A 240 mile westerly ride today from Augusta, ME to Quechee, Vermont riding through the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire!
The ride west in Maine was all on secondary and tertiary roads, some not found on my map. The scenery was pleasant and the weather supportive. 
About 70 miles away I reached the border of New Hampshire, Live Free or Die!!
I quickly pushed into the White Mountains spent the day mostly in the White Mountains National Forest. 
Turning south on Route 16 from a small town of Gotham I quickly reached the turn off to ride up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, a private toll road up the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6.200 feet. I thought about the 8 mile side trip but Mt. Washington is famous for erratic and extreme weather and I didn't feel like tempting the weather gods who already didn't look to happy! The peak is visible in the picture still. 
I had vistas like this often in the White Mountains. 
This is Lower Falls off of Route 118. It wasn't exactly a warm day and I'm sure the water was near ice cold but plenty of people where splashing and sliding down the rocks in the falls. Not me, not today!
This sign posted at Lower Falls describes the work done via the WPA and CCC programs put in place by the Roosevelt Administration during the Great Depression. Access to this spot would not exist without the support of the government via the Civilian Conservation Corps which put thousands of people to work as well as creating spaces we still appreciate and highly value today. Back home in Colorado the world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater is just another example. Now it seems we aren't able to invest in infrastructure much any more and if we do it has to be a "public/private" partnership. What's happened to our ability to do big and good things without a corporate sponsor or a toll?!
Speaking of signs, this is a stop sign. To many people outside of Maine and New Hampshire, perhaps all of New England, it means "stop and look before you proceed into the right of way". It appears to have a very opposite meaning in these parts, "move into the right of way quickly without stopping before that guy on the motorcycle gets here!" I had 5 or 6 people pull out in front of or directly into me as I traveled the roads today and it was seldom I saw anyone actually stop or even slow at a stop sign or before entering the street from a parking lot. Needless to say I was riding extra alert and cautiously today. 
I found this interesting looking trail at the pull out for the photo immediately above this one. Hiking trail heads are everywhere the last couple of days and many cars can be seen parked at them, even on a Monday like today. Good for them for getting some exercise and a dose of nature. I was tempted myself. 
Marvelous, fabulous......
And finally finding Vermont as I crossed the Connecticut River from New Hampshire. Vermont is The Green Mountains State and I plan on experiencing this Green Mountains tomorrow!
My fortune the previous 2 evenings has been to ride into a storm cell squatting over my intended town for the night. Tonight was no exception. It caused me to stop about 8 miles short of my goal destination of Woodstock, Vermont which I'll explore tomorrow morning. I did however find a nice motel and a roof over my bike to try to keep it dry tonight.
Sounds like a good day!
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