We had been thinking about riding up to New England (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to be specific) for a while, and we finally rode up there in September 2016, spending about 2 1/2 weeks up there. We had been through Maine before, but just slabbed through on I95 coming home from Nova Scotia.
We planned a short jaunt up through part of the Adirondacks before we turned east into Vermont.
Breakfast at The Silo in Queensbury, NY before continuing to the Adirondacks.
The Silo – Queensbury NY
Adirondacks – Lake George
Into New England. There were many covered bridges in Vermont. Some you could ride through, others were closed.
Vermont's covered bridges
We just had to stop at this Mom and Pa chocolate store just north of Salisbury, VT
Chocolate Store
And of course we had to drop by Jeffersonville, VT to look at the beautiful silos painted with murals. Truly awesome work.
After riding through Green Mountain, we continued north in Vermont to Newport, where we headed back south and prepared to enter New Hampshire.
Stopped at Lake Willoughby and enjoyed the view.
Next stop: Mt. Washington, NH. After about 20 minutes of riding, we arrived at the summit, at 6,288 ft. More info about the observatory.
Video of the ascent.
Lois is headed up from the parkinglot.
There is a reason they chain the houses to the ground at Mt. Washington. Wind. Very high wind.
Mount Washington Observatory is a nonprofit research and educational institution working to advance understanding of Earth's weather and climate.
Screw Auger Falls, ME
After getting lost in the Maine wilderness, we managed to find Andover, where we had a good supper at this nice country store. A little later we decided to tuck in
for the night.
Continuing the next morning up through North Maine. North of Screw Auger Falls, ME
Headed to Rangeley Lake in Northern Maine
Acadia national Park – Egg Rock Lighthouse outside Acadia
Acadia National Park, ME
Bass Harbor Headlight, Maine
Owls Head Lighthouse, Maine
Huge Fresnel Lens inside Owls head
Owls Head Lighthouse Lightkeepers residence
Owls Head Lighthouse
Lois admiring the view
Who knew they had beaches in Maine. Nice one too. Kids loving it.
Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park on a dreary afternoon. We spent two whole days in Acadia, riding out on small excursions each day.
Bass Harbor, close to Acadia NP
Oh, the joy of camping. we probably camped 90 % of the nights on this trip, being very lucky with weather. This is somewhere on the lower coast of Maine. Noone around, and had a terrific time
Same spot
A view from the tent door I most certainly can get used to, any day of the week.
On to Portland, Maine, where we spent some time on famous Commercial Street
Sights, sounds and good food
One of the piers off Commercial Street
This mural was painted on one of the warehouses on Commercial Street
Last lighthouse we dropped by. Nubble Lighthouse in York. Right before we rode through York, we rode through Kennebunkport. It was packed with tourists, so we made short time riding through, just to say we'd been there. Lots of nice architecture.
Next day it was time to hit the road to get home. We tried to time it so we got home after hurricane MAtthew had passed. However, we still hit rain in north Pennsylvania, off and on on the second day.
We ran a little out of time in Maine, as we had planned to ride all the way up north to the Canadian border in Maine, which would have taken at least a day and a half. Just had to let it go. 4700 miles total. Not bad at all. The bikes performed flawlessly. Where to next? Canada maybe. We have talked about riding Newfoundland, or…. "The Rock", as it is called. We will see. We have already ridden Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and loved the Canadian maritimes.
So why are we doing our touring and exploring on our motorcycles, instead of packing up the truck?
“Present moment Living” – Our bodies and minds meld with the motorcycle, the controls an extension of our thoughts. When we ride well, there is little conscious thought involved, it’s just being and doing. The bike becomes an extension of your body. People who don’t ride will never understand this.
Motorcycle touring will enrich your life in ways you could not fathom when you first threw a leg over one. It is much more physically and mentally challenging. You meet the nicest people. Connection to the world around you. You're completely exposed to the elements. You can only bring a limited amount of equipment, and so you use top end quality gear that lasts and that you can rely on.
We are just scratching the surface, exploring North America. Some rider spend years on their motorcycles riding around the world. I admire them greatly.
