Headin' Up Country: 7/31/15 White Mountain Birthday

The gift of a perfect riding day is all Jules wanted for his birthday, and he got it.

Through the Green to the White, we ran mountains all day. From evergreen to birch, these hills lived up to their names.

A sunny morning in Londonderry woke us with near perfect temperatures. Riding out, we saw ski trails yearning for snow as we ran east toward New Hampshire on Route 11. Taking us past deep forests and then into quaint towns, this road reintroduced us to the charms of New England.

Crossing the Connecticut River, we entered our next state for the day and rode into a lake and mountain patchwork that we followed for the rest of the day. Stacked white birch surrounded us and belied the altitude. Not until lunch at the Winslow State Park, when the vista opened up and we gazed out on mountains ranging into the horizon, did we realize fully how close to heaven we were.

Serious lake action began as we headed north on 3 through Tilton toward Laconia. The traffic picked up and canoes, kayaks and paddle boards rode proudly on passing cars. The frenzy of T-shirt, water toy and souvenir shops screamed Jersey Shore to us. Yes, here we were at an inland vacation Mecca, complete with small spaces of sand loaded with sun worshipers. Weirs beach on Lake Winnipesaukee overwhelmed us as we cautiously picked our way through swim-suited families, heading to the water or the shops along the road. This was a return trip for us as we had been to Laconia and Weirs Beach for the Laconia Motorcycle Rally years ago. Then it had rained and the string of roaring bikes, idling into town and along the beach had presented a totally different scenario than today.

The "shore traffic" continued as we whittled at the road on our way to Mt. Washington. Too late in the day to climb the "hill" we settled in North Conway, had a delicious Irish dinner at an amazing find called May Kelly's and ended our birthday celebration, glad to have a room in a town lit up with "No Vacancy" signs.

For the last four years we have spent Jules' birthday on the road. No gift can compare to the joy he feels as he throttles into a curve on a mountain road. I am honored that I have been invited to his party and can be part of his celebration of life. It's been one hell of a bash!