Canadian Rides, Northern Rail Trail, and Salt Water

My annual September vacation took a radical turn, due to a rainy forecast, from exploring Pennsylvania's rails trails to pivoting to Canada, New Hampshire, and a bit of Massachusetts where miraculously, 9 of 10 days were dry.

A friend tagged along for the Canadian adventures, first riding the famed Grandes Fourches loop, a route I did years ago with Adele, and worth repeating, for it's variety of urban/dirt rail trail/dirt road scenery.

I've always admired Catherine's Miyata.

Lake Massawippi in North Hatley was a beautiful spot for a break. Friend Catherine was midway in her  quest to ride 500 miles in September, raising money for childhood cancer.

Beautiful sculptures in a Sherbrooke park.

The route follows three rivers, also part of the route's appeal.

One connection across a river takes advantage of a bridge beneath a busy highway.

Soybean fields.

Another day we pedaled a strenuous loop from Compton, with grand vistas of farmland.

We appreciated the public facilities and parks, amazingly in the smallest of towns.

East Standstead.

An intentionally flatter route from Bedford eased tired legs. The stunning scenery of vineyards, orchards, golden maple lined corridors, and farm vistas (lots of Pelletier family farms).

Loving my Bassi Rachel's climbing ability.

On the right, July's floods wiped out a section of trail. Otherwise this part of Canada escaped
the destruction that occurred in Vermont.

Another day's ride included the Tomofobia Nature Preserve, a rail trail I've ridden many times, yet keep coming back. We looped towards Lake Memphremagog on an ungodly steep climb - I walked part - before heading back to the car.

Our friend returned home while my husband and I regrouped before heading off to New Hampshire. We are fans of rail trails and always have ideas in reserve. Riding a portion of the 59 mile Northern Trail in 2022, I knew I wanted to complete the entire route. We learned that while some parts of New Hampshire were affected by earlier flooding, the trail was rideable.

Left photo, we detoured around the bridge initially, as a crew was resurfacing the wood, but was efficiently finished upon our return. The center line has additional plywood to handle snowmachines.

While it would've been preferable to ride one way, camping overnight, we couldn't locate a nearby campground nor find a shuttle. Creative groups might utilize 2 cars and indoor accommodation, but having two cars for this 5 day portion of our vacation didn't make sense. Instead, we found a comfortable campground 10 miles away in Newfound Lake and did out and back segments, riding double the miles!

Mount Cardigan.

What makes this trail special are the lack of frequent road crossings, various terrain, unique vistas and interesting historical markers. It's never dull.

A visit to a nearby facility, seen from the trail. Loons were paddling on the lake.

A couple of rest stops.

Remnants of a tiny roundabout. Initial train engines were small.

Potters Place, a restored rail station.

I swapped the tire and patched the tube while my husband investigated the source of the mishap. Near the gate crossing, I must've scraped a protruding cement knob.

With smooth tires, my bike wasn't an ideal companion on this trip. I had two front tire flats, but managed, making sure I patched the spare tube. There are many bridges, some rougher chunky surfaces, etc. At one point, I thought about trying to locate more suitable tires, but I'm also in the midst of building another bike that will excel on variable terrain.

A trailside dirt playground! This stop made me laugh.

Six miles from finishing (12 roundtrip) I was chilled, after enduring a steady rain for an hour in low 50's F. Since the forecast would improve later, we left the remaining miles and finished a couple days later, on our return home.

The East Coast Greenway appeals to me...a good retirement project.

Meanwhile...we visited our nephew and his fiancé in Newburyport, Massachusetts, pedaled to Plum Island, and then camped a night near the coast.

An all-around spectacular vacation!