It got warmer and now you see them everywhere. They were hibernating over winter and with first signs of spring, they come back ready for action. Landscapers. Their noisy leaf blowers wake me up now every morning.
Just kidding, I was obviously talking about cyclists. Most people give up cycling in winter. I don't - but I understand that riding in freezing weather may not be enjoyable to many. I, on the other hand, don't enjoy riding in rain. Or mud.
For this reason, I actually very much enjoy riding on dry winter days. That means - those days with no rain, no snow, but sub-zero (That's a metric zero!) temperatures. In such conditions all mud is frozen and those flooded trails that were impassable in summer, become icy roads.
But those days are gone. Sun is out in nearly full strength, rapidly melting snow and ice. I thought I could revisit some long-forgotten places, so last weekend I took a quick trip just across the northern state border - starting in Windham, NH on a rail trail.
Early morning was still a bit freezing. Air temperature barely hovered above 32F/0C. I decided to stay warm by going faster.
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| Not all ice melted yet. |
Soon I reached the intersection with Rockingham Recreational Trail and started rolling on its frozen, sandy surface. I was glad to be there early in the morning, before sun begins melting frozen mud into a gloopy mess.
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| Sandy Rockingham Trail in early morning sun. |
After roughly 25km (15mi) I decided to turn around and start riding back. I thought it would be a good idea to use a power line. You see, most high-voltage power lines have a maintenance road running under them. With a bit of luck, we can use those roads as informal trails.
"A bit of luck" turns out to be the critical factor here. With my luck, the trail quickly turned out to be completely flooded and I had to turn around. "Well, no matter" - I thought. I simply followed the main road instead, until I could reconnect with the power line trail.
I found that while I could enter the trail off Rt 111A, the entryway was again flooded. The flood wasn't huge but had a stream of water rushing right through the middle of it. I figured I could still use the trail if I go around the flooded part. This forced me to walk through some bushes. What I didn't anticipate is the number of thorns on those twigs. Very soon my legs looked like were scratched by an angry house cat.
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| It hurts more than you think. |
Back on the trail, I started going up and down the uneven rocky surface until just after barely a few minutes I found myself in front of yet another flood. Darn! There was no way I could cross it, but looking at my bleeding legs I decided not to turn back and go through the thorns again. Fortunately, there was a narrow ATV trail to my left and after a quick look at the map, I figured it would probably take me to Long Pond Rd and maybe I can abandon the power line.
But no. The ATV trail was just meandering between the trees and suddenly I found myself back at the power line... on the other side of the flood! Fortunately, this was the last major obstacle on my route and the rest of the trail was somewhat more usable.
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| Ups and downs. The power line trails can be rough, but it's the floods that make them a real challenge. |
Once I reached Kingston Rd, I stayed on pavement for most of the return leg. I tried to avoid Rt 111 though. It's like a main highway with way too many cars and trucks and despite a pretty wide shoulder, riding bike there is simply not enjoyable at all.
Soon I was back at Windham. Those 55km (35mi) took me 4 hours to ride - way too long by any "road" standards. But then no regular "roadie" would try to ride in places I did. This is basically why I don't have time to ride a typical century. There is just not enough light in the day to fit that many detours and stops in my ride.
Some people ride to add miles, but when I ride I only add scars.
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