Scott, from the Silver Maple Lodge, got up extra early to make sure we had breakfast before we began our third day of climbing. After riding a mile, we celebrated with photos as we crossed the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. Carol and I were concerned about our climbs today because our map guide read, "after you reach the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the route steepens." Yikes!! We had already walked the 15% grades on Middlebury Gap.
Well, we never had to walk today. We had long climbs with some respite with flats or even downhill sections so we worried for nothing. I did take more frequent breaks today to rest and snap some photos, so Carol kept plodding on ahead, not wanting to break her stride.
As I was riding I was passed by many fast weekend cyclists. One couple who rode with me was Dave and Holly of Maine. They are vacationing in New Hampshire to celebrate Holly's birthday. When they heard about our journey, Dave didn't even have to slow down his riding to slip me a donation for Habitat. I was so surprised, but I didn't break my stride either as I reached over to grab the money.
At the top of the pass was lovely Beaver Pond. I decided to sit and enjoy the water and have a bite of lunch. I couldn't believe I was already at the top of the pass. After feeling revived, I got back on my bike and around one curve, there was Carol waiting for me. We had a great downhill ride into North Woodstock where we are enjoying a busy tourist town on a sunny summer weekend.
We are grateful to have a room at the Autumn Breeze Motel, which we were told is the last in town. We have one more big pass tomorrow, the Kancamagas. We had been shaking in our beds at night thinking about it, but after our experience today, we feel ready to tackle our last major climb between us and the coast.
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