Like so many things in life, we build up in our minds a preconception of what we expect to happen, feel or what something should be like. We hadn’t heard much about New Hampshire and we have been pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and quaint it really is. We have slowed down our mileage to make sure we don’t get mixed up with the Labor Day holiday in Bar Harbor. Some of the benefits of slowing down is enjoying the areas we are riding through without feeling rushed.
As we left this morning, we grabbed bagels for breakfast at White Mountain Bagels. They were great fuel for our ride today. It was 36 miles without services so we had snacks on board also. It was misty outside and rain was forecasted. We began climbing our last identified pass (col, notch, gap…) of the trip. Our climbing profile on the map made it look worse than it really was. It truly was enjoyable and we beat the rain. The views were shrouded by the fog & clouds but it was still very beautiful. The downhill was long and we cruised into Conway. Once we hit town, we were greeted with road construction for the bulk of Main Street. Cars were backed up for blocks. Conway is a hopping place just like N Woodstock but not as touristy.
We started scoping out where to eat. This is really more difficult than it seems. We have learned that delaying usually ends up with restaurants closing up and we miss our opportunity. We didn’t even shower. We got online and found a restaurant that was open until 2:00pm! We really didn’t want to get back on our bikes & ride in the traffic to eat. While at lunch, we asked the server where he would recommend for dinner… that was open on a Monday. He gave us two ideas but neither were open today. We thought about going to the Dollar General to pick up snacks for dinner but the road had no sidewalks and I have already explained the traffic situation. So we headed to the 7-11 convenience Store across the street for nuts, jerky and some ice cream. Another preconceived idea we had; that restaurants in town would be open more often. Covid has wrecked havoc in so many areas. The small towns can’t keep up with employees to work the shifts necessary for a full schedule. Places that serve close on at least two days a week, some more. They also close at 2:00pm or don’t open until 4:00pm to 7:00pm. We have learned not to assume anything because when we show up they still have different hours listed.
Today we were blessed with a great hotel called Scenic Inn which we got in our room before 1:00pm. Then the rains came this afternoon in a torrential downfall as we were warm & dry.
The take away is: we make no assumptions about whether or not we can find exactly what we want. The best part is, we can always find what we need to keep going. Usually, it works perfectly! We also have found New England to be more beautiful than we expected. Above all, the best part is how kindly we have been treated everywhere we go. Maybe it is because they think we are crazy or cool or something else.
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