The next day was a perfect ride on two wheels through the White Mountains, which are not high by California standards, with most summits under 5000 feet. Regardless, the area offers beautiful views and multiple recreational activities. Attitash Bear Peak has the longest Alpine slide in North America as well as waterslides and horseback riding along the Saco River. The Cannon Aerial Tramway is an 80-passenger tram that takes visitors above the timberline to the 4200-foot Canon Mountain summit for outstanding views stretching into Maine, Vermont and even Canada. The postcard images from my childhood continued coming to life as we passed Glen Ellis Falls, hundreds of hiking trails and scenic covered bridges.
We continued south until we reached the Kancamagus highway. "The Kanc," as locals call it, traverses the White Mountains National Forest, crosses the flank of Mt. Kancamagus and climbs to nearly 3000 feet. The Kancamagus is a world-renowned riding area with easy twists and gentle turns under a canopy of trees. Undoubtedly one of the most spectacular sections of the White Mountains Trail, the Kancamagus runs for 34.5 miles.
From there we continued down Highway 112 and crossed the Connecticut River into Wells River, Vermont. Entering Wells River was like driving onto an old-time Hollywood movie set replete with old-fashioned establishments, such as T.J.'s Lunch Counter, a diner within the town's pharmacy.
From Wells River we headed west via U.S. Interstate 302 on a small, winding road cutting between open green fields and farmhouses. We cruised through Barre and continued on state Route 62, where we connected with U.S. Interstate 89 toward Vermont's state capital, Montpelier, and our next destination, Waterbury, Vermont, home of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. The requisite tour and product sampling was a delicious distraction.
We took state Route 100 south past the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, which is one of the top producers of fresh apple cider in New England and still uses a rack-and-cloth press built in the 1920s. As dusk approached, the farmhouses and fields of Vermont formed silhouettes against a wide-open sky. Eventually we skirted the Green Mountains past Sugarbush Ski Area and numerous small Vermont towns until we reached Killington, the largest ski resort in the eastern United States.
The next morning we backtracked a bit and eventually connected with U.S. Route 7 in Brandon, a little town chartered in 1761 that had more fine examples of architecture along its broad avenues. After lunch we continued south to Pittsford and the New England Maple Museum. The museum offers a trip through more than 200 years of maple-sugaring history, starting with the Native American discovery that maple sap cooked over an open fire produces sweet syrup. After our museum stop we spent the night in Manchester Center, a sleepy little town with many charming inns.
On our penultimate day, after a night at a hay barn built in the 1830s and converted into a cozy inn, we headed back out on U.S. Route 7 and into upstate New York with one more mission to fulfill. After crossing the river into East Fishkill, we dropped into the suburb of Rock Tavern, where we stopped to pay homage to Orange County Choppers. Although we didn't see Paul, Paul Jr. or Mikey, we did see a camera crew from the Discovery Channel's American Chopper and several other fans of the show milling around hoping for a glimpse of TV's chopper-building celebrities.
On our last day we headed into Connecticut, where the harsh reality of a Friday-night traffic jam made us long for the back roads of Vermont. After grinding along through the early evening heat and stop-and-go traffic, we made an unscheduled overnight stop in Hartford to escape the morass. We slipped back to Boston the next morning and returned our rented ride.
Fall in New England was all I had imagined as a child. And experiencing it from the back of a motorcycle added a thrill I had not anticipated. Truly, it's the only way to peep.