Vermont plus

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Monday 26th

We left Woodsville in Vermont after stopping at a Walmart to get a couple of supplies and then a diner breakfast. We have noticed that although temperatures are cool in the mornings & evenings but getting 18 and 19 occasionally during the day.

Riding out of Woodsville we saw the 2 young guys we had met yesterday riding the other way? After a few more miles we then linked up with these guys riding the same way but they come onto the road we were on from a different direction. Situations like this make you question who is doing the right thing and who is doing the wrong. The route turned us off the road we were on and we opted to stop at another Country store for morning tea. After a coffee in this great store, (once again selling nearly everything including a rarity espresso coffee) we set off again.

The route took us down a track that had some exciting whoopees (bumps that get a bit air if you hit them too fast) and some whoopdedoos (bumps that get total air if you hit them at normal trail speed) This road was called Long Pond Rd and we rode up past a “long pond” which looked like it was a good fly fishing spot. During this period we rode past a ski lift next to a ski run (no snow at present) which was set up for night skiing with light standards on both sides of the runv

Shortly we came to an intersection of gravel roads where the 2 young guys were having a break & scoffing trail mix. They told us the reason we saw them twice going opposite ways was because they had made a navigational error reading their GPS. As we know this is very easy to do.50 miles of great trails later (a lot of which was in White Mountain National Forest which had magnificent trees - some looked like sequoias but are they this far east? ) we stopped at another country store for a coffee and got talking to a guy outside, who was impressed with what we were doing. He looked at me and said at least you guys are out here doing it – look at him he said pointing at me “how old are you at least 73” I remonstrated with him and explained he was miles wrong by at least 2 years!

Continuing on we did more great gravel roads besides streams with rapids and under amazingly coloured Fall trees. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it! After plenty more miles we approached Mt Washington and its Grand Hotel. This area is Bretton Woods. Bretton Woods

is known for the Bretton Woods Conference, which was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II.

The conference was held from July 1 to 22, 1944. Agreements were signed that, established the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development later part of the World Bank group and the International Monetary Fund. This led to what was called the Bretton Woods system for international commercial and financial relations. (free useless information)

Arriving into our destination of Gorham, Bryan and Keith decided to take the route up MT Washington which later they described as spectacular. Nearly 7000 feet with views up the wazoo.

Ian & I continued to our booked motel and changed the rear tyre on my bike. I still felt it had 100s of miles left to go but he others convinced me that having spat all the centre knobs off it was past its use by date.

248 miles (400kms) of great riding today.

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