August 16, 2018 Littleton NH to Fryeburg ME

The rider meeting dragged on and on last night and by the time it was over Chutters was closed.  Chutters is the world’s longest candy bar.  I have been looking forward to getting several different kinds of licorice.  I should have gone in before the meeting started.  

The electric show started about 7:30 PM last night and several of us were sitting in these Adirondack chairs watching the show until about 8:10 when the first big drops came down and we scattered for our tents.  I barely got the zipper up when the skies opened up and it was a huge cloud burst.  The show continued until around 12:00 Am.  There were a lot of really huge flashes which seemed to last forever and then there would be an almost instantaneous clap of thunder.  I thought the ground would be really soaked but it was so sandy that it wasn’t.

The ride was only 64 miles today with 2550 feet of climb.  So Bob and I kind of lingered over breakfast this morning and had a second coffee.  The first part of the ride was along highway 302 which was a very nice road with great shoulders and smooth pavement.  Unfortunately that didn’t last long and we were routed onto Wing road which was incredibly broken up and rough. I thought the fillings were going to come out. It only lasted a few miles and we were back on 302. 

The highlight of the day was riding past the Mount Washington Hotel.  It is a grand old hotel which is a very historic place. It has been the site of many international gatherings and visits by many presidents.  Riding up and wandering through it was lots of fun.  I think I would like to put it on my bucket list as a place to come and stay. 

Back on the road we climbed up to the Crawford Notch at the 25.4 mile mark.  From there the road was a downhill ride all the way into Fryeburg.   Only the first 10 miles of so were really a decent but they were fun miles.  This took us into picnic at the Attitash Ski lodge.  In the summer they have lots of different downhill rides so it was quite busy.

The remaining 23 miles into the Fryeburg Fairgrounds were we are staying was pretty uneventful.  There was a nice tail wind which pushed us along and kept the humidity down.  We crossed into Maine and crossed New Hampshire off the list.  

The Fryeburg Fairgrounds are huge and we have pretty much the run of the place. 

Tomorrow is the last long day at 85 miles and 3500 feet of climb.  It is hard to remember it from 2014 but I think it was a nice ride.  With only 2 ride days left it is hard to believe that the adventure is nearly over.

Downhill with a tail wind, blue skies, nice temperatures, and great riding, it just doesn’t get any better.

Terry hot biker