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Simply stated, an epic day! I never intended to ride over 750 miles and
end up in PA tonight but that is what happened. I don't really know where to
start to explain a day like today so I guess the beginning is the best place....
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Left Bar Harbor very early this morning in great weather (62 degrees). Dropped by
the marina on my way out of town to greet the sun rising:
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A friend of mine would love to be on that whale watching boat:
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I noticed the phrase “down east” is very common to see on signage ("Come eat our Down
East Chowdah!!!”) and hear around Bar Harbor. Seemed like the folks would find
any way they could to put the phrase in a sentence, which made it difficult for me to
figure out it's definition in context. During my last stop for fuel in Maine I
asked the station cashier what "down east" meant and she said: "When ships sailed from
Boston to ports in Maine (which were to the east of Boston), the wind was at their
backs, so they were sailing downwind, hence the term “Down East.” Fair enough,
Southerners have weird phrases too.
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Only rode a few miles on I-95 then I jumped on US-2. Yes, the same US-2 I rode with
my friend Lori in WA and also while I was in MN & MI recently. I'm impressed with
this road—the towns are far enough a part that a good pace can be had and the scenery
is wonderful. Today was no different. I didn't see any bears today though:
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The fog was quite thick for most of the morning once I left Bar Harbor. Once I
crossed into New Hampshire (how can you not visit a state who's license plate reads
“Live Free Or Die”!) I was greeted with bright skies and several signs:
While meandering along I saw a small sign pointing to a covered bridge stating it was
about 5 miles away. What a great surprise! I could not find any information
about the bridge or it's history on site except the “1872” above the entrance as pictured below:
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This is the river that flowed beneath the bridge:
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New Hampshire has over 50 covered bridges and I'm thinking I'd like to see them
all. Actually I've been thinking about doing a covered bridge tour or something
of the sorts. I've seen most all the ones in PA but I'm thinking maybe a single
tour to visit every covered bridge in the US. I know very little about the
engineering, design, and history of bridges but for some reason they have sparked an
interest for me which has definitely been fueled during this Four Corner run. To
me, bridges of any kind symbolize progression to new places and also massive effort -
both rank high in my world. Hmmm, maybe a fall foliage covered bridge tour next
year? 
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As I made my way to ride the “Mt Washington Auto Road” I very much enjoyed the scenic
byway and views that were offered:
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This section of US-2 should be called “B&B Road” since it seemed like a countryside Bed
& Breakfast was around every sweeper. I don't recall stopping to take a picture in
NH without being inundated with these tiny gnats flying about. Wonder if these are
the same things that bother the moose?
Came into Gorham, NH and turned south on NH-16 (ok, so I'm finally headed in the right
direction, huh?) which takes you to the entrance of the Mount Washington Auto Road:
After entering I was met by a man asking for $12 in exchange for “This Bike Rode Mount
Washington” sticker. He also told me that the pavement turns to dirt & gravel in
places. The man wasn't kidding about the dirt and gravel thing. In fact, the
tarmac portion of the road is chunky junk. I can't possibly imagine where the funds
collected at the entrance are being spent. Nevertheless, the views were fantastic
and overall it was a memorable experience in part to the fact that I spent as much time
on my bike as I did off it at a particular point helping a ST1300 owner push his bike
uphill in gravel. Apparently his desire to obtain a picture nullified his parking
logic and he pulled into a turn-off going downhill. In gravel and dirt.
Yikes! 
Since his bike lacked a reverse gear he was in a bind to say the least (me saying “I
betcha wish you'd bought that Gold Wing about now” did not seem to help matters but
we both laughed). As soon as we renegotiated his bike and regained a level of
oxygen that enabled us both to stand up straight AND speak, a van full of people
rounded the turn. Here are pics from my ride up and down Mount Washington:
For better pics and description of the Mount Washington Auto Road click: HERE!
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Oh, and here's the $12 sticker:
(Come to think of it I'm not quite sure where I put that sticker).
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Interestingly, Mt Washington is also know for being "Home to the world's worst
weather” but somehow I got lucky since I experienced relatively calm winds and clear views.
After Mt Washington I took “Bear Notch Rd” to the Kancamangus Hwy. Being it was mid-day
and mid-week I had them both to myself... no bears, just super nice twisties with
spectacular scenery. Doing this road in peak fall foliage must be heavenly! Whereas
Mt Washington gets a 1 out of 10 on the tarmac condition scale (um, TCS?) the Kancamagus
Hwy gets a 10 out 10 from me. Sweet road!
For detailed information on the Kancamagus Scenic Byway click: HERE
and for very specific map information of the road known as simply “The Kanc" by locals click: HERE
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The area is quite rural and therefore gas stations are, well, no where to be found
when you need one. I was so certain I'd run out I was planning what to do next
when after rounding a corner a station appeared! If you're wondering how close to empty:
(Webmaster Note: The Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom has a 5.8 gallon gas tank, but part of that
runs away from the pickup when the bike is leaned in a corner! In other words she was on fumes!)
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While I was at the gas station a man questioned me as to whether I was
participating in the Iron Butt Rally.
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From "The Kanc" I ran thru Vermont to hit I-91 South which would take me to my planned stop of Wilton, CT. I
took all rural roads to get to I-91 one of which was VT-118, which is also the Scenic Byway of Mt Moosilauke, so
named because of the frequent moose sightings:
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You already know what's coming next so I think I'll just call it “A Strom, a Moose, & a
Stebel... A Love Story” -- coming down a hill and approaching a sweeper there he stood
on the side of the road. Just standing. Not eating, not fighting off
bugs. Just standing.
I came to a quick stop about 45 yards from him and immediately surmised that I too
did not have a bike equipped with reverse and so my next thought was to look for a tree I
could climb (hey, no laughing!). He didn't see me or if he did he wasn't exactly
acknowledging the fact. I didn't want to turn the bike around since I had no idea
just how fast he could charge. Part of me wanted to just watch him but until I had
some degree of control over the situation this didn't seem too high on the “what's next”
list. Since I am not briefed on the cognitive processes inherent to moose I bet I
could guess anyway and do so in one word: LIMITED. Ok, how about DOPEY. And
calling this moose “big” would be as adequate as calling the Grand Canyon "big." Freakin'
H-U-G-E!!!! That antler rack thinggy was probably the most impressive part about him;
that dangly thing under his neck the most unsightly. I noticed he seemed to be
drooling. I thought perhaps he saw the Strom out of the corner of his eye? Oh,
hell, it is mating season, so what if he confused the Strom for a female moose? I had
almost convinced myself this was the case when he started moving somewhat in the same
direction that I sat on the Strom, so with no hesitation I pounced on the air horn! Let
me say that the response would undoubtedly be cherished by someone in Stebel's marketing and
advertising department! Off he went into the woods! Oh, do I love that horn!!
I had sight of him continuing into the woods as I passed by where he was standing. In
another 20 minutes I was approaching the on-ramp to I-91 South and still reliving the experience.
It started to rain almost as soon as I hit I-91. How lucky to have ridden the scenic
byways, Mt Washington, Kanc Hwy, etc., in dry and clear conditions and hit rain only when
I hit the slab! As I rode in the drizzling rain down through VT I remembered that not
even 8 weeks ago I had ridden the same road in drenching rain while attending the BMW
International Rally. I felt lucky that this was only the second time I had hit rain
while running the Four Corners. I scooted thru MA and CT with a breeze, the rain
finally ended near Hartford. In fact, the sunset was glorious.
I had intended to stay the night near Wilton, CT which is the site of a NPS passport stamp
and thus giving me the state of CT to add to my book. This particular site (Weir Farm
NHS) has very limited days and hours and I heard that finding the actual stamp was very
difficult and involved tracking down a roving Ranger. I had missed the opportunity
for this stamp when I was back here 8 weeks ago due to their limited hours of operation. My
GPS routed me to the motel where I had reservations and upon arrival I was looking at a private
residence rather than a motel. I checked and rechecked and triple checked my information
and all had the same address. I called the 800 number and an operator who must have been
located in Guam reconfirmed the address and described the outside of the motel (from her
overseas location no less) to me. I spent over an hour between riding around, being on
the phone, staring at my GPS, and trying to sort everything out but to no success. I
decided it was best to forgo the CT stamp and keep moving. I refueled (both myself &
the bike) and thought I'd ride a stretch down the road then find some place to stay. I
was so energized from the experiences of the day that I needed that quiet time under the
stars to reflect and resettle. So, I did just that and 200 miles later I called it
a night and one fantastic day!
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