,,, Bicycle around Mt Sunapee, 2011
I was planning on riding to Montreal on a cc tour,
but Hurricane Irene destroyed many bridges and roads
in Vermont. So I planned a new trip (Plan B), this was
suppose to go up to the White Mountains and beyond. But
Week 1 of my vacation I caught a cold, and another but
weak hurricane remnant came through at the same time,
it rained hard during the week.
With a lot less time remaining, I decided to do "Plan C",
this is a trip I have been planning for quite a while. In
retrospect this was probably the best trip to take due
to the changeability of the weather. I also wanted to
wait until the heavy rain and my cold was gone.
This time I used a light "lighter" load. I called it "an
ultra light tour on a 30 pound (13kg) bike". (I do not
think the LHT. weighs 30 pounds (13kg), but the phrase
sounds good). This time I weighed the load, turned out
it was around 25 pounds (11kg). Past years I believed I
carried around 40 pounds (18kg).
TEXT Gear carried
IMG Picture with lighter load and ready to start
IMG Picture heavy old load used in prior years
This map below shows the route I took in New
Hampshire. The bottom part pretty much aligns with the
Mass/NH border. Red arrows shows where I spent the night,
bright yellow lines show roads I took which are not on
the map. The loop was counter clockwise. The route in
Mass is quite easy and how to get to the start and end of
this ride is described below at the end of this page. The
important/tough part is in NH.
IMG Route taken
Day 1 of 6:
===========
To Bear Brook State Park.
This was originally planned to be a 4 day tour. Total
mileage was about 250 (400 km).
Please see the end of this web page for how to get to
and back to a recommended starting point of the ride.
For my first night I stayed at Bear Brook State Park,
I have not been there for years. From about the age of 2
to about 14 or 15, a group of relatives 'invaded' that
park every year for 2 weeks. Here are some pictures on
the way to the park.
IMG Picture Entering New Hampshire (NH)
IMG Picture Rt 128N in NH
IMG Picture a flat road, this will end tomorrow
Above you can see were I entered New Hampshire, riding
my bike on Route 128 (people in Mass will get laugh).
Also, Rt 128 is called Mammoth Road. Someone told me it
is the longest street between 2 States with the same name.
It starts in Lowell Mass and I think it ends somewhere
north of Manchester NH.
I saw evacuation signs all over the place (not sure why
they are there) and a special thanks to Station 10 for
allowing me to refill my water bottles and use their Rest
Room, thanks guys!
IMG Picture Evacuation Sign
IMG Picture Manchester Fire Dept, Station 10
These two pictures is of a shop that you go by on the
way to Bear Brook. I cannot believe it still exists.
It is a Motor Lodge and has an "Indian" Gift Shop.
IMG Picture Sign for the shop
IMG Picture The Shop itself
That shop was very busy in the 1960s and is a reminder of
what the old Tourist Traps that exists all over the place
in the 60s. I think this is one of the last ones left.
Some additional Pictures from the ride to Bear Brook.
IMG Picture Hookset NH
IMG Picture Small Stream Crossing
IMG Picture Roads still flat
IMG Picture Right Turn to Bear Brook
This nice building pictured below is the old, closed
Mt Saint Mary's College in Hookset NH, fairly close to
Bear Brook State Park. It closed in 1978, a private
College took it over but that moved out in the 1990s.
I guess it is just empty now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Saint_Mary_College_%28New_Hampshire%29
IMG Picture Mt Saint Mary's College
And this picture is of a building that has not changed
at all since the 1960s. It was a small Car Dealership
back then. In the 60s, all businesses were small :) Now
it looks like a tire shop. The cars for sale would be
under the open roof. As kids, when we saw that building
we know we were close to the camp.
IMG Picture Tire Shop
I stayed in the same camp site I had stayed in when a
young kid. These are pictures taken of various 'haunts'
around the camp ground (sorry, full size image of some
pics came out bad):
IMG Picture of the Camp
IMG Picture Lake/swamp in back of the camp
IMG Picture a 'large' rock us kids hanged around (poor quality)
IMG Picture another view of the camp (poor quality)
IMG Picture another lake a bit down the path
IMG Picture a rock at that lake were us kids would try and fish
IMG Picture rock the lake we would hang on, no bushes back then
IMG Picture Sunset at the Lake
Sad to say, one place we use to go to is no more, the Fire
Tower at the park was torn down years ago, from the top
you got a great view of the whole area. The fireman who
worked there would always be happy to have visitors. There
is also a Historic Meeting House is on the way into camp,
unfortunately the building was locked.
IMG Meeting House
IMG Meeting House Info Sign
The sign says:
Old Allenstown Meeting House
------- * -------
Built in 1815 for both religious and town meetings,
this rare example of a one-story meeting house has
slanted floors that offer a clear view of the pulpit.
The building housed services of the "Christ-ian" sect
until about 1860, and evangelical camp meetings until
1886, but ceased to be used for town meetings in 1876.
The town deeded it to Buntin Chapter, Daughters of
the American Revolution, in 1908. Buntin Chapter's
restoration of the building was a pioneering effort
at historic preservation. (2005)
The ride up there was easy due to a nice tail wind,
found my way to Route 128 then Route 28->28A->28 to Bear
Brook State Park. For the most part the ride was quiet,
but some areas were urbanized. When we use to go up there
years ago, the ride (via auto) was all 'country'. Note,
if you need supplies for the night, you should stop at the
Gas Station/Deli on the left side of the road in Suncook
on Rt 28. It is the only place I saw fairly close to the
camp and is about 5 miles (8km) from camp.
A little note on finding the 'real' entrance. After
taking the turn when you see the sign, you will see a
sign saying 'leaving Bear Brook State Park'. Ignore it,
continue on. The road leaves then reenters the Park'. An
auto was stopped and I rode up to ask her if I missed the
entrance, she was also looking for the entrance and was
as confused as I. We both looked at my map and her better
eyes noticed how the road seemed to drift out of the park.
IMG First Sign for Bear Brook
The road to the Park is now completely paved! In past
trips, I had some nasty falls on that old dirt road and
was almost planning on walking the last couple of miles :)
IMG Camp from a past trip
Day 2 of 6:
===========
Bear Brook State Park to The Maples at Warner NH.
Originally I was suppose to go to Sunapee State Park but
I got lost/delayed in Concord NH. I was happily riding
north for quite a while before I realized something was
wrong. I was trying to find Route 202 west in Concord,
but missed the turn when I was too busy being a tourist
:) and due to directions from people in Concord. Also
I talked to a few people, thus loosing a few hours, so
rather than racing to Sunapee to get there before dark,
I stopped at "The Maples". The Maples was very nice,
owners where great and I had a very good breakfast,
turned out getting lost was a good thing (more below).
One of the advantages of planning your own trip, you
have no real time table to stick to. I had 6 days left
for my vacation, and this was planned as a 4 day ride,
I plenty of time for unexpected occurrences or to hang
in interesting places.
While in Concord, one of the State House tour guides was
also a bicycle tourist, so we talked quite a while about
riding/touring throughout New Hampshire. So, if it wasn't
for the unplanned detour I would not have meet the guy.
BTW, New Hampshire creates a very nice set of free bicycle
maps for every part of the state. I believe you can still
obtain a printed set, I was able score a set 10+ years
ago. If you plan on touring New Hampshire they are a
"must have".
https://www.dot.nh.gov/projects-plans-and-programs/programs/bikes-and-pedestria
Getting to the Maples from Bear Brook is quite easy
for most people :). Take Rt 28 North, quick right on to
Buck Street, then a left on to Academy Road. From there
you will join Rt 3 North in Pembroke (a very nice town
BTW). Proceed into Concord and take 202 West (note, called
Rt 9 in Concord). In Hopkinton you follow Rt 103 to the
Maples or you can continue on to Sunapee as I originally
planned. One thing I noticed, all street signs were very
easy to see (except in Concord).
Maples WEB Site: http://themaplesatwarner.com/
Here are some pictures I took along the way:
IMG Picture Route 28
IMG Picture New Hampshire State House
IMG Picture prison in Concord
IMG Picture hopkinton Center
IMG Picture Hopkinton General Store
IMG Picture The Maples
IMG Picture A friend at the Maples
In order, Rt 28, NH State House, a prison, Hopkinton
Center, a very good deli in Hopkinton, the Maples and a
buddy also staying in the Maples. If you see the State
House and/or the prison in Concord, you missed the turn
for Route 202.
The ride fairly easy, some long hills on 202, but that
route is known for being hilly for just about it's full
length, also had a medium head wind. Once on the other
side of Concord you saw empty roads and went through some
small towns. The town of Warner (where the Maples is)
had a few nice shops, but was mostly closed due to the
time of year I was riding.
Day 3 of 6:
===========
The Maples at Warner to Pillsbury State Park
A good deal of days 2 and 3 was spent riding on Rt 103. I
found that to be an enjoyable road, it gave one the
feeling you were in the middle of nowhere. I had always
wanted to ride up to Sunapee since I was quite young,
I finally made it!
Anyway, I was planning to stay at Sunapee Campground,
but after talking to the ranger I decided to continue on
to Pillsbury. He seems a bit disappointed I decided to
press on, I know the camp there would be very nice but
decided it would be best to continue.
One item on Sunapee was removed. There use to be Gondolas
that one could ride to get to the top of the Mountain,
the Ranger said they were removed because the State did
not want to maintain them. Forgot to mention, Mt Sunapee
has very nice skiing in the winter, the Gondolas were
used for skiing and in the summer for tourists to take
a fun trip to the top of the mountain.
Since the ride to Sunapee was short and I am familiar
with the area, I spent quite a bit of time there looking
around Mt Sunapee and visiting places me and my Cousins
would hang out.
At Mt Sunapee there was some type of corporate outing
going on there, so when I arrived with my packed bike,
lots of people took notice of me and a few asked where
I was going. I hung out there for a bit, but like all
Corporate Outings, no one offered me free food :(
IMG Picture Packed Bike from later on in the ride
These are pictures of the ride to Mt Sunapee on
Route 103 and of Lake Sunapee:
IMG Picture Rt 103 to Sunapee
IMG Picture of Mt Sunapee from Rt 103
IMG Picture Getting closer to Mt Sunapee
IMG Picture Even closer
IMG Picture Lake Sunapee
At ~18, I spent 2 weeks for 3 or 4 summers in Sunapee, so
I am familiar with the area. My Uncle and Aunt would rent
a cabin on Mountianview Lake. Me and many of my cousins
would stay there for two weeks. Back then I wanted to
Ride my bicycle there instead of drive, I never did since
everyone thought I was crazy for wanting to do that :)
So this trip accomplished that goal.
This is the Picture of the Cabin. You can also see the
Green Metal Row Boat on the right that we used a lot.
My Uncle fixed a leak in the boat in 1977 or 78, seems
the fix worked great.
IMG Picture Cabin, just to the right of the Green Cabin
IMG Picture Rear of the Cabin on the Left
After spending a few hours in Sunapee, it is off to
Pillsbury State Park.
Turned out, going to Pillsbury to camp was a very good
decision, the ride there is difficult and according
to veloroutes, many of the climbs between Sunapee and
Pillsbury had a around 29% grade, a few had a 30% grade,
which I find hard to believe, but it was one real tough
section. It added 11 miles (17 km) and close to being all
up hill, but it is very beautiful section. So instead of
staying at Sunapee and having a very short ride on day 3,
I ended up in Pillsbury and turned what could have been
a somewhat hard day 4 into an easy day.
IMG Picture Elevation Graph
Pillsbury is very primitive but pretty park, except
for one thing I would consider this the best campground
I have ever been at. Actually I still think it is the
best campground I have stayed at.
If people snoring do not bother you, then the sound the
Wind Mills make will probably be OK. But for me, it took
me quite a while to fall asleep. The sound is like a jet
engine, but "modulating", right now there 7 wind mills at
the Farm on Lempster Mountain. While at the park I hung
out with the nice people next door, they told me about the
area, the park and we joked around. Made for a fun night.
Pictures of Rt 31 on the way to Pillsbury, if the day was
not as bright as it has been, otherwise you would be able
to see the Wind Mills in these pictures on the horizon.
IMG Picture Up the hill to Pillsbury
IMG Picture Still going up
Pictures from Pillsbury Park with my camp:
IMG Picture Sign for the Entrance
IMG Picture a Shallow lake on the way in
IMG Picture Camp at Pillsbury
IMG Picture Another Lake
IMG Picture The Lake again
The pictures do not do the Park justice.
As I said, the ride was hard but not real bad because I
only added 11 miles (17 km) to a short day. To get there
you follow Rt 103 and take a left on Brook Road not long
after going by Andre's.
The cabin (see above) we use to stay at in the 70s was
down a side road that split of from Route 103 towards
the right. The split occurred at Andre's.
IMG Picture Andre's Fine Dining
Surprisingly, we never ate at Andres, I do not know why.
Years later me and one of my Cousins took a drive to
Sunapee to see how much it changed. We stopped at Andres
for lunch, but it was closed. I think I remember they
had odd hours, even in the 70s. Maybe that is why.
Brook Road becomes Province Road then changes back to
Brook Road. At the end, take a left on Rt 10, but you
should pick up supplies at the deli/store on the corner
in Goshen. Not a whole lot around Pillsbury. Next bear
left into Rt 31 South. Hard to miss, it looks like a
wall. Wish I had a picture of it, eventually I will be
in that area and I will add the pic to this site. From
there, keep going up until you see the sign, or you can
just pass out on the side of the road from the climb :)
On the way up, I heard a clink. I stopped a short distance
on one of the few semi-level areas and checked out the
bike, all OK. Even where I stopped, with the kickstand
the bike wanted to roll downhill. I then realized the
compartment that had my bike lock was open, the clink
was the lock falling out. I decided to continue, was too
lazy to re-climb that section. That lock was quite old,
but cool. Been looking for a suitable replacement sense
but no luck.
If you are planning on staying at Pillsbury I cannot
emphasize this enough, pick up some supplies on the way
there, even water. The park is primitive and there is a
open question on whether the water at the camp is OK to
drink. I suspect it is, some campers did not know, others
said no. I decided not to chance it. Goshen is where I
picked up supplies, from there I think you have around 5
hard miles (8 km) left. Sorry, I need to repeat myself :)
Pick up supplies in Goshen, the last thing you want to
do is ride up that Rt 31 wall if you find out you need
something after setting up Camp.
Day 4 of 6:
===========
Pillsbury State Park to Monadnock State Park
I woke up rested in spite of the Windmills at Lempster
Mountain. My camp neighbors said the Windmills power
about 30,000 homes, which seems quite impressive since
there are only 7 of them. I did not take many pictures
of this part of the ride because I was rushing to beat
the thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon.
IMG Picture Downhill
IMG Picture Favorite Sign
IMG Picture Camp at Monadnock
The first picture is the start of a very long and fast
downhill, in fact the day trended downhill. Next is what
became favorite sign, it says "Lane Ends, Merge Left"
(usually at the top of a long steep hill) and last is my
campsite in Monadnock.
I stopped for lunch in Peterborough, a very nice town,
where I struck up a conversation with a young man who
hitched there the same day I was riding. Both of us
arrived via a method of travel considered in the US
as non-mainstream (ie: odd, not via auto), so we had
something in common. What started the conversation is I
fell off the bike in front of him. The front wheel got
caught in a grate while I was stopping so I tipped, very
minor injuries and only my pride was hurt. But I finally
got to use my First Aid Kit which I have carried with me
for years :) My father bought it years ago and I ended up
with it, it is probably as old as I am (if not older). I
blame the accident on the handlebar bag, I hardly never
use them and when I felt the wheel give I grabbed the
bag instead of the top of the handlebar -- argggg
IMG Picture First Aid Kit
I rode to Monadnock by heading south on Rt 31, had a very
good breakfast in Washington in a combination General
Store/Diner. Continued south on 31 where it joined with
202 in Hillsboro. When in Hillsboro signs get quite
confusing, I asked a gentleman parked in front of a
convenience store how to get to 202. He said continue
straight on the "2nd New Hampshire Turnpike" and that will
join with 202. Seems 31 branches off somewhere, but taking
2nd New Hampshire Turnpike makes for a slightly shorter
ride and far less traffic. I guess people in Hillsboro can
find 202 much easier than people in Concord :) I did find
Route 202 and a bit later I joined back with Route 31,
to me his directions made for a less confusing route. From
here you continue on 202 all the way to Jaffery. Once in
Jaffery. it is an easy ~6 mile (9km) ride to Monadnock by
following the signs. You can see my 2010 Monadnock trip
for more details on how to get to Monadnock from Jaffery.
DIR 2010 Monadnock Trip
Day 5 of 6:
===========
Still at Monadnock State Park
Not much to say here, due to the weather decided to stay
put. Late yesterday and last night there was quite a
thunderstorm which was interesting. So I spent the day
reading and napping cozy in my tent.
Forecast was heavy rain for the day, luckily we had a
short break in the weather at midday. That allowed me
to go to Jaffery to pick up supplies for the day and do
laundry. Started drizzling on the way back to camp, then
once I was settled back in the tent the heavy rain started
again. The rain stopped around 10:00PM, then we got heavy
winds for most of the night. After the rain stopped, the
temperature quickly dropped to 35 F (1 C). But I was not
cold due to a new sleeping bag I picked up earlier this
year (more on that below).
The campground at Monadnock is quite nice, but something
about the Mountain that seems to attract heavy winds. I
guess the winds must blow off the Mountain straight to
the Camp. If you need a place to camp in the area I would
check it out, I think it is a great place to camp and you
can become one of the may people who climb the Mountain.
Day 6 of 6:
===========
Monadnock State Park to home
DIR Deja vu, have I been here before ?
Day four of the 2010 trip is exactly how I got home,
again all down hill with a strong tail wind! I did find
another good diner in Jaffery. A short distance on Rt 202
West from Jaffery there is a strip mall on the right. Had
a good dinner and a nice laundry-mat.
I only took two pictures, one of the packed bike and
this one:
IMG Picture Packed Bike
IMG Picture leaving mountains
This time the ride home was quite cool, did not get above
55 F (12 C), started out around 40 F (4 C). But the ride
was as nice as I remembered it from last year.
Comments:
=========
This trip was a lot of fun. Everything I packed I used
and I did not need anything else. I knew exactly what
to take because I knew what to expect in Sunapee, Bear
Brook and Monadnock. So, only on Days 2 and 4 was I in
unfamiliar territory.
TEXT Gear carried
For this trip a bought a mummy type sleeping bag which was
on sale at the time. I wanted something that was lighter
and more compact than my old sleeping bag. At first I did
not like it at all, but finally started to get use to it
on day 3. When the temperature dropped on day 5 to 35 F
(1 C) I was very glad I had it. I know in the old bag I
would have been a bit chilly based upon the trip I took
last year. The bag got to be comfortable and I was not
hot or cold, note I have never used a mummy bag until this
year. So, with the weight savings and the size difference
I am glad I picked it up.
Who needs a charged cell phone :) Actually, I was able to
charge my cell phone at all the places I stayed except for
Pillsbury. As I mentioned, that park is very primitive
and has no electricity, even the rangers who work there
lack. But, the very nice couple at "General Store/Diner"
in Washington allowed me to charge the phone while I ate
breakfast. It is about 4 miles (6.5 km) from Pillsbury
on 31 south.
I may do this trip again someday, but I believe this
would be a very good first bicycle touring trip for a
very small group of people or for just one person.
How to Start:
=============
One suggestion of many.
If you do not live in the area, all you need to do is get
to Boston, maybe take an early MBTA Train to Lowell. You
are allowed to bring your bicycle on the train in the
morning when going from Boston to Lowell. Once you get
off the train you can follow this 1.4 mile (2.2 km) Urban
Route North from the Train Station to the start of the
ride on Mammoth Road.
IMG Picture Map from the Lowell Train to the start
Now you are at the start of "my day one" of this tour.
Just continue north on Mammoth Road, it eventually
becomes to NH Route 128.
How to End:
===========
Notice Route 113 in the map pictured above along the north
side of the Merrimack River ? Getting back to the train
from Monadnock is quite easy, just follow Route 119 East
(south?) and take Route 113 East and you will see the
bridge where you started from in Lowell. Just head south
on 3A to the Lowell Train Station. The distance will be
around 54 miles (87 km), give or take, I do not have the
exact reading.
Note, Bikes are only allowed on the Train to Boston
after 3:00 PM if I remember correctly. Weekends, anytime
is fine.
If you want to ride back to Boston, just continue straight
past the train station. That is Route 3A. In about
25 miles (35km) you will see Mass Ave in Cambridge.
Take Mass Ave into Boston.
I have ridden this way into Boston many times. There is
a lot of traffic, so riding a loaded bicycle into Boston
could be a bit risky. I would suggest you take the
train instead.
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