CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
On my way to Mount Washington, New Hampshire, I was looking to stop the day before a little short of North Conway, mainly so as not to pay North Conway prices. I arrived last night and found a Papa Gino’s where I ordered a pasta dish thinking that would help me on the climb tomorrow.
I stayed at the Tru by Hilton which was a very nice property. It had rained hard overnight and I was hoping this rain would not doom the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb on Saturday. But the afternoon looked good although it was a very gray day in Concord. But I had plenty of time and it wasn’t raining. I asked the young lady at the front desk for routes. She asked if I wanted hills and I told her I did not. With a big climb tomorrow I did not need to ride hills today.
I had looked for rail-trails in the area but found none. I scouted the area briefly last night but didn’t see much. The only rail-trail riding I found was a rail car adventure where one can pedal a railcar on an actual railroad (abandoned). I didn’t think that was good to do the day before the race. Maybe next time.
(Photo – https://scenicrailriders.com
Used without permission but I’m advertising for your business)
I headed downtown having been warned that this was the weekend for the Market Days Festival. Since they didn’t open until 10:00, I asked a volunteer if I could bike through the market area. She waved me through and said, “Welcome to Concord.”
I was exploring completely on feel. While I can create routes and upload those to Wahoo, I need a private WiFi connection (home) to upload it. So I didn’t try.
At the end of town, I wanted to cross the river and it looks like I found myself on Interstate-393. Oops. I did not see a sign restricting usage but knew I did not want to be there. I was able to turn around and find a safer route.
It was a short ride. Just enough to loosen my legs. Arriving back I had to negotiate through the cars that were backed up off the highway waiting to go through the drive-thru at Dunkin Donuts. The Pacific Northwest has its love affair with coffee and long lines at coffee kiosks. And New England has their love affair with Dunkin Donuts.
