We have been on the road for more than 2500 miles, and it took this long to see the fall foliage. The leaves are changing early this year, and once we got far enough north, we were blessed with a spectacular show. This morning the weather app said 39 degrees, requiring layers of long johns, wool undershirt, sock liners, glove liners, gloves, and of course chaps and a leather jacket. I was still cold, but the sun felt good around mid-morning.
Fall Color
Our day started with a trip to Keene, New Hampshire, to the Monadnock Harley Davidson. The name is patterned after a nearby mountain. This turned out to be a serendipidous stop. The service man was extremely nice, checked our tires for air and told us the part we need to fix our tour pack lock. The red and black haired girl working motor clothes never left her perch behind the cash register, but she was most helpful in providing directions to a well-photographed spot of the mountain. Much like a travel guide, her knowledge of the mountain was spot-on (I checked). She informed us that the top was cleared years ago to cut down on the coyote population, so now it has a granite peak.
Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Mount Monadnock is known as the most frequently climbed mountain in the world. Our storyteller informed me that mountains cannot be considered “climbed” if they have a road that leads to the top. This one does not. One must climb it to get to the top. The mountain inspired both Emerson and Thoreau, who studied it and wrote about it. It lies in Jaffrey, a quaint town only 15 minutes from where we stood. I knew we had to go. The view was spectacular; the sun was particularly accomodating, making this one of the few days in the year when the reflection is perfected by the water that lies beneath.
Most of our day was spent in New Hampshire, actually. However from there we rode to Maine via the North Hamptons, along the shore where only elite live. The locals sent us to Petey’s, where we ate lobster along the way. It was quite a day!