[personal profile] dmaze

We did in fact succeed in biking to just across the Maine state line yesterday. We started at Maudslay State Park in western Newburyport, then rode east across Salisbury, up MA-1A and NH-1A along the New Hampshire coast, and then crossed on US-1 into Maine. Coming back was the same route except that we detoured along NH-1B into New Castle. Bike computer said 59.26 miles at the end. Route map

It looks like there's a rail-trail project to connect Kittery to Portland. One amusing aspect of this is "ET bike" signs that appear once you show up in Kittery. Didn't explore much from there. (Web-surfing indicates that the "cabbage" cars on the Downeaster have bike racks that can hold eightish unpacked bikes, though, reservations required, $5-10 extra.)

As far as the route goes...it was totally flat, which was nice, but we faced a pretty harsh headwind coming back, which wasn't nice. Salisbury is a dump, Seabrook is slightly less of a dump with a nuclear power plant, Hampton Beach is overrun with people (and so as a bike you'll be the fastest thing on the road), North Hampton and north is pretty nice. Several steel-grid deck bridges, which people with smaller tires found troublesome. There was often a sea wall between you and the ocean. In all it was probably a nicer ride than most of the other coastal rides I've done, but I'm not sure I'd recommend doing it again.

Date: 2006-07-02 09:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gigglefest.livejournal.com
that's an awesome picture!

I went for a hilly ride yesterday and started wondering about whether I'd find a flat route of the same distance to be easier or harder. 'Cause there's the climbing, but there's also the coasting...

And speaking of coastal rides, a friend out here just told me about the ride she might do tomorrow -- drive to Half Moon Bay, then bike down to Santa Cruz and back. I am now unspeakably envious of people with cars and/or touring bikes...

Date: 2006-07-03 01:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] narya.livejournal.com
The car part I can't help you with, but I will note that [livejournal.com profile] dzm is goofy enough to do these things on a mountain bike.

Date: 2006-07-03 11:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gigglefest.livejournal.com
Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I already have non-knobby tires, and am at least sometimes careful about tire pressure. Thanks, all the same.

if I hadn't bought a house this year, I would have bought a road bike

This makes perfect sense, yet the sentence still amuses me.

It's obligatory at this point...

Date: 2006-07-02 10:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] iabervon.livejournal.com
You went by the end of the street that my family's usual beach vacation apartment was on (Boston Ave, Hampton Beach).
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