A short december ride.

So we had an unusually warm weekend in December, and i got a good deal on a gopro on black friday. Needless to say, i was temped to get the bike out of it’s storage and ride all weekend.  The result was this.

 

Fall ride to the Mohawk trail

It’s that time of the year again, when the days get short, nights get cold and trees change color. It’s also one of the best times to ride if you can handle the cold. Since I had no plans for this weekend, I decided to ride the to the Mohawk trail in Massachusetts.

Google maps said that it would be around 7 hours, so i had to leave early. Being a weekend, i woke up late as usual and left the house by 11:30. I packed my winter riding gloves, thermal liner, and an extra tshirt in case it got too cold. A few minutes into the ride and it started to get chilly already. There were distractions however that got my mind off the cold. The fall colors in the trees were really prominent.

After about an hour I had to stop for gas and to wear the winter gloves since it was getting cold the more north i rode. There was a man at the gas station who was asking for food, so i bought him a sandwich for good karma. After another hour of riding i stopped at a McDonald for lunch. From there i rode straight to greenfield Massachusetts where i joined the Mohawk trail at noon.

The trail starts off by this nice little river with plenty of places to stop.

A little ahead there was pull over section by the river where people had parked.

I had to wear a few more layers here, and then continued riding along the trail. There was a right turn ahead that went up a hill, so being curious, i had to check it out. The road passed by a few hills and eventually got boring so i turned back.

I was almost at the end of the trail now, there was just one last section left. The famous hairpin turn. This was also the highest point of the trail at north adams, and the view was just spectacular.

I didn’t know what time it was, so when i looked at my phone i was surprised that it was already 5pm. I guess time passes by when you’re having fun. This meant the long ride home would have to be in the dark and cold. I still had 3 hours to go, so i stopped at one last gas station to fill up the bike and put on the thermal liner in the jacket. The alpinestars jacket kept my upper body warm, but after an hour i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. Note to self – Jeans aren’t good enough to keep you warm when the wind chill temperature is around freezing, I need to buy thermal pants too. I had to stop to warm myself up so that i could feel my legs again. Luckily as i got south, the temperature increased by a few degrees, but it was enough to make the ride more bearable. After a long cold 3 hours i was finally home, and having that much needed drink of scotch to warm up. The total distance covered on this ride was 300 miles. May be i’ll get lucky enough to squeeze in one more ride before i put the bike in storage for the winter.

Ride to lake minnewaska

This ride was somewhere in July. A friend of mine had visited from new hampshire, and we had to ride down to new jersey. Instead of taking the old boring route, we decided to ride to minnewaska state park. Minnewaska is around 200 miles from my place. It was a nice fun ride on a warm summers day. There’s not much to write about it, so i’ll just post pictures instead.

The state park also has a nice little waterfall which we hiked to. But since i wasn’t carrying a change of clothes i couldn’t get into the water.

On the way back, there was this little overlook where we spent some time.

Ride to the mountains – Day 3 – Vermont

After 2 days of riding in new hampshire, it was now time to start my journey down south, back home. I couldn’t decide between taking the highway home which would have taken 3 hours, or take the back roads through more mountains which would have taken all day. Frankly, i was a little tired of riding so much, so i thought i’d wake up in the morning and decide. I woke up at 7am and it was a nice warm sunny day. That made the decision a lot easier – more mountains it was.

My plan for today was to visit mount Equninox in vermont – A small detour from my route home. I stopped at Dunkins for my usual breakfast of turkey sausage on an english muffin and my morning dose of caffeine, and started my ride towards Vermont. It was a scenic ride along the back roads. At one point i was near this gorge with a river flowing down below.

After following a few slow cars, i eventually reached the base of mount Equninox. The road to the summit is a private toll road, and climbs 3800 feet in a few miles. It was one of the steepest roads I’ve been on. 1st gear hairpin turns all the way, and did i mention scenic?

As i neared the top, the views just got better.

I spent close to an hour at the top and then started my ride back to CT. I had to stop for gas, so I picked up a sandwich for lunch too. The place was crowded and had no space to sit, so I thought i would find some nice spot by the side of the road to enjoy my lunch later. 2 hours of riding and i still didn’t find any place worth stopping. Eventually i did find a rest area, and enjoyed my lunch under a tree. I rode nonstop home from there, and reached by 6pm. The total trip distance was 997 miles. 3 short of the 1000 mile mark.

Ride to the mountains – Day 2 – New Hampshire notches

My plan for today was to ride through new hampshire notches. I found a great ride map here . The forecast for today showed rain, which sucked because i was hoping for a nice warm sunny ride. Luckily the forecast higher in the mountains was just clouds and no rain, which also meant i had to get an early start and beat the rain that was heading up from south. I left at 8am and started looking for a good breakfast place. Since it was the 4th of july most places were closed, but after 30 miles i found a place that had bagels and coffee. The bike needed gas too, so i filled up and continued the ride feeling full after the good breakfast.

I was now in the white mountains, and heading towards the famous Kancamagus Highway. The first stop was at the serene Pemi overlook.

This place was so good that i could have spent hours, but it started getting crowded so i left in an hour. Immediately after this was another overlook on the other side of the road. I stopped there too but the view was the same so i didn’t bother. Back to the twisties it was. After throwing the bike around a few corners, the next stop on my route was lower falls. Being the 4th of july, the falls were really crowded, and they weren’t actually falls. It was more like a river flowing over some rocks.

This seemed like a nice place to relax with your feet in the water and a nice sandwich. I wish i had more time to enjoy each of these places, but I had to move on. Next stop was cathedral ledge. which as the name suggests, is a ledge. It seemed more like a ski slope than a ledge. I had to take a short detour and climb up this really steep road to get there.

I hiked around the ledge in my riding boots, which wasn’t the most comfortable experience, but what options does a rider have? Oh and i also got cellphone coverage which i didn’t have for a while. That meant i could load up the route to my next stop in google maps instead of relying on my bad sense of direction. There were a lot of people here as well, some of them asked me if it’s a long way to the top and i replied with the obvious lie that it’s right around the corner. A little cardio never hurt anyone, right?

Anyway, after some time up at the ledge, i had to move on. The route description said i had to take hurricane mountain road which was like a rollercoaster. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when i did take that road, it really was a rollercoaster ride. Sharp hairpins, steep climbs that could only be done in 1st gear, blind corners, blind crests, it was the most fun i had. I wish i had a go pro to record it. May be that’s the next gadget i should get. The next stop on my route was Evans notch.

I had passed an old man riding his dirt bike along the way and ran into him again at evans notch. There was a car that had stopped too, and that guy was a rider as well, so we naturally spent some time talking about our bikes. It’s always nice to strike up a conversation with strangers. I was running low on fuel so i asked them how far the nearest town was. Luckily it was just 20 miles.

I bid goodbye to them and headed to the next town for fuel. It was at that gas station that i seen this couple on strange looking bikes and even stranger registration plates. They were riding Honda cubs (c90) bikes and the plates were from London. Curiosity got the better of me and i asked them where they were riding to. It turns out, they were on a trip from Alaska to Argentina on those small bikes. Impressive was all i could think. My 3 day ride plan suddenly seemed like a walk in the park. I later looked them up online when i got home and found a youtube channel where they document their journey. It’s really good and i highly recommend checking it out.

The next stop on my route was the aptly named Reflections pond. Ride too fast and you’ll miss it. This was the most beautiful pond i have seen. Pictures don’t do justice to it.

I kept going on my planned route and passed the silver cascade falls.

and saco lake

It was almost 6, and since i hadn’t eaten lunch yet so i stopped at the only restaurant i could find. It was crowded, but luckily i got my meal quick and could leave with enough daylight left to visit the last stop on my route which was sunset hill. Call it coincidence, but i reached here at sunset.

From here it was a non stop ride back home. It got dark soon and i had to dodge some deer running accross the road, but i made it home at 9:30 pm. I wasn’t in the mood to go out for dinner, so i picked up some food and beer and watched the 4th july fireworks. All in all, it was a fun filled day.

Ride to the mountains – Day 1 – Whiteface mountain

It was the 4th of July weekend and i had no plans, so the only thing i could do was ride. Most of my friends had other plans, so i planned this 1000 mile solo ride across the mountains of new York, new Hampshire and Vermont.

Day 1
My plan for today was to ride to whiteface mountain – the highest mountain in the state of new york, which was a 6 hour ride. I woke up at 9am and checked their website which said the road to the summit closes at 5:30. Crap, that meant i had to shower, have breakfast and get out of the house as soon as possible. Being the lazy person i am, i still took my own sweet time to get ready and went to dunkins for breakfast. At 10am I mounted the saddle bags, tank bag and started the ride. To make up for lost time and reach the summit before closing, i didn’t take any breaks on the way, not even a lunch break because i read that there was a restaurant at the summit. Needless to say, the ride to the base of the mountain was a long but fun ride. I got out of Connecticut as fast as i could, zipped passed Massachusetts and new york and after 6 hours, i was at the base of whiteface mountain.

It was a toll road, so i paid up and started the climb. The view immediately started getting better, so i took a few breaks along the way.

After about 8 miles, i reached the top of the summit and the views were nothing short of spectacular.

There was an elevator to the top of the summit, and from up there the auto road could be seen winding it’s way up the mountain.

I spent a couple of hours at the top and then decided to check out the store and restaurant. The store was about a bit of a walk from the parking lot and i was running out of daylight so i decided to skip it and have a snack somewhere on the way. I had to reach my friends place in new hampshire where i planed to stay for the night, which was a 3 hour ride. On the way down, i stopped by this small lake which i passed on the way up but didn’t stop then because i had to reach the toll gate before closing.

After spending a couple of minutes there, i continued the ride. I thought i’d ride till it gets dark and then stop for dinner, but the place was so remote that i couldn’t find any place to eat. I soon entered Virginia and my bike started running low on fuel so i started looking for a gas station. The road i was on had only hills, farms and there was no sign of any civilization. I still had around 30 miles of fuel left, so i wasn’t too worried. There was one scenic lookout in the middle of those farms, so i stopped there to check it out. It was nothing but a gravel road.

Luckily i found a gas station in the next town and filled up the tank. New hampshire was still 1 hour away, so i rode non stop and reached home by 9:30pm with newly focused headlights leading the way. Most of the restaurants were closed at that time, being a holiday, but one bar was open so that’s where i went for dinner. Beer and chicken wings was the perfect end to day 1.

Distance covered – 450 miles.

Ride to bash bish falls

I spent the Friday night looking up places to ride and found one website that mentioned Mount Everett and bash bish falls in Massachusetts. This ride would take me through 3 states – connecticut, new york and Massachusetts. The weather was a little overcast and cold, but it got better during the day. Being mid may, the trees were also green again, a good change from their barren winter look. I rode through the regular roads in Connecticut and entered new york. Here i started riding through one the most scenic roads i’ve been on. Mountains, trees, rivers, it had everything. But since it was there was no place to stop i had to wait for one of the parking areas for pictures.

A little further down this road there was a side road heading towards the hills, so i took a little detour.

I was tempted to keep riding on the side roads, but it was costing me time so i decided to get back on the highway. I’ll probably return here some day and just ride the back roads. My next stop was supposed to be the road to mount Everett (not Everest), but there was a problem. The road ahead was blocked. The parking lot on my right had a trail leading to Bash Bish waterfall so i decided to go there. It was an easy half mile hike downhill to reach the falls.

Hiking in my riding boots was a bit of a task, but it was just half a mile so i pushed through. After spending some time at the falls i hiked back up to the parking lot and noticed another trail that was marked as “scenic view”. I had to visit that too. The view from up there was really nice. It overlooked the valley.

I spent some time at the top and then decided to head back,but there was another problem. The trail back down was suddenly really steep. It didn’t look familiar at all, I would have remembered climbing up. I realized that i took a wrong turn somewhere so i had to backtrack and get on the right trail to the parking lot. It was hot and i was thirsty, i should have probably carried a bottle of water.

My next task was to find a way around the road block and head towards mount Everett. I tried riding furhter north around hte mountain to reach the other end of the access road. After about 30 minutes of riding i reached the road to the summit, but it was a dirt trail in really bad shape. There was no way my Ninja could have made it up. I guess mount everett wasn’t meant to be. On the other had, the ride there was really good through farms and meadows.

It was 4pm so i turned around to reach home before it got dark. I thought it would be a smooth ride back, but the GPS kept routing me towards that road which was blocked. I had to switch it off and try to figure out the way myself. Since i suck at directions it took me an hour to backtrack and reach the main road. Thenw when I wanted to set the GPS for home, there was no cell network so i couldn’t do that. With no other options, i followed the roads heading south until i reached a point with cell coverage. There was a small pizza place there too, so i stopped for lunch. More than lunch i enjoyed water. I was so thirsty that i had 3 glasses as soon as i entered. After lunch i rode home non-stop. It took me another hour, but i made it before it got dark. The total distance covered would have been around 200 miles.

Ride to barkhampsted reservoir

Another sunday, another ride. I just had half of the day to ride this time, so i chose some place closer. Barkhampsted is just a 2 hour ride from my place. Somewhere along the way there was a lake with a small path going towards the shore for fishermen. I Stopped there for a few pictures. I also had with me my new ultra wide angle lens, so this was a good time to try it.

From here i rode on towards Saville dam. The area behind the dam had a road going down to the reservoir.

I took the road that goes around the dam and headed back home. This a nice short refreshing ride of around 150 miles

Mohawk mountain state forest

It was just another Sunday with warm weather, so i decided to go out on a ride. I made a list of places to visit during the long winter months, and the next place on that list was Mohawk mountain. This was a short 120 mile ride so there isn’t much to write about it. I left home at 11am and took the back roads to mohawk mountain. The summit is 1600 feet above sea level and the ride there was a lot of fun. Most of the route was through forests and hills with no other vehicles in sight.

The view from the summit wasn’t as great as i expected, but it was still worth it. It may look better when the trees bloom.

After spending some time on the summit, i decided to visit Mohawk pond. The GPS asked me to make a right turn, but there was no road there, just a hiking trail, so i decided to move ahead and take the next turn. The next turn was a little better. And by little i mean, it wasn’t a trail, but it was stil a dirt road. I’ve been finding myself on a lot of dirt roads lately, may be because i look for remote places to explore.

I wasn’t going to give up so easily, so i rode on this trail/road. After 2 miles i reached a roadblock saying the trail ahead was closed. Well, at least the ride till there was fun. Having no other options, i took a u-turn and headed back home since it was almost evening. I stopped for a hot-dog on the way and then rode pretty much non-stop home.

Riding season is back – Twin lakes

It’s been a warm snowy winter, but 6 months of no riding, it’s finally warm enough. To start off this season i ordered a few bike parts – A zero gravity double bubble windscreen for highways, a new tire since the old one was worn out, A tank bag so that i can go on longer rides and some miscellaneous tools to take out the battery and wheels since labor costs a bomb here. With the bike all setup, it was time to start riding again.

Twin lakes – Connecticut

My first ride of the season was to twin lakes in Connecticut. I had ridden to my friends place in new jersey and helped him start up his Harley after taking it out of winter storage. He had to ride all the way to new Hampshire, so i accompanied him half way and decide to split off at the half way point. We didn’t stop for a lot of pics because he had a lot of distance to cover, but after splitting off and entering CT i started off on my own route.

I studied the map the previous day and had decided on riding to twin lakes, and a road called “between the lakes road”  because it just sounded like a really good road to ride on. You can’t argue with a name like that. The weather was perfect, the roads were scenic, it was starting to be a very good ride.

But as i got nearer, the road just disappeared. The GPS took me onto this dirt track with trees on all sides.

I then spotted the turn to “between the lakes road”, and suddenly all those bad roads felt worth it. This was just a narrow dirt trail passing through 2 very serene lakes on both sides.

The ice still hadn’t completely melted from the lake

A little ahead the road changed back to tarmac, and since it was almost evening i decided to head on home.