Sunday 4/28/2013 - NERDS RTE

[Fred W]

Hey all you NERDS, tomorrow is supposed to be truly gorgeous, so let's kick off the RTE season up here, eh wot? How about a ride to meet and eat, (and then optional ride some more to digest) tomorrow morning (Sunday 4/28).

RTE Objective: Intervale Farm Pancake House on Rte 114 in Henniker, NH (the only Henniker on earth) at the same turn as for Pat's Peak ski area. It is also one of the POI's in the NERDS RTE file, if you have that. If not you can still get it here: clicky They are probably done boiling for the season, but I've heard that they had a bumper crop this year due to the favorable sugar weather.

Let's plan on meeting up there at ~ 10AM (so that any folks from down south will have plenty-o-time to get on up) for a hearty brunch (or lunfast) and then anyone who can hang with us later, we can take a ride-about to the north and see how well (or if) the frost heaves have laid back down. I have no definite route planned yet, so maybe we'll just freelance it, probably west out 114 for a general direction, or maybe I'll scheme something up tonight. Since it is still mud season up here we'll be staying off the typical FredW unpaved goat cart paths. I have a feeling the paved ones will be plenty challenging enough.

Post up if you can make it. Be there or be square!!

(PS - they do take credit cards. How convenient!)

 

[cota95]

Sunday is the first day of trials season so I'm out...Have a great time!

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Wish to all of you there to have a wonderful riding Sunday

 

[Sno Cat]

Fred,

I was out that way today. 114 north of 202 is in great shape. There's much less sand than I had thought. Frost heaves were less that I thought as well, although the section of 127 from 4 westward to 3 was its usual choppy self.

My season kickoff today was a quick 180-miler: 106S - 93S - 89N (had to shake-off the cobwebs heh, heh) - 202W (lots of traffic) - 114N - 103N to Sunapee - over to Newport - 10S - 123E through Stoddard - 9E - lunch in Hilsborough - 202E - 127N - 3S - 132N - home to Belmont. The roads are in surprisingly good condition, was a great ride to kickoff the season. I stayed on main roads to avoid sand & frost heaves, I would imagine backroads may still be sandy w/frost heaves.

I'l let you know later on if I'm in for tomorrow, let the season begin!

Thanks,

Ed

 

[RossKean]

I would love to meet up with you guys. Unfortunately, I would have to leave around 4:00 AM in freezing temperatures and slab it all the way down to make brunch at 10:00 AM. Have a great ride!

Ross

 

[BigOgre]

Hmmm. Last week you're down in my area and stop at the big duck. Now you're looking to have breakfast on Flanders Road. Got a craving for a giant omelette by any chance?

 

[Pepperell]

Grace and I are in. What time are you leaving Derry? Or is it Londonderry?

 

[Fred W]

Hey Carl, Kool! We'll want to leave here at around 9AM to get to the pancakes at a bit before 10. I'll PM you my address if you want to swing by here. Or else you might have a better route from Pepperell straight up Rte 13 and 77 thru Weare to Henniker (almost the same hour ride) clicky Let me know whether to look for you here or there.

 

[Pepperell]

I just looked at a map; We'll meet at Intervale.

 

[Sno Cat]

I'm in, too, Fred. If anything changes, shoot me a text, I'll PM you my tel number.

 

[Fred W]

I just looked at a map; We'll meet at Intervale.

Wise choice! See you there.

I'm in, too, Fred. If anything changes, shoot me a text, I'll PM you my tel number.

Will do. I don't expect any changes though. Bring your appetite!

 

[bluejag]

Hmmmm... and so it begins.... The Jags have prior plans, So Ride Safe Eat Large and you know the rules no food ****

Just empty plates,Big smiles and good miles! Next time Jags

PS still snow on the hill as of last Sat. when we were there.

 

[Fred W]

No problemo, John. This was surely very short notice. I'm sure there will be a few other opportunities soon enough.

See everyone else up at Intervale Farm at 10

 

[ionbeam]

6:30 am and 28ºF. I thought it was almost May. Show me the power of the spring sun.

 

[Fred W]

It's 45 here right now with a predicted high of 71.

You just gotta get out the Sandown holler. Will we be seeing 2FUN in Henniker this mornin?

 

[ionbeam]

It's 45 here right now with a predicted high of 71. You just gotta get out the Sandown holler. Will we be seeing 2FUN in Henniker this mornin?

Ya, a long meander route past Lake Massabesic, through Gofftown, then River Rd past Clough State Park. Is the access road and parking lot to Intervale Farm dirt?

 

[Fred W]

Dirt lot for sure. I think the 100' of road is paved as it goes up to Pat's Peak.

 

[Fred W]

OK, well that was interesting embarrassing...

After about 30-40 minutes of riding I managed to lose half of the posse when they followed some other guy with a HiViz jacket into a gas station.

I guess we'll need to brush up on the group riding protocol thing (everyone's gotta keep an eye on the bike behind you and stop when they disappear) and share more cell phone numbers.

Hope you all had a good ride anyway!! Better luck next time?

 

[ionbeam]

First of the season NERDS Breakfast run, Reader's Digest Condensed version.

6:30 am, we are a couple of days from May, are you kidding me? I mean, really??? (Once the sun had a chance to go to work the day ended up in the upper 60's.)

All the stunning green spring foliage on our way to the Interval Pancake House. If it weren't for pine trees there would be no green at all.

Spied along the way, nice truck!

Some of the people that made the ride to pig out. L to R Joanne, Sarah, Carl's silver helmet, Fred, Dennis.

Yes, that is indeed snow in the background!

Sap wagon, this is how maple sap got to the evaporators back in the good old days.

Bonus covered bridge in the wild.

Our big happy family on our way for a fine day's ride with full tummies.

A quick glance over at the Blackwater where we used to stop in days past.

And when we looked up -- where'd they go? I see Carl and Grace behind us in the mirror... With that our little group made our own ride.

There is some hope that mother nature may let us have a spring before summer arrives. There were some little colorful glimpses that someday the pervasive browns will be traded in for better colors.

Man, give me some heavy duty wire cutters and I'll clean up this picture.