xp8103
04-30-2008, 08:24 AM
Last weekend my wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with our first tour. With our son stowed away with his grandparents, we loaded the luggage for an overnight in North Conway NH. Maine in the spring is about as good as it gets. Warm days, cool nights, no bugs.
We left shortly after noon Saturday with plans to make our way west on secondary routes. Leaving Augusta and picking up route 133 in Winthrop took us to route 219 in Turner. 219 is an excellent road, speeds mostly 40-55 with towns interspersed.
This was on route 219 outside of West Sumner, thats Plesant Pond in back.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260034.jpg
From 219 we hitched up to route 26 to Bethel (home to Olyimpia, The Snow Woman - now in the guiness book for the largest ever snowman(woman)) where we swung south on route 5 which skirts the east edge of the White Mountain National Forest. In warmer times, taking route 113 south through the NF is a MUCH better option (windies, twisties, etc..) but it is closed in winter and still snow covered.
We saw this guy shortly after turning on to 5:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260039.jpg
Here's a sign you don't see just ANYWHERE (except at the junction of routes 5 and 35 in Lynchville, Maine):
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260040.jpg
We hit North Conway later in the afternoon and stopped at the scenic lookout. A little eariler and the sun wouldn't have washed out Mount Washington in the background, still mostly snowcovered:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260042.jpg
Saturday night dinner at Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery was spec-frickin-tacular. Food was absoutely awesome, so was the beer so a cab ride to and from was in order. Highly recommended :thumb :thumb
Packed and ready for the ride home Sunday morning
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260053.jpg
We discovered (well, we really KNEW) that my wife's boots aren't waterproof. And we need some waterproof gloves. But otherwise, I found I actually enjoyed riding in the rain. It wasn't a downpour but a good steady, sometimes hard rain. We hooked up with a fellow on a Harley who was on the last leg of his first tour, from Florida to Maine. Turns out he lives only a couple towns over from us. Small world.
We left shortly after noon Saturday with plans to make our way west on secondary routes. Leaving Augusta and picking up route 133 in Winthrop took us to route 219 in Turner. 219 is an excellent road, speeds mostly 40-55 with towns interspersed.
This was on route 219 outside of West Sumner, thats Plesant Pond in back.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260034.jpg
From 219 we hitched up to route 26 to Bethel (home to Olyimpia, The Snow Woman - now in the guiness book for the largest ever snowman(woman)) where we swung south on route 5 which skirts the east edge of the White Mountain National Forest. In warmer times, taking route 113 south through the NF is a MUCH better option (windies, twisties, etc..) but it is closed in winter and still snow covered.
We saw this guy shortly after turning on to 5:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260039.jpg
Here's a sign you don't see just ANYWHERE (except at the junction of routes 5 and 35 in Lynchville, Maine):
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260040.jpg
We hit North Conway later in the afternoon and stopped at the scenic lookout. A little eariler and the sun wouldn't have washed out Mount Washington in the background, still mostly snowcovered:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260042.jpg
Saturday night dinner at Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery was spec-frickin-tacular. Food was absoutely awesome, so was the beer so a cab ride to and from was in order. Highly recommended :thumb :thumb
Packed and ready for the ride home Sunday morning
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/xp8103/BMWs/P4260053.jpg
We discovered (well, we really KNEW) that my wife's boots aren't waterproof. And we need some waterproof gloves. But otherwise, I found I actually enjoyed riding in the rain. It wasn't a downpour but a good steady, sometimes hard rain. We hooked up with a fellow on a Harley who was on the last leg of his first tour, from Florida to Maine. Turns out he lives only a couple towns over from us. Small world.