Vermont and New Hampshire Travel Advice???

[HBarlow]

I can imagine a guy your size on a Vespa. Your wife was probably envisioning a large man with a couple of tiny wheels sticking out of his rear end, a humiliating thought.

Out here in west Texas in the Lubbock region is a good place to ride during cold weather. I was able to ride all the way through the winter last winter and was even able to ride the ST to Shawnee, OK and the Goldwing home on January 17th. If you ever want to escape the cold weather for a few days by riding south pm me.

 

[mrtrombley]

Harvey, thanks for the invite to ride along. That sounds good and I may take you up on the offer. I had wanted to take this weekend as a long one and go to Maine, however with all the road washouts I did not go. Worked out just as well, today was my birthday, so my daughter had me up for supper and I spent the afternoon with the grandkids.

Will keep an eye out for what roads would be the best for your tour. Look forward to seeing you and maybe going for a ride.

Good luck (and weather) on your trip and keep the rubber side down!

 

[mwilson]

Harvey,

The wife and I are working on suggestions for your route, will get back on tonight with some ideas for you.

We have the main floor of the house upended as we are putting down a new floor (she picked a very complex pattern) so we have been discussing your adventure to keep our sanity... ... :-laf



We are talking of possibly sending you back through Portland for your lobster meal as many of the good seafood places further down are seasonal and will be closed in October. There is an excellent restaurant in Portland called the Village Cafe that never disappoints.



There is a huge agricultural fair in Fryeburg Maine that week so will have to route you around that unless you like fairs, in that case can run you right through it.



We will be at that fair for the entire week as I always take a weeks vacation in order to be there so may see if I could meet you guys for coffee at some point as well, would be a pleasure to meet you.



Will keep working at this and will post some routes for consideration tonight.



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

That sound great, Mike. Don't waste too much of your family time but your and your wife's suggestions will be very valuable to us. Picking out a fresh live lobster from the tank is an essential part of my trip. (I have a vague memory from long ago that says fresh lobster is not available in months with an "R") This trip will be my riding buddy's first trip to New England and I think he will enjoy all the new sights and experiences.

I lived in the small towns surrounding New London and Groton, CT and rode submarines out of there for 10 years from '64 to '74. I've traveled through New England many times but I've never really spent time wandering the back roads and seeing the small towns of VT and NH.

I'll have to check the map to see where Fryeburg, ME is located. I already checked the location of Lincoln, ME to see if it would be close enough to our route so I could stop by to say hello. I would like to do that if location and my riding buddy's time off from work will allow.

I'm looking forward to your trip suggestions.

 

[mwilson]

From the Fryeburg Fair History.....



"There was this fella who brought his whole family to the Fair and he only intended to spend two dollars. They were walking down the midway, and there was a monstrous poster stuck up, "Largest Bull in the World". Well, they all wanted to see him, but he had thirteen kids, and he got to thinking that it would cost him $1. 50. So he went over to the attendant, and he says, "I brought my whole family here, and we all would like to see that bull, but it's going to cost me a dollar and a half. Now is there any way that we could see that bull cheaper?" And the attendant looked up and he says, "You've got thirteen kids?!" "Yep. " So he reached in his pocket and handed him a dime. And he says, "Fella," he says, "you stay right there, and I'll bring the bull out to see you!" (Fred Knox)"



I don't know if a fair is of interest in your travels but if so here are a couple of links to it. .

History



Home



Also a submarine may not hold much in the way of excitement for you Harvey, but if you buddy has never seen the inside of one then the Albacore might be of interest... it;s in Portsmouth, NH.



USS ALBACORE - AGSS 569 - Pioneering Research Vessel - Albacore Park - Portsmouth, NH



Will add more tomorrow, home improvement has worn me out for the day...



Oh, you are good on the lobster. It's shellfish (scallops, clams, oysters) that the old saying applies to.



Mike.

 

[Wayne M.]

Just got this forwarded to me via email. Lots of Rt2 pictures. I know a lot has changed already, and the scene will be dynamic. High res pictures. Very dramatic.



Vermont Flood Hi-Res Gallery - August 2011

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I don't know if we'll have time for the Fryeburg Fair. We're going to try to do the entire trip in 16 days starting on a Saturday morning and returning on a Sunday afternoon. My riding buddy has a job and two weeks off from work is manageable.

I had planned to go to Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME and was aware of the vintage submarine there but didn't remember which one it is. I think he'd enjoy seeing the inside of one. Several years ago an old shimate and fellow submariner who retired in Groton, CT was telling me about an old Soviet (USSR) submarine that was at Portsmouth several years ago. He told me a long tale of hard luck involving the Soviet boat. We were attending a submarine crew reunion in Pawcatuck, RI and didn't find time to drive up to Portsmouth to see if we could get aboard it. What happened to that boat? Did it sink at the pier? I don't remember the story.

 

[HBarlow]

Wayne,

The photos left me speechless. Wonderful crystal clear photography, beautiful scenery, a billion or more dollars of public and personal damage, and a lot of tragedy. A very sad situation. Most folks don't carry flood insurance because it is expensive and only available when backed by the federal government so a lot of destroyed homes probably left many homeless and with wrecked lives.

Thanks for the photos. I don't look forward to seeing any of the destruction.

 

[Wayne M.]

I agree, but thought you might be able to gather some info to make your trip smoother. I never underestimate Mother's capabilities. I pray for those people to get back to normal. Now I hear FEMA is running out of money, but that's for another forum section... .

 

[HBarlow]

Wayne,

I will definitely review your photos link and the routes named on the photos when I begin planning our trip route.

I and another poster inquired about VT and NH trip planning on the Goldwing board and one of the members there posted this link showing all the highways currently closed in VT.

http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2011_flooding_vermont

 

[Wayne M.]

Google never ceases to amaze...

 

[mwilson]

Harvey,

Have some energy left tonite so will try to do a little better job with the tour guide thing... ... .....



First off, here are a few pictures just to show that I really did work on the house instead of one of the vehicles... . or just drink:-laf



The dog is asking me "Where in Hell is all the furniture, Dad?"



The house was completely torn apart..... Ain't it grand... ... .

 

[mwilson]

Ok, after looking at the Google Disaster Map (Wow, Google does think of everything) I think you can still do the Route 7 North to Route 2 East, then Route 5 South along the Connecticut River.



Jump over to New Hampshire via Route 9 East to Keene, NH, and then Concord, NH.

Route 3 North to Lincoln, NH. Pick up the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112 East) to Center Conway, NH.



Now this may create a little doubling back but to see the scenic stuff you should make the loop.

So from Center Conway, NH take Route 16 North to Route 302 West. At Twin Mountain take 3 South back down to Lincoln, NH. Go back up Route 3, go through Twin Mountain this time on 3 North, then turn onto 115 East which will take you onto US 2 East. Follow to Gorham NH, Then take Route 16 South back to North Conway, NH.

Take Route 302 East into Maine.

Then you can follow 302 right into Portland.



These are just suggestions, but you can't beat the routes listed for nice bike ridin' and excellent scenery.



I put the fair idea out there just for variety, didn't know if a day there interested you two or not. Wife and I will be staying at a campground just south of Fryeburg in a town named Brownfield for the whole week so we should be able to meet up somewhere, going over to Portland from there is not a big problem for me either.

As i said, it would be a pleasure to meet you both.



I will call the Westbrook store in the morning and get the latest scoop on the best seafood joints that will be open in October.

Picking your own lobster and watching them drop it in the pot can't be beat, just keep an eye out for Mary Tyler Moore, she tends to flip out when we Mainers do that.....



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

Looks like you're doing a fine job of retiling your kitchen and dining area.

Thanks very much for the suggested route. I will print it out and sit down with a map and study it to figure out time required and timing for overnight stays. Then I'll put it all into a route plan for the entire trip.

I'll get back to you about getting together in ME as soon as I have an idea of when we'll complete the tours through VT and NH.

I really appreciate your suggestions.

 

[mwilson]

Harvey,

According to the two truck salesmen at the Westbrook Store (if you can trust a salesman:-laf) they heartily endorsed this place.



:: Welcome :: The Lobster Shack at Two Lights



As I feared most of the outdoor places button up after Labor Day, but this one remains open until the end of October.

I called them this afternoon to verify the dates and asked if they did up the lobsters outside but they don't.

However as you can read on the site you can eat outside right on the ocean.



If you have something else in mind, let me know and I will keep hunting.



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Thanks, Mike. It looks like a great place to eat fresh lobster or ME seafood.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I copied your suggested routes and traced them on a Rand McNally atlas. They look good to me.

TDR member mrtrombley of VT is planning to ride with us for a few days and guide our tour in New England so I'll consult with him also.

Thanks a lot for your assistance.

I'm going to try to work meeting you into our trip. Our plans are firming up to leave TX on Saturday 10/1 and be in southwestern VT on 10/5 to begin wandering in New England.

I'll pm you my cell phone number and ask for your contact number as well.

 

[mwilson]

That would be great.



You can PM or e-mail me at work, whatever is easiest.



Look forward to meeting you and your friend, please let me know if I can assist you with anything else.



-- email address removed --



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I just sent you an email with our first draft trip itinerary attached.

I forgot to include my cell phone number but will forward it later.