MAY DAY !!!

                     Cancelled

There is, at present, an 80% chance of rain for Tuesday in Gorham (it's 90% and 100% in Jackson and North Conway respectively). So we may or may not be able to get in a ride. If the weather turns in our favor I was thinking about doing the Presidential Rail Trail in Gorham. It's a good early season route as it's a gentle and scenic ride.

 If by some chance it looks ok for a ride in the morning meet me in the parking lot in front of Old Town Hall in Jackson (across the street from the Post Office) at 9:15.  Rain will cancel.  Check back in the morning by 8am for an update.

Harbor to Hemlock

Judy and Joe will be leading this week's ride in North Fryeburg on Tuesday April 24th.  It will start across the street from the North Fryeburg Fire Station and go to The Hemlock Covered Bridge.  This easy out and back ride will cover about 15 very scenic miles on Fish St, MacNeil Rd, River Rd, Frog Alley and Harbor Rd.  You will ride on paved and dirt roads. 

At present there is a 50% chance of rain on Tuesday so Judy and Joe will send out an email on Monday with a go or no go notice. And if the ride is on they will set a time to start the ride. 

Park next to the Saco Valley Fire Station in North Fryeburg, at the corner of Route 113 and South Chatham Road. Do not park in front of the fire station, park on the side of the road next to the park.

Have fun and don't forget to bring a lunch.

SAVE THE DATE - During last week's ride the group decided to hold the April Dinner on Monday April 30th at The Cider Mill for their Beer and Burger Monday night special.

2012 - Let's Cruise!

Tuesday looks like a beautiful day for our first ride of the 2012 season. So how about something new and easy to get us started? York Pond Road in the WMNF in Berlin should be perfect for our first outing. We'll go out and back and cover 13 miles of part paved and part dirt surface in a pretty and infrequently visited section of the WMNF. On our way back we can check out the Berlin Fish Hatchery which is located on York Pond Road.

If you'd like to carpool meet at The Old Jackson Town Hall (across from the Post Office) at 9:00am. We should start the ride just after 10:00am. Don't forget to bring a lunch and wear sunscreen.

Directions - Go north on route 16 to Berlin. Just after the road becomes one way in downtown Berlin go left on route 110. Follow 110 for about 7+ miles to York Pond Road on the left hand side. Go 1.5 miles on York Pond Road to the point where FR 15 forks to the left. Take FR 15 and park up on the right in a large dirt parking lot.

Hi All,

At our December get together last night some interest was expressed for doing another ride tomorrow. The weather forecast includes a high of 45, calm winds and lots of sunshine. That's pretty good conditions for a December day. Below you'll find my 2009 write up on the Cotton Valley Rail Trail in Wolfeboro.

The rail trail is crushed, packed stone and almost 7 miles long. In all we’ll peddle about 15 pretty easy miles on this loop route. From the trailhead at the restored train depot on Railroad Avenue, the crushed stone Russell C. Chase Bridge Falls Path leads to the rail trail proper. After the falls, the trail goes by a beaver pond with great views and bird watching and it also passes through some interesting tornado damage from 2008. Causeways that lead across Crescent Lake, then along Lake Wentworth are another stunning feature on this trail. At times you're surrounded by water on either side, and the views are nothing short of spectacular. And in a unique rail trail twist, sections of the trail actually run between the old rails, which are still in place and visible, though you cannot see the ties.

It ends at the intersection of Cotton Valley Road. Here we’ll go left (west) and return on Cotton Valley Road which becomes College Road. Both roads have gently rolling hills with the exception of one steep, but short hill on the way back. To get back to the rail trail and avoid the busy routes into Wolfeboro we’ll take a left on Westwood Drive to Tennis Court Lane which leads back to the rail trail and the center of Wolfeboro.

After the ride we can explore the shops and points of interest in Wolfeboro, one of the original resort towns on Lake Winnipesauke.

The Wolfeboro trailhead is at the restored train depot on Railroad Avenue, just west of the Route 109 and Route 28 intersection. Parking is available at the depot. Take route 16 south to route 28 (just before Ocean State Job Lot) in Ossipee. Go west about 9 miles on route 28 to Wolfeboro center. Then take a right on route 109 to Railroad Ave.

Please be ready to start the ride at 11:00am.

So you're invited to join in the fun!

Joan

North Fryeburg Ramble

With snow still on the ground it looks like we'll have to ride on roads that were plowed after last Wednesday's storm. So how about meeting at the North Fryeburg fire station at 10:00am? We'll decide on a route then.

Still Wanna Ride?

Tomorrow's forecast is in the gray zone for bike worthy conditions. Many of the core group will be away for the holiday. So if there are fellow nut cases who still want to ride send me an email and let me know. If I hear from a few of you by this afternoon we'll put something together based on our combined interests. One way or another I'll post something more definitive tonight.

There has been no groundswell of enthusiasm for a ride tomorrow. So let's look forward to better weather next week.

Tour de North Conway

Let's meet at the Scenic Overlook in North Conway. We'll ride through the fields near the Saco on dirt roads, trails and a bit of route 16 to downtown North Conway. Then we'll explore Whitaker Woods before taking a trail along the scenic railroad tracks back to our starting point.

Right now the NWS is forecasting a 30% chance of rain tomorrow so if the weather turns against us we'll never be very far from our cars. Check back Tuesday morning to make sure the ride is still on.

Meet at 10am. See you there.