It's another beautiful day ahead.I leave after a delicious breakfast of treasures from local producers, including a yogourt so creamy it makes you want to coat all... your favorite foods with it.
I head to Bath and from there I embark on the Kancamagus Scenic Byway - towards Lincoln.
From here everything changes.A simple border between two states, Vermont and New Hampshire and... we go from a hyper controlling state to a state where freedom takes precedence over everything. Even their license plate screams it loud and clear.
So, to blend in with the locals, I take off my helmet and roll my hair in the wind. It's perfect, there are no bugs and it's hot, 36°C or 97°F as the locals say.
I feel rebellious and I like it.
I ride through the Green Mountains, Black Mountains, White Mountains, Blue Mountains, and it's going well. 🌈
I have so much fun riding in Vermont and New Hampshire that I would stay there a few more days.The quality of the roads, the absence of insects, the possibility of riding without a helmet... but that's without taking into account the exorbitant price of accommodation and restaurants, as well as the mediocre quality of the food.
Mount Washington
I arrive at Mount Washington which was the avowed goal of my trip but which I was far from sure of being able to climb with my beautiful Juliette. It's because it's windy, really windy.
The summit of Mount Washington has the record for the fastest recorded wind. On April 12, 1934, the wind blew at 371 km/h.
The winds exceed 120 km/h, 104 days a year and the temperature rarely exceeds 10°C on the most beautiful summer days.
It therefore regularly happens that motorcycles are not allowed to attempt to reach the summit.
I am lucky.Today the winds are 'only' 100KM/H and I am given permission, for the modest sum of US$25, to attempt the climb.
The road is steep, narrow, and there is no security fence in sight. It allows me to admire the precipice to my right. I now understand why Mount Washington has more deaths per vertical meter than any other mountain in the world.
There are several stops along the route. My eyes feast on the landscape while Juliette rest her various components that are undermined by this painful ascent.
Mount Washington is 1917 meters, so I go up, I go up. At 1537 meters, I have to face the facts, I can't go any higher. The wind is so strong that it is impossible for me to get off Juliette to take some pictures. So I hand my camera to a friendly tourist and I strike a pose while firmly holding my mount that feels like flying away.
I go down, slightly disappointed not to have reached the top but, when another biker tells me that up there the visibility was 2 meters and that he had been scared to death, I tell myself that I am wise and that I will be able to enjoy my bike longer if I continue to make wise decisions.
Return
The next day, I return to Quebec in the rain. For 6 hours it rains... a little, a lot, madly. It's raining so much that I walk in two swimming pools. My boots are completely waterproof, so water that enters the top of the boot has no way of getting out. Luckily I have my heated jacket that stay on all the way home.
On the way, I have the chance to meet several families of turkeys. I have never seen so many.
To conclude, I would go back anytime but not right away because, I'm leaving soon and this time it will be for three months of motorcycling in Vietnam.
I look forward to discover and tell you everything about this new experience.