since #388 has been posting some great ride reports and I had a bit of free time on my hands this week, I thought I'd get a quick report out there for our 2022 MLK day ride. In attendance was 2, 5, 7 and 10. We decided to head up the night before since we knew we were towing all the way up to Colebrook and there was weather in the forecast for the whole day so we figured we'd rather be riding than driving so. Accomodations at the Colebrook Country Club motel were solid, rooms are clean and the trail is out the parking lot so it has become a standard.
Another standard is getting drive through breakfast at Muffins and More or More than Muffins or something to that affect, the ladies are very cheerful and they make good breakfast sandwhiches. On the trail with a plan to loop from east to west this time, which is somewhat opposite of our usual direction. We know that the east has more elevation and typically less traffic but #2 had a report from the night before that a particular trail was in good shape so we headed that direction sort of. I'd like to rattle off the sequence of trails used this day but it wouldn't make much difference because we've learned that they are using the same trail numbers as the past but assigning them to different trails with many reroutes and renumbers.
For the record I believe we started on 7 and then used 20, 112, 143, 142, 145 and of course a little bit of 5 during the day. also for the record, we used the Lake Francis trail after gassing and grabbing a bite at Young's and that was consistent with all the times I've ever ridden that trail - it sucked, as if it hasn't been groomed once all season. It sticks out because of all the trails that are consistently groomed to near perfection up there, that one is always neglected. I guess it is heavily traveled but you'd think just by chance we'd hit it once having been recently groomed, but the whoops were deep, solid and continuous for it's length. Oh well, we used it to get south quick and after that the conditions started to drop.
We did a section of I think it was 143, a vote was taken to go over Dixville Peaks trail but when we arrived at the bottom of the hill, it was ungroomed with a single track going up. #2 voted to avoid it and instead go back up the trail we had just come down because it was in decent shape and fun. #7 voted for a direct path towards the trucks so we used the Balsams Trail which was local and not freshly groomed. #2 said this will be like a Wyman Pond trail and he was spot on the money. 100 feet in and it was water logged snow and branches in the trail. We muddled through and at Route 26 we hooked a right and seemed to use a connector trail to get us back on 7 and back to the motel.
160 miles which is a solid day ride and the weather conditions improved throughout it was great to be back on the machines in 2022. A good shakedown for the upcoming weekend trip in Feb. Hopefully this storm coming this weekend will put lots of the white stuff down in Maine since that's where we've decided to base out of for this year's trip. It will be good times as always, the company makes that a guarantee. Safe riding to everyone in the club, hope to see you out on the trails!
I'm hoping for snow here to ride, but will keep this in mind if storm dissappears...I still remember an MLK ride with you many moons ago leaving from the Coos.
Anyone interested in riding Monday with a starting point of Diamond Pond? Snow is expected Thursday and Friday. Forecast is for high of 11 degrees on Sunday and high of 27 degrees on Monday, MLK day. Banks & Stock market are closed. Not sure if everyone has Monday off. Rooms are available at COOS Inn and CABOT in Lancaster Sunday night. I registered my trailer 12/30, but I have not received my sticker and reg in the mail yet. It says I can show my email receipt as evidence of trailer registration. Anyone believe that?
#7
-- Edited by Caboose on Wednesday 12th of January 2022 07:29:51 AM
