a post birthday hike on the 'secret sherbie'

the day: dec. 4th. cloudy, cool, and calm--the three c's. given the date, the ground should be snow white--instead it's leafy tannish-brown. except for beach and a few oaks, the leaves are down, the view is up. 

the adventure: for pam's post birthday hike, i took her over to the 'secret sherbie' to show off the newest line. with two major blowdowns removed--somebody with a chainsaw, tractor and bush hog--we hiked past the usual turnaround, to a high spot with a distant view of goose pond. there was a green mtn coffee truck there and pam got a cup before posing. 

the memories: i'm so hoping that whoever ran the tractor up there is not a skier... besides the trail being long ~ish, stone free ~ish, steep ~ish, the main reason we started going over there was to avoid the 'facebook\insta' crowds at all the usual places in the backcountry. in that respect, though a great break, coffee\snack trucks don't help!

the new 'extension' promises to be a sweet ending. it joins up a couple old woods roads via some challenging pitches where avoiding trees--at speed--will be a prime factor in a great run. and it finishes, right at the truck!

notes:

• hiking is nice, but skiing is better...!
• that there are practically zero rocks on the ~miles worth of trails is even better than better...!
• being outside playing with your best friend--despite their advanced age--is absolutely the best...!

go outside and play!      

a ride with friends in 'i can't believe it's november'

the day: nov 10th. sunny, cool~ish morning start. no wind. by noon, it was getting quite warm~ish.

the adventure: another gravel ride with skip, only this time we added a hike as a dear friend kevin rode with us. (bonus, he came over from maine with some garlic for pam and i to plant. double bonus, mariel insisted he bring four beautiful yellow bell peppers from the greenhouse.) we took him up to the 'secret sherbie' to help coax him over to ski this winter. the ride was 16 miles, a few on pavement, most on gravel roads, with a mile or two on the rail trail.

the memories: clear skies, conversations about mean and angry drivers yelling at bikers to "get the hell off the road", a fine stroll through the woods, linda's molasses cookies at snack o'clock, and a stop at the restored tunis school house...

they leave the door open and have a bit of history on display. skip--dedicated lover of historical makers--read that the building was moved to this site, 1/2 mile, from down the road.

notes:

• simon calls this time of year "stick season"--looking at the bare trees behind the school house, it's an apt call!
• this is supposed to be november--why is it hot enough to get sweaty?
• riding with kevin (and skip too) was great--trying to figure out the clicking noise was a fun challenge!
• people still say "car back"!

go outside and play!      

an afternoon cruise through the neighborhood(s)

the day: oct 21st. sunny, cool~ish, and no wind--same as last weekend only not quite as warm~ish. the foliage is getting yellow and golden brown, in the right light a deep orange. and more and more of the leaves are on the ground.

the adventure: another gravel ride with skip, this time with tom in north canaan, a slice of hanover on the east side of moose mountain, and dropping into enfield 'the back way'. i don't have strava or a garmin, but i bet skip could tell us how far we actually road. i will guess 'about 26.5' miles (a classic joke...i'll tell you someday).

the memories: the back roads are getting leafier and leafier. 

tom took this picture with a phone (the one above i took with a camera). it looks like it has some sort of retro filter on. just after this picture, a huge 'carroll concrete' truck met us coming the other way. skip's comment of "he must be lost!" struck me--cement trucks probably don't use strava, but with all the route finding phone aps these days, lost? i don't know how...

notes:

• our 'shortcut' through the woods needs a lot of clearing before i do that again!
• travel apps don't work on a noPhone!
• met dick on the rail trail and he reported another woods road--the one we avoided after the first 'shortcut'--had been much improved. the bridge has even been replaced!
• still true: even post peak, new england in the fall is beautiful!

go outside and play!      

'il gruppo', mostly gravel, slightly post peak

 the day: oct 16th. sunny, warm~ish, and no wind. i don't really believe in perfect, but given the foliage was not that far past peak, this was darn close.

the adventure: a gravel ride with the pendletons, richard, skip, and simon: that's brother, father, and son. richard mapped out a route starting at the dunkin donuts in bradford nh. i don't know this for certain--i was just 'along for the ride'--but i am guessing we rode a tad in newbury, a lot through sutton, maybe a bit in warner, and back into bradford. i do know we were on gravel and woods roads a good deal. all of it was downright beautiful.

the memories: obviously, riding back roads with friends is grand, especially class 6, old paths through the woods, and 'not maintained in winter' ones.

the 'il gruppo' selfie also reminded me how powerful genetics are...the pendleton brothers have a serious straight-lipped smile.

much to skip's dismay we saw a few more roadside historical markers than we actually stopped for, but i got everyone to take a break and enjoy the leaves at this one. i also like graveyards.

i took another picture with skip posing here as well, but i didn't want to put it in because linda would see that he forgot his helmet. obviously, that didn't bother me.

notes:

• it warms the heart to be part of a pendleton 'il gruppo'!
• thank you simon for not breaking completely away!
• helmets are overrated!
• even post peak, new england in the fall is beautiful!

go outside and play!      

friday's are biking days!

 the day: sept 16th & 23rd. both of these fridays were nice and cool. the sun was out, but it was never hot or even too warm. the 23rd was wicked windy, at least out on the paved roads.

the adventures: since i haven't been posting goap! regularly--the last entry was in june--i am combining two friday bike rides, exploring the myriad back roads out in the boonies between rt 4 and 4A. i was especially interested in a path that would take me past the north wilmot church and then piper pond. 

on the 16th i went up and over fowler road and then turned toward the church, but the path got somewhat sketchy so i turned around and continued out fowler town road to 4A. i was tired anyway and figured i could stop, stretch, and sweep at the shop before it closed.

on the 23rd i took a somewhat more direct route to the church and made it with no problems, even on the 1200-1300' of climbing in the 7 miles from rt 4 rail trail. a mile past that, i found piper pond, but a flooded road beyond, stymied my connecting up a loop with fowler town / fowler road.

the memories: i love the challenge of riding past "this road unmaintained in winter" signs. fowler road is a classic example. at one point i got stopped by the significant steepness with plenty of rocks. i posed the bike for two pictures, one looking up, and one down.

the next shot was taken heading down fowler town road toward rt 4A. i am unsure which pond that actually is beyond the gate. maybe next time, i will walk over and check it out.

on the 23rd i forgot my camera, but pam and i went to nearby apple orchard on the 25th and snapped a couple of photos. first the beautiful old, north wilmot church which is having some work done: leveling the main floor, setting stone atop a new foundation--under a new sill, and presumably adding stairs up to the front doors.

the last photo is of the elusive, and also beautiful, piper pond, taken from a public access landing donated by the family pam's 'cross the street' neighbor growing up, married into.

notes:

• roads "not maintained for winter" are wicked exciting!
  
• rocky downhills can be every bit as tricky rocky uphills!
• more support for 'no matter which way you go, the wind is always against you!'

go outside and play!