Day 3: Manchester

Day 3: Manchester, NH
 
June 15, 2016

Miles: 47
 
Average Speed 9.6 mph

Concord to Manchester


We arose at 7am this morning and went upstairs to partake of the complimentary breakfast offered by the Best Western.  I had some scrambled eggs, home fries, a bowl of cheerios, a bowl of oatmeal, a hard boiled egg and I washed that down with a couple of glasses of apple juice and multiple cups of coffee.  Bike touring is a license to eat.  Di had oatmeal, cheerios and a hard boiled egg.  Obviously, she retains a sensible approach to eating, whether riding or not.  "Missed opportunity" is what I say.

Di at breakfast

We went back to the room and let our food digest before beginning our ride.  At least that's what we tell ourselves.  Really, we just like lounging around.

Di showing the correct lounging posture

We were on the road by 9:15am, which is stunningly early for us.  Its far better to get an early start to the bike touring day.  You never know if the day will bring a time consuming event such as a flat tire, or bad weather, or getting lost.  For this reason, its common for bike tourers to be on the road by 7am.  That kind of schedule takes preparation and discipline.  I lack both, which explains why we consider 9:15 an early start.

After riding for a little while we came to a great bike path, the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.

Di at the start of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

You may wonder how I remember the names of the places we visit.  Well, I have a great memory.  Its called my camera.

How to remember the name of the bike path

We rode on the bike path and then took a break at  Heart Pond Beach.  Its hard to pass up stopping at a lake or pond.  For me, its hard to beat taking a break while looking at the water.

Taking a break at Heart Pond

And yes, I had to find the picture I took of the sign indicating it was Heart Pond.

My memory at work

  

 We rode through the town of Chelmsford and past a cemetery of people who died a long time ago.  Or lived a long time ago if you are an optimist.

Gravestones of people who lived and died a long time ago

1769! Interesting, if this is your kind of thing.

 If you bike, then you know that street names containing the word "hill" are warnings.  The warning is, "There is a hill coming your way."

At the top of the aptly name street

I started thinking of all the street names that give bikers pause.  Hillside, Overhill, Ridge Run, Old Mountain, etc.  I concluded that the worst is probably Mountain View, because not only are you going to climb some mountain, but you are going to get close enough to the top to have a good view.  And wouldn't you know it, just then we came upon that very named road!

Biker's street sign nightmare

Okay, we were in eastern Massachusettes and not Colorado, so it wasn't really that bad.  But still not as good as Flat Land Drive.

We rode alongside the Merrimac River - pretty

We rode through busy city roads - not pretty

We took a break at Rivier College in Nashua

At this point we had ridden over 30 miles and were looking for a place to grab lunch.  There weren't many places to stop because we were riding through farm country.

Farm country

Fortunately, we came upon Wilson Farms and saw they had a produce stand and barn.  They had freshly picked strawberries and they looked awesome.  We just had to buy those strawberries and they were awesome.  I also bought a quart of chocolate milk, which I needed to replenish lost eletrolytes.  Did I mention that bike touring is a license to eat? 

Forcing myself to drink chocolate milk to maintain my energy levels

Di enjoying the strawberries

Michelle, who works at Wilson Farms and coordinates the CSA, came over and introduced herself.  She asked about our trip and then gave us some information on the farm.  The farm has over 500 acres and also has a collaborations with other local farms, so their farmstand includes produce from other local farms as well as their own vegetables.  Michelle offered some sweet peas from Wilson Farms for us to try and Di and I loved them.   

Michelle from Wilson Farms

Michelle introduces us to the sweet pea!

 We could stuff ourselves no further, so we left Wilson Farms and rode on to Manchester.  We arrived at our hotel, La Quinta, a little before 4:30pm.  I told Di that after 3 days of riding I felt great and wasn't even tired.  Less than 5 minutes later I was sound asleep and had to be awakened by Di at 6pm.  Maybe I was a little tired.

Colleen, who has been friends with Di since their high school years and now lives near Manchester, came at 6:30 to pick us up for dinner.  Colleen brought us to Fratello's Italian Grille and we had a great meal, but the best part of the evening was talking with Colleen.  She is a very entertaining conversationalist and kept us laughing all evening.

Di seems happy to be riding with Colleen (and not biking)

Colleen and Di at Fratello's

Tomorrow is a rest day.  That means sleeping in and hanging at a coffee shop.  Can't wait.