End of Season

It looks like the season is all over. But don't forget the end of season pot luck party, this Saturday December 11th. See you there!

Happy Trails, Joan

Last Ride ???

We haven't done the Conway Rec Trail this year. That's a fine kettle of fish! How could that happen? Well let's do it before the snow flies.

The Rec Path saunters along the Saco River and then heads through the woods to The Mineral Springs site where the new high school is located. We will view the Mineral Springs Pagoda and then hop on the path down to route 302 by the old quarry barracks.

Next we'll cross route 302 and enter the trail network leading to the Powerline trail which will take us almost to Puddin Pond before we go west toward the railroad tracks. An old dirt road will bring us back to the quarry area. Here we'll see old structures and machines that the woods are reclaiming. We can explore some of the trails near the quarry or go back down by the Saco to extend the ride and have lunch by the rushing waters.

The main surface will be dirt and there are tree roots in a couple of places. Also we'll ride over one short section of loose gravel by the railroad tracks which our route will parallel briefly.

Meet at the canoe launch parking lot by The Saco River at the end of the road behind the Conway Police Station which is located at the intersection of Route 302 and East Conway Road.

It will be chilly early in the tomorrow morning, Tuesday November 30th, so let's start the ride at 11:oo am. Dress warmly.

November 2010

Tuesday's ride, October 26th, in The Pine Barrens was great. The weather was sunny and mild, we covered some new territory and had an extremely nice lunch on a warm sandy beach on the shore of Lake Ossipee.

For the month of November, fellow Jacksonite, Bob Houlihan, will be coordinating the rides. As each Tuesday approaches he will be sending out an email to all those who have ridden with us this year, with the ride plan. Many thanks go to Bob.

Who knows how many more rides we have left before we start skiing?

SAVE THE DATE !!! Our end of season party is scheduled for the evening of December 11th. As we get closer to that date you'll receive more details.

Tuesday October 26th - The Pine Barrens

Let’s explore the Pine Barrens in Madison. This area is New Hampshire’s last intact example of a pitch pine/scrub oak woodland, a globally rare forest type. The main trails are wide, firm(if a bit sandy) and flat. There may be a section or two of the West Branch Trail that is wet due to the recent rains. So expect a bit of mud and a walk through this area. There will be a couple of trail segments that are more like simple single track than the main wide trails. Also we'll take a new route to Lake Ossipee and Camp Calumet and back which will require an easy "bushwhack" through a sandy area. We should cover about 10 miles in two hours or so. This ride is suitable for a confidant advanced novice. We’ll stop for lunch at Silver Lake.

Directions: Take Route 16 south of Conway to the intersection of Route 113 at Coleman’s. Take a left and follow 113 through Madison. After you see Silver Lake on your left, Route 41 will diverge to the left. Follow Route 41 for 3.4 miles along the western side of the lake. The Nature Conservancy entrance and sign will be on the left directly opposite Black Birch Road. Drive in to the kiosk and parking area.

Or take Route 16 south to the junction of Route 16 and Route 41 in Ossipee, follow Route 41 north for approximately 2 miles, crossing into the Town of Madison. The entrance to the preserve will be on the right side of the road, marked by a TNC sign

We'll start the ride at 10am. Meet at the Scenic Vista in North Conway for carpooling at 9am.

Sweet Success - Post Ride Note

This was another great ride. Fabulous views were abundant all along the ride. After exploring a bit we found a snowmobile trail that completed the loop around Success Pond. To find this loop follow the road on the eastern side of the pond to Black Strap Road and go left. At the second trail to the left after crossing the brook go left. There is a sign here that prohibits ATVs. Follow this trail back towards the pond and when you come to an intersection after a long uphill go left again and descend back to the west side of Success Pond. In all we covered 18 miles and saw a moose.

Sweet Success

The Rob Brook Road Loop was the planned ride for tomorrow. But with Friday’s deluge and the cool temperatures forecasted for tomorrow, the Swift River crossing would be problematic.

So instead, I'm excited to tell you, we have a special new ride. Last June Marianne biked a very nice section of Success Pond Road and now she wants to take the group on the same ride. This dirt road runs from the east side of Berlin all the way to route 26 in Grafton Notch. But we won't be going that far. Our starting point will be at the Goose Eye Trailhead and we'll pedal into Success Pond for an exploration around the pond and then have lunch. Success Pond Road is mostly flat with occasional brief minor hills. The best part of the road is that it is surprisingly open which will give us fabulous views all along the way. It looks like we will cover about 15 miles on this out and back ride.


Let's meet at 9:45am in the Wentworth Golf Course/Jackson Ski Touring parking lot for carpooling and driving directions. We'll be in the section across from the Jackson Deli. The plan is to start the bike ride at 10:30 on Success Pond Road in Berlin.

Deer Hill Loop - Post Ride Note

This ride was absolutely spectacular!!! The foliage was magnificent and we had Evans Notch pretty much to ourselves. There was hardly any traffic on route 113. The interesting dirt road that was mentioned in the previous blog entry proved well worth our exploration and next year it will be the basis for another loop to the north of Deer Hill. This new loop along Bickford Brook Road will include a stop at the Brickett Place, a mini loop off the Royce Trail and lunch at The Basin where the views were just unbelievable. We all agreed this was one of the best rides of the season so far.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nh/chatham/967128696900873472