath and a small kitchen all for about $65..what a country. A big A plus to the Blue Roof Inn.
We lugged our stuff in the room and headed down to Warren's lobster house right on the river.


We pull into Warren's Lobster House and are quickly directed to a seat next to a window next to the river. We're sitting in Maine, but that's New Hampshire across the river.
Cut me some slack..these next few pictures are from the camera on my phone.



Bob looks over the menu




Katie delivered the goods.





I should show the before picture



Robert was the first to dig in.



And this is the after picture...




Let him eat cake..Robert feeds his sweet tooth.


I can't remember all Robert ate, but I can tell you he could have fed a small army..or at least Tom and Doug with what he put away that night.

With a belly full we headed for the room to get a good nights sleep. Day 6 would be here in just a few short hours.
Bert