The 14th Annual Terry & Ben Claassen Memorial Northeast Kingdom Lakes Century Tour will take place tomorrow, September 17. It will be my third century ride of 2011 after The Prouty and a training ride for The Prouty. Like I did for the 13th Claassen, I plan to leave Crystal Lake State Park in Barton, VT as early as they will let me (presumably 7 am), ride at my own pace (slower than most) and take some photos with my LX5 that will be around my neck for most of the ride. If I would have realized last year how hilly this ride is (6600 feet of climbing), I might not have entered. But I will be back tomorrow for another punishing 100 mile ride. Weather promises to be sunny and cool with thankfully less wind than last year.
After The Prouty I explored Andover, NH and other NH spots with my mountain bike. Then on the last day of August I climbed on my road bike for the first time since the July 9th Prouty and started training for the Claassen. I rode mostly in the Sunapee, New London, Wilmot, Sutton, Bradford, Warner, Henniker areas, with some rides farther afield. The rides varied in length between 27 and 80 miles. Most were fairly hilly. Here are some of the photos I took during these rides.
I often started very early in the morning from Burkehaven Harbor in Sunapee. After pumping my tires I looked up and saw the sky. Grabbing my LX5 I made several three shot panoramic images at waters edge. Here is one.
As I rode along Lake Avenue the sun was just beginning to emerge across the lake lighting the side of Mount Kearsarge—or was that light just flare in the photo I took? There are many homes along this road so view spots are few, but I found one for this photo.
Typically I climb to Springfield or New London before speeding downhill to Wilmot or Sutton. This photo makes it look like I ride on grass. I don’t; the wheel was stationary on grass when I took this photo moving the camera in an arc during the exposure.
Sometimes I stop at the Waterloo Covered Bridge in Warner after riding the beautiful Roby Road. Here are a few photos I took one visit.
Farther along I saw what looked like a yard sale covered for the night.
I would often stop for a bagel at the St. George Cafe in Henniker.
Passing through Newbury and Sunapee often reveals colorful motifs.
Water is a prominent feature in many of my scenic photos—especially if the water is moving or reflecting fall foliage. And around water the foliage is often quite colorful by mid-September. Here is a slide show of photos I took of some of the water bodies along my routes.
Returning to Lake Sunapee after one ride revealed a beautiful sky—a nice end to a long ride.
