Mt. Washington Hotel

One of the highlights of the day was our visit to The Mount Washington Hotel at mile 19.  The one picture captures about 2/3 of the hotel from the front.  It is one of the upscale grand old hotels offering golf, tennis, horseback riding etc. in a genteel environment.  We were allowed to view the lobby and sit on the back porch as we took advantage of their free coffee service.  We spent about a 1/2 hour there.  It was a contrasting sight to see 50 riders in funny shoes and spandex shorts mingling with the regular customers in fine clothing and the staff in proper uniforms.  The Hotel sits in a wonderful setting with a view of Mt. Washington and the rolling countryside.

On the Road to Fryeberg - Day 61

We returned to the Topic Of The Town restaurant for breakfast and then headed off to Fryeburg.  I passed an old abandoned stone church and just had to have a picture since I love stone  buildings.  Shortly thereafter we crossed the Ammonoosuc River and I stopped for a picture.  Able, a local resident who was crossing the bridge on his daily walk, indicated that I should take a picture of him which I did.  We chatted for a few minutes during which I found out that the secret to good health is vegetables.  That is another shot of the Ammonoosuc River a little further down the road.  Later in the morning we passed through Crawford's Notch.  It is a narrow cut through the White Mountains with steep ridges on both sides.  It was a welcome climb-reducing route through  the mountains for us leg weary riders.  Lunch was in the parking lot of the Attitash Ski Hill where people were riding mountain bikes downhill, using the water slide and sledding down a concrete ramp.  Later in the day we stopped at the gas station behind the New Hampshire sign for refreshments.  Having missed the New Hampshire sign on the way in, we captured the moment on the way out.  Typical of eastern riding the humidity had made the day hot and sweaty for all of us and the refreshments helped on the last 3 miles to our destination.

Littleton, NH - Day 60

Stats: We rode 72 miles today under overcast but dry skies which changed to partly sunny in the pm with temperatures in the mid 70's.  Other than the scenery of the ride, the most interesting sights of the day were in Littleton.  Upon arrival in Littleton we were surprised by a grueling 2 block climb up to our campsite at the Littleton High School which overlooks the town.  We are actually camped on a grass terrace which is the roof for part of the school building.  Dinner tonight is at the Topic Of The Town Restaurant which is one of those old staple eateries with good food patronized by the locals.  Our after-dinner ride meeting was on the covered bridge in town where I captured a few pictures of our group.  Upon returning to camp for the evening, we were delighted to have a beautiful sunset with a view of Mt. Washington.  Everyone was shooting pictures.  We are expecting a low of 45 tonight so it will be a chilly start tomorrow.

Sights in Littleton

After setting up our tents, I had time to explore Littleton.  At Chutters Candy Store, Littleton  claims to have the longest candy counter in the world.  It is 125' long and 3 rows deep as you can see.  It is amazing that there are that many different choices.  Littleton is bounded on one side by the Ammonoosuc River over which is built a classic covered bridge.  The riverbank has been developed as a tourist attraction with a grist mill and bakery among other things.  I filled the remaining time before dinner with laundry ( for the LAST time) and refreshments with several of our crew on the patio at the Oasis Grill.

The Architecture of Littleton

Littleton is a historic New England town with it's share of colonial architecture.  The Thayer Inn and the First United Methodist Church are typical of the white clapboard sided buildings in the area.  On the 2 block walk from our campsite to town we passed several grand residential structures.

On the Road to Littleton - Day 60

We rode 2 miles from the campground to breakfast at the historic Green Mountain Inn in Stowe to start our day.  It was a chilly start which required jackets.  On the way to Littleton we continued to ride through beautiful New England scenery as we transitioned from the Green Mountains of Vermont to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Today's ride had a considerable amount of climbing which gave us a good workout.  We rode past a restored mini covered bridge and had lunch at Joe's Pond  on Route 15 in Danville, VT.  Just after eating, Tom was letting the food settle as Margaret was preparing to get back on the road. 

Stowe, VT - Day 59

Stats: We rode 50 miles under partly sunny skies with the temperature in the mid 70's.  It was an easy day of riding so we were able to enjoy all of the sights on the way.  Tonight we are staying at a campsite 2 miles from Stowe instead of the normal school.  This is a camping only option .  After set up Bill, Tom, Deidra and I headed into Stowe for some refreshments.   After an hour of refreshments, Tom and I rode the local bike path before heading back to camp for dinner.  We came across the local swim hole along the bike path.  After I almost crashed on a bike path bridge, we decided to switch back to the regular roads which were safer for us to ride.  This evening we had a fabulous dinner at a local restaurant near town consisting of BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken and smoked meatloaf which was a bit different from our standard fare.  The church in Stowe, pictured above, is supposedly one of the most photographed churches in the world.  Four riding days are left for our cross country ride which is hard to believe.  We have ridden 51 days and covered over 4100 miles with less than 300 miles to go.  I have replaced 5 flats, 2 tires, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of riding shorts and 1 pair of riding gloves.