Donald_Duck
07-04-2007, 04:24 PM
Last week was pretty boring week, and I couldn't ride my bike since Americade XPLOR event. Last Friday weather was beautiful and I was feeling as if Manhattans skyscrapers was taller and her canyons / avenues was narrower than ever before.
I decide to run. Where to? I didn't know, I just want to see the horizon 360 degrees around, fresh crispy air, flowers, smell of pines...
Then I leave rather early from my office, and on my way to back home a trip took shape on my head. I should go and climb a mountain... Hey we are bikers...C'mon...
Mountain? In the East of USA, the country of soft hills..what mountain... Cadillac? Bear? Naaah... Oh...we have a "mountain", some 500miles away, but why not...
So my target would be the Mount Washington, NH.
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7457/mtwashwi3.jpg
Picture from The Boston Channel
Actually I've been there some years ago, climbed with my K1200RS, two up, with street tires in a dense fog, and scary wind. Fog was so thick, I could barely see the road. I always wanted to go back in a better day since...
Below the picture of me from that day...
http://donald.hypermart.net/MCRide/Main04/Maine6_files/image046.jpg
Ripley, my bike, was always ready...
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3533/p1010924xxfc8.jpg
Than I made the prep quick and light and fired up the engine at 3PM. I would take roadside motels. So didn't load camping stuff.
Heading to Taconic State Pky. all the way North...Till the end. Then East, some country roads, then Rte 2 and I end up Gardner MA. 260miles was not so bad for my office day as a starter.. I was tired, hungry but dismount with a stupid smile on my face ear to ear from my bike... Roads and weather was awesome. I stayed at Colonial Hotel. Recommended. Great kitchen by the way, open buffet was incredible.
I started the next day early and hit the road. Didn't stop till Kancamangus Hwy. Here it is...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2262/xp1020004pd7.jpg
White Mountains from roadside vista point. You may smell the air through the wildflowers... So crisp. I would stop this point on my way back too and meet someone you knows probably...
Then I found some "dotted line" roads on my GPS before to climb these beauties...
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5932/p1010949ry9.jpg
..and I found the beginning of "Auto Road". The road climbing the Mt. Washington... Weather was balmy, all was looking alright.
Life is good, I'm telling you.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1792/p1010997fz6.jpg
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7356/p1010953pq0.jpg
Hold on just a sec...36F !... Hey you cager, I need no stinking A/C of yours, you know?
Where are my thermals, what thermals, what liners, what Gerbing?... T-shirts? Jeez...
Whatever.... I had passed the point of no return when I was start the engine the other day. It was too late to go back.
And I start...
http://www.whitemountainart.com/images/hhh100.jpg
No no no... Relax... I'm kiddin'. It's just a historic oil paint. Honestly, I couldn't stop to take picture on the road...
Because I scared to sh*t out of me to stop and go on that wind, and look somewhere else besides to the road ahead of me. There is no difference to ride a GS on this type of gusty wind and carry a 8x4 heavy grade plywood by yourself, you know what I mean? The section of barrier-less, wet and narrow dirt road, and excited zigzagging tourist car drivers, large omnibuses... Climbing was pretty exciting... But main exciting part was climbing DOWNHILL and I knew that.
Here you go, summit and DD. Thanks to tourist fellow riders to take this picture. They were somewhere from Eastern Europe. Unbelievable.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2896/xxp1010970hn0.jpg
According to GPS we are almost at 6300ft. I can call this "Mountain" alright. Some 470miles from Manhattan... Nice...
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3769/p1010973um4.jpg
Part of a 360 deg view I dreamed back in town, as in 28mm lens angle...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2876/p1010977xw7.jpg
A perspective with Ripley...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/1581/p1010991fr9.jpg
Another nice pose of my lovely Ripley...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/8755/p1010964vn8.jpg
Then eventually I start to shivering rattling and even couldn't holding the camera steady. It was time to head down back...
Actually descent was not so bad as I intimidated, TKC's gripped well. Than I hit the country roads again then infamous Bear-Notch short cut, and I couldn't help myself to not to take the Kancamagus.
When I was on the intersection, to wait some bike crossings, I saw an airhead vintage passing, and start to fallow. He was riding great, and his bike was sound incredible... I'm rather shy guy, and was not in the mood of race... I though to fallow somebody like that rather strange, and stop for a while on a vista point to give him to chance to loose me. And you know what, he pulled to same VP too.
We grin each other in our helmets, and I met "Sulla" from Advrider.
Here you go, our picture of the moment...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9205/xp1020002qb3.jpg
You see how beautiful the R/90 ? She just came from the MAX BMW, and test riding with him.
Then we split and I headed down South to MA...
A nice gas station shot I liked...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8640/xp1010942qe2.jpg
I XPLOR two great historic roads by the way... One of them was "Sawyer Highway" rte 118. East of Rte93 near Woodstock NH.
Than again it was evening, was to time to find somewhere to stay, to eat something...I was smelling fresh rain too.
We stopped at Lee Town, MA, somewhere close to freeway 90... Found a roadside motel, and it start raining...
A picture of Ripley from my door. It's raining here, a slight drizzle actually, but sun still shining and setting somewhere ahead...
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7831/xp1020018rz5.jpg
Hey..if sun still shining and raining' at the same time, there should be a rainbow somewhere right?
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3640/xp1020023an9.jpg
Yes, there were one...
So all and all I did some 850 miles and back to home to an easy Sunday afternoon.
I steal some part of the mountains I guess with couple of digital pictures and some bugs on my windshield...
I can manage couple of more weeks in the canyons of Manhattan, when I close my eyes and dreamin' back...
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6135/p1020008vs3.jpg
Enjoy...
I decide to run. Where to? I didn't know, I just want to see the horizon 360 degrees around, fresh crispy air, flowers, smell of pines...
Then I leave rather early from my office, and on my way to back home a trip took shape on my head. I should go and climb a mountain... Hey we are bikers...C'mon...
Mountain? In the East of USA, the country of soft hills..what mountain... Cadillac? Bear? Naaah... Oh...we have a "mountain", some 500miles away, but why not...
So my target would be the Mount Washington, NH.
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7457/mtwashwi3.jpg
Picture from The Boston Channel
Actually I've been there some years ago, climbed with my K1200RS, two up, with street tires in a dense fog, and scary wind. Fog was so thick, I could barely see the road. I always wanted to go back in a better day since...
Below the picture of me from that day...
http://donald.hypermart.net/MCRide/Main04/Maine6_files/image046.jpg
Ripley, my bike, was always ready...
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3533/p1010924xxfc8.jpg
Than I made the prep quick and light and fired up the engine at 3PM. I would take roadside motels. So didn't load camping stuff.
Heading to Taconic State Pky. all the way North...Till the end. Then East, some country roads, then Rte 2 and I end up Gardner MA. 260miles was not so bad for my office day as a starter.. I was tired, hungry but dismount with a stupid smile on my face ear to ear from my bike... Roads and weather was awesome. I stayed at Colonial Hotel. Recommended. Great kitchen by the way, open buffet was incredible.
I started the next day early and hit the road. Didn't stop till Kancamangus Hwy. Here it is...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2262/xp1020004pd7.jpg
White Mountains from roadside vista point. You may smell the air through the wildflowers... So crisp. I would stop this point on my way back too and meet someone you knows probably...
Then I found some "dotted line" roads on my GPS before to climb these beauties...
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5932/p1010949ry9.jpg
..and I found the beginning of "Auto Road". The road climbing the Mt. Washington... Weather was balmy, all was looking alright.
Life is good, I'm telling you.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1792/p1010997fz6.jpg
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7356/p1010953pq0.jpg
Hold on just a sec...36F !... Hey you cager, I need no stinking A/C of yours, you know?
Where are my thermals, what thermals, what liners, what Gerbing?... T-shirts? Jeez...
Whatever.... I had passed the point of no return when I was start the engine the other day. It was too late to go back.
And I start...
http://www.whitemountainart.com/images/hhh100.jpg
No no no... Relax... I'm kiddin'. It's just a historic oil paint. Honestly, I couldn't stop to take picture on the road...
Because I scared to sh*t out of me to stop and go on that wind, and look somewhere else besides to the road ahead of me. There is no difference to ride a GS on this type of gusty wind and carry a 8x4 heavy grade plywood by yourself, you know what I mean? The section of barrier-less, wet and narrow dirt road, and excited zigzagging tourist car drivers, large omnibuses... Climbing was pretty exciting... But main exciting part was climbing DOWNHILL and I knew that.
Here you go, summit and DD. Thanks to tourist fellow riders to take this picture. They were somewhere from Eastern Europe. Unbelievable.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2896/xxp1010970hn0.jpg
According to GPS we are almost at 6300ft. I can call this "Mountain" alright. Some 470miles from Manhattan... Nice...
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3769/p1010973um4.jpg
Part of a 360 deg view I dreamed back in town, as in 28mm lens angle...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2876/p1010977xw7.jpg
A perspective with Ripley...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/1581/p1010991fr9.jpg
Another nice pose of my lovely Ripley...
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/8755/p1010964vn8.jpg
Then eventually I start to shivering rattling and even couldn't holding the camera steady. It was time to head down back...
Actually descent was not so bad as I intimidated, TKC's gripped well. Than I hit the country roads again then infamous Bear-Notch short cut, and I couldn't help myself to not to take the Kancamagus.
When I was on the intersection, to wait some bike crossings, I saw an airhead vintage passing, and start to fallow. He was riding great, and his bike was sound incredible... I'm rather shy guy, and was not in the mood of race... I though to fallow somebody like that rather strange, and stop for a while on a vista point to give him to chance to loose me. And you know what, he pulled to same VP too.
We grin each other in our helmets, and I met "Sulla" from Advrider.
Here you go, our picture of the moment...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9205/xp1020002qb3.jpg
You see how beautiful the R/90 ? She just came from the MAX BMW, and test riding with him.
Then we split and I headed down South to MA...
A nice gas station shot I liked...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8640/xp1010942qe2.jpg
I XPLOR two great historic roads by the way... One of them was "Sawyer Highway" rte 118. East of Rte93 near Woodstock NH.
Than again it was evening, was to time to find somewhere to stay, to eat something...I was smelling fresh rain too.
We stopped at Lee Town, MA, somewhere close to freeway 90... Found a roadside motel, and it start raining...
A picture of Ripley from my door. It's raining here, a slight drizzle actually, but sun still shining and setting somewhere ahead...
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7831/xp1020018rz5.jpg
Hey..if sun still shining and raining' at the same time, there should be a rainbow somewhere right?
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3640/xp1020023an9.jpg
Yes, there were one...
So all and all I did some 850 miles and back to home to an easy Sunday afternoon.
I steal some part of the mountains I guess with couple of digital pictures and some bugs on my windshield...
I can manage couple of more weeks in the canyons of Manhattan, when I close my eyes and dreamin' back...
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6135/p1020008vs3.jpg
Enjoy...