Weekend in NH
We drove up to Lake Sunapee New Hampshire. It's a long drive from DC, even longer when you leave around 4:30 AM and hit rain in Vermont that slows the drive down to a crawl. We got in around 2:00 PM.
The bikes got drenched on the roof, but there wasn't much to do about it but keep going.
Katie and I spent the first day and a half with my grandfather. It was great to see him, and spend some time just sharing our collective presence. With the death of my grandmother this past May it's difficult to know how he's doing. He says he's trying to get over it but isn't quite there yet. I explained that no one is surprised that he is still in mourning, and furthermore that it would be strange if he had gotten over her passing. If he never gets over it that would also not be a surprise if he never got over it, we certainly don't expect him to!
He headed back home on Thursday, and we headed out for a day of New Hampshire wandering. We hit a few Antique Salvage stores and a few quilt shops for Katie. It was a rainy gray day, but when we got back I headed out for a ride anyway. It wasn't a downpour but constant mist (the downpour came that night). I rode around the lake, which is a hilly 30 mile? Ride. It took about an hour and 20 mins. I was pushing pretty hard. It felt good. I found it strange to ride through an area that I've known all of my life, but have never ridden. I recall riding home from church in my grandparent's van, and watching triathletes riding "10 speeds" up insurmountable New Hampshire hills. Hearing my grandmother explain that they were riding around the WHOLE lake stuck in my mind as something extreme. Having now done it, it's not extreme. It's a moderate ride, fun in fact. I suppose if I had run and gone swimming prior to the ride I might feel different, but that's why I'm not doing triathlons.
My little sister, her boy friend and our friends Sam and JB (formerly of DC) came up to meet us on Friday night. Their arrival kicked off some fun. We basically enjoyed good food, family and friends. Highlights included another ride around the lake, a short but fun hike, and a dinner of steamers, beer-can chicken and Pie. It was also Katie and JB's birthday so the six of us celebrated those occasions in style with several varieties of locally brewed beer, from the Flying Goose Brewery.
I skipped the local mountain bike race on Sunday, in favor of a visit to my parent's house in Massachusetts. I'm definitely feeling the season coming to a close- one more big race, the last Michaux series race this weekend. I'll not be skipping that one.
The bikes got drenched on the roof, but there wasn't much to do about it but keep going.
Katie and I spent the first day and a half with my grandfather. It was great to see him, and spend some time just sharing our collective presence. With the death of my grandmother this past May it's difficult to know how he's doing. He says he's trying to get over it but isn't quite there yet. I explained that no one is surprised that he is still in mourning, and furthermore that it would be strange if he had gotten over her passing. If he never gets over it that would also not be a surprise if he never got over it, we certainly don't expect him to!
He headed back home on Thursday, and we headed out for a day of New Hampshire wandering. We hit a few Antique Salvage stores and a few quilt shops for Katie. It was a rainy gray day, but when we got back I headed out for a ride anyway. It wasn't a downpour but constant mist (the downpour came that night). I rode around the lake, which is a hilly 30 mile? Ride. It took about an hour and 20 mins. I was pushing pretty hard. It felt good. I found it strange to ride through an area that I've known all of my life, but have never ridden. I recall riding home from church in my grandparent's van, and watching triathletes riding "10 speeds" up insurmountable New Hampshire hills. Hearing my grandmother explain that they were riding around the WHOLE lake stuck in my mind as something extreme. Having now done it, it's not extreme. It's a moderate ride, fun in fact. I suppose if I had run and gone swimming prior to the ride I might feel different, but that's why I'm not doing triathlons.
My little sister, her boy friend and our friends Sam and JB (formerly of DC) came up to meet us on Friday night. Their arrival kicked off some fun. We basically enjoyed good food, family and friends. Highlights included another ride around the lake, a short but fun hike, and a dinner of steamers, beer-can chicken and Pie. It was also Katie and JB's birthday so the six of us celebrated those occasions in style with several varieties of locally brewed beer, from the Flying Goose Brewery.
I skipped the local mountain bike race on Sunday, in favor of a visit to my parent's house in Massachusetts. I'm definitely feeling the season coming to a close- one more big race, the last Michaux series race this weekend. I'll not be skipping that one.
posted by Matt Donahue at
8:58 PM
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