From Portland, ME to Burke Hollow, VT
From Portland, ME to Burke Hollow, VT
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This morning is COLD. See your breath cold. Put on all the clothes cold. I get dressed with a T-shirt, thermal shirt, leather jacket and rain jacket. I have jeans, leather chaps and rain pants on my legs. Actually this is a surprisingly warm solution. When I leave the hotel it is 48 degrees. It is also very moist so it is a damp cold.
Last night, I did a ten day weather outlook. I have a weather problem in the Midwest. A low pressure system is sitting on top of Chicago and not moving. There is a virtual certainty of rain every day on my route for the next week. I had planned to make a loop up through Ontario and Quebec after leaving Maine. The daily distances on that route and I'm considering alternatives.
The two alternatives are really variations on the same. Spend another day (or two) in Maine. Venture further north in Maine or possibly even take the ferry to Nova Scotia. The alternative is to start the trek toward Chicago a day earlier allowing shorter daily riding distances or even a full day delay.
I settle on the relatively conservative approach of turning to the west. Now the strategy is stay north or dart south first. If I stay north, it looks like I may find another dry day or two. If I turn south, I'm pretty sure of running into rain or showers within a couple of hours. The turn south is also less attractive as I would be retracing my steps and I want to see more new country. With that all settled, I decide I'm going to ride to Burke Hollow, Vermont. Brad has been writing to me for about four weeks and has graciously extended an invitation to stay at his home.
First stop this morning is Mail Boxes Etc. I have a bunch of junk to mail back to Ron. Then I'm off across south Maine on the way to the New Hampshire border. The ride is nice although I seem to be plagued by extremely conservative drivers. The countryside is forested with modest houses scattered with some frequency. Small towns, only a few blocks by a few blocks, pop up every ten miles or so. There are many lumber trucks moving trees to the mills. At one mill, a truck has spilled its load and we are delayed while the mess is cleaned up.
The countryside becomes increasingly hilly as I move towards New Hampshire. The weather has cleared a bit and the day is turning out to be sunny but not hot. I stop at a rest area that overlooks a waterfall. I can hear the roar of the water fall but there is no sight of it.
US
route 302 turns out to be a great riding road despite many miles of
tough construction. The road is two lane and except where under
construction in very good condition. It twists and turns alongside a
river in the forest. The scenery is beautiful while the road is fun
but unchallenging. This is a big change from the past five days. This
region is clearly a big tourist destination -- year round. There is
hiking trails, campgrounds, ski lifts, water parks, miniature
railroads, all types of diversions.
The road heads up over a crest just west of Bartlett at Crawford Notch. Two cascades fall directly next to the roadway. You only get a glimpse of them as you fly past. On the other side of Crawford Notch is a nice meadow that gently slopes to the west. A series of broad sweeping turns and I stop for a historical marker.
A
beautiful hotel lies across the river a meadow. In the background
rises Mount Washington, blanketed in fog and still carrying a
considerable snowcap. Mount Washington is the highest point in New
England. A cog railroad can be ridden to the top.
The historical marker announces that the United States chose the Mount Washington Hotel as the site for the famous Bretton Woods Monetary Conference. At that meeting, representatives of 44 countries agreed to establish the World, Bank, set the gold standard at $35 per ounce and made the US dollar the backbone of a global currency system. Clearly this peaceful site helped drive the economic growth in the US and other countries in the post World War II era. For some reason, I always though Bretton Woods was near Washington DC. This marker came as quite a surprise.
This trip is really honing my riding capabilities. I've learned how to be warm in temperatures in the mid to high 40s. That is a big step. I've become comfortable with pulling off a paved road onto gravel or sand. When I was in Australia in February, I thought riding would be really challenging due to the number of dirt or gravel turnouts and parking spots. Not today. The construction on US302 has added some more skills. For about fifteen miles, the road surface is either gone or in the process of being removed or in the process of being reapplied. There is water and oil on some of the surfaces. At one point, a flag man and I chat. He apologies for the tough conditions -- I thank him for the excellent training ground. I keep wondering what they will through at me next.
The hillsides of Vermont are covered with wildflowers. Mostly a bright yellow flower that covers huge meadows. When I first notice it, it is on a very large hillside. At first, I assume that it is a crop of rapeseed -- that is how dense the flowers are. Vermont's hills remind me more of Switzerland. The mountains are exposed rock, sharp outcroppings with the lower slopes covered in trees.
I stop at St. Johnsbury, Vermont to call Brad to let him know I am nearly to his village and to have a quick bite to eat. Turns out to be a very sharp looking small town. It is ringed by steep hills with a river running through the center of the valley. Everything is green, green, green -- almost unnatural to my Southern California eye. Brad agrees to meet me at a volunteer fire station near his house. I get lost once. Vermont 5 runs roughly parallel to Interstate 91. I exited the interstate too early and have to cover about ten miles on the slow moving two lane highway.
Brad
and his dog Buddy are waiting and we go to his house. Its a nice
small older home. Like lots of places that I've passed, the house has
essentially no right angles. The winters here are hard on lots of
things including the structures. The floors and walls tilt here and
there but it is still a friendly place. Brad has a hundred questions
for me about my trip. I have a similar number for him about growing
up and living in such a small town. Like some other people I have
met, he hasn't traveled far from home and still lives near his
family.
Later in the afternoon, he takes me for a ride around the countryside. It really is beautiful. We coast over to a pair of lakes created by glaciers. We wander through back roads. Brad talks about the danger posed by moose. This echoes things I was told by the gas station attendant in Littleton when he filled up my gas tank (that's right full serve, no option). He and his wife used to ride late on summer afternoons. But they gave it up a while back and isn't sure he will take the bike out of the barn due to the moose problem at twilight. Brad tells me that last year one male took up residence in the swamp near his house. He told me that the moose was there all summer.
On one hillside there is a huge red building. It is at least three stories tall and about the size of a small Hilton hotel. My first thought is that it is a school or academy. Turns out it is a dairy barn. Brad points out that this farm used to be much larger and made the owners rich. Sure enough, a beautiful cream and pale yellow mansion tops a nearby hill.
That night I sleep like a baby. It is so quiet and so much more comfortable than a hotel room. Thanks Brad, I really appreciated the hospitality.
Continue Reading: Roll through the rain to Amsterdam, NY
Depart Portland on Maine 114 heading west.
At Gorham, transition to US 202 heading west.
At intersection with Maine 25, transition to ME25 heading north.
At intersection with Maine 113, transition to ME113 heading north.
At intersection with Maine 5, transition to ME5 heading north.
At intersection with US 302, transition to US302 heading west.
Cross into New Hampshire
At intersection with Interstate 93, transition to I93 heading north.
Cross in Vermont
At end of I-93, transition to Interstate 91 heading north.
Exit I-91 onto Vermont 5 heading north.
At intersection with Vermont 114, transition onto VT114 heading east
Turn left onto Marshall Newman
Turn right onto Burke Hollow Road.
Arrive Burke Hollow, VT
(c) 2001 Thomas N. Engler Revision Date: 05/25/2001
