Not too far from home, but what a nice change of pace!
It seems quite novel to leave from home on my bike with no intention of returning home the same day. I've only done this once before, and that was on my cross-country trip back in 2002. I guess part of the reason is that I'm usually thinking of traveling on my bike in terms of a vacation as opposed to just a weekend away. I have a feeling that after this weekend I won't forget that short trips can be fun too.
This wasn't the first time I've ridden most of the roads I rolled over today, although it is certainly the first time I put them all together in one ride. There was one section that was totally new though, and I'm sure I'll be repeating that section again - and I don't just mean on my return trip tomorrow! That was a sweet section on the north side of the Merrimack River that hugged the edge of the riverbank. Unlike many places in Massachusetts along the water, this stretch didn't have any houses on the water side. Nice. I have to admit that I had to stop and ask for directions on this stretch. Because of the propensity of towns in Massachusetts not to place street signs on many corners, I was afraid that I would miss the road leading up to route 110. Actually, it almost looked like I was going to meander back to the south side of the river! I stopped at exactly the right point; it turned out that the road I wanted was just one house away from where I was standing at the time I asked.
I'm a warm weather tourer, and a warm weather commuter. While I do try to ride my bike year-round, my winter rides tend to be relatively short - and only on the weekends so that I can ride in daylight. It's only May, and in reality it is still fairly early in my riding season. I think I've just managed to break all of the rules (recommendations?) about adding mileage slowly. Last weekend was my first ride of 40 miles. I almost repeated that yesterday with 39 miles as the my first (bicycle) commute to work of the season, and today I jumped to 54 miles. Oh, and you know I'm going to have to repeat that again tomorrow just to get home!
My least favorite section of the road along the New Hampshire coast is the town of Hampton Beach. That's probably because it is a busy tourist-type town, with the road through the center of town lined with lots of what I would consider junk businesses, and lots of cars... Today, throw in a traffic jam too. I have no clue what was going on, but traffic was just inching through town. That included me too, since there were cars parked on the side of the road and there was often not enough room for even a bike to slip between the parked and the moving cars. Luckily that very annoying traffic didn't last for too long and I was back to rolling along and enjoying the ocean off to my right. I really can't complain though because except for that stretch through the town area of Hampton Beach and a short stretch on (very busy) route 110 in Massachusetts, the roads were very pleasant. And I think I may be able to miss the section on 110 tomorrow. I just need to remember to check my maps to see if the alternate route I am thinking of actually makes sense.
Past Hampton Beach and into Rye... coastal curves, sideways, and a few rollers too. The beauty of the ocean, quiet today, but there are still waves and birds to watch, people too. True beaches, plus very rocky areas...
I had a short visit with one of the mute swans that I first saw back in January. At that time, I was walking and playing with my new camera when I saw two mute swans among all of the sea gulls. (Yes, you're right - I wouldn't have had a clue about what these birds were without a conversation wtih a stranger, a photographer who had been following these birds.) I wonder why I only saw one today. There were two before... This big beautiful bird was paddling along, fishing and drinking too, on the salt marsh (not the ocean) side of the road. I stopped and pulled my (big) camera out, and just followed that bird as it swam along and then waltzed up onto the shore, walking closer to me - but not that close.
It was sunny early this morning, but by the time I headed out on my bike there were patches of clouds. The temperature was probably in the upper 60s when I left home, and it was noticeably cooler along the coast. And hey - what do you suppose that wet stuff is coming out of the sky? I have to admit that I was pretty lucky from a weather standpoint. The forecast went from a rainy Saturday and an OK Sunday to two nice days. That was when I decided to go ahead with my non-plans and head out on a bike for the weekend. When I looked at the forecast this morning it said there was a 30 percent chance of showers. I decided to believe the 70 percent chance of no showers and headed out anyway. I did get hit with a couple of bouts of sprinkles, but nothing too bad.
The wind was a constant presence, but for the most part, it was pretty reasonable. That is, except for a short stretch right before before I hit the coast, and it came back at the end of my ride too. Oh, and when I was walking back from dinner, the wind was absolutely howling. I was really glad I was walking and not riding at that point!
Ah, it was a good riding day today. Here's hoping that tomorrow is a repeat!
