I am overdue to write an update about WiFi and I promise to do so soon. In the meantime, I can’t resist sharing about a motorcycle trip through New England that I was fortunate to make this week. The weather forecast was marginal but my brother and I had planned for quite some time to visit some friends in New Hampshire. It was not raining at the outset — the first drops of precipitation did not arrive until I had crossed the Connecticut – Massachusetts border. Then it poured. I stopped along the way and climbed into the rain gear and continued on to North Adams, Massachusetts where my brother, who was traveling from the Utica, New York area, and I had planned to meet. After lunch we persevered (we have both had a lot of experience at riding in the rain) through the bad weather continuing through Vermont and to our destination at Lake Winnipesaukee, near Meredith, New Hampshire. It was a long 300 miles.
The visit with friends was quite nice including a ride around the lake and a vigorous hike up Red Hill Summit. The trail was 1.75 miles long and reached an altitude of 2,029 feet. The fire tower on the top of the summit offered some spectacular views. See the photo gallery to see what I mean.
The 300 mile return trip was much drier and much hotter. Ninety degrees on a cruising motorcycle can be very uncomfortable — but I will take it over rain any day. To call the back roads of New England scenic is an understatement. Majestic mountains, rivers, streams, covered bridges, and rustic towns against a backdrop of beautiful blue sky made it a memorable ride. The Garmin Street Pilot kept me aware of where I was and it makes it much more of an adventure than boring interstate highways. The most challenging part of the trip was after dark. There are no street lights or good road markings between Stockbridge, Massachusetts and Danbury, Connecticut. That last part of the journey home was a very long 75 miles.

• patrickWeb photo gallery