East Coast Adventure - Day 6-7

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Gorham, New Hampshire

The morning was beautiful at Casa Breeze Inn bed and breakfast and our hosts had a great breakfast waiting for us. The table was set with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, with coffee, tea and juice. Before long a second course arrived with eggs nestled in a ham cup accompanied by crisp toast and locally made jam. What a wonderful way to start the day.

Bed and breakfast accommodations are perfect for meeting new people, this time a couple from the US and one from Nova Scotia. Rousing stories of Scotland and other countries inspired our morning adventures as we prepared for the next leg of our journey.

It wasn’t long before we were refueled and at the boarder. I had been looking forward to seeing the countryside and the Victorian, cape cod style houses of Maine and New Hampshire. What we saw instead were many worn down, decrepit houses…or trailers, possibly because we were on back roads. Regardless, it was heartbreaking to see so many small towns falling apart while larger towns boasted gorgeous and all the services needed.

We wound through back roads sweeping through mountains and near waterways. Along one of those roads we discovered the spectacular church featured in the photo above.

Our first rest stop was at an underwhelming cafe. Inside locals and tourists were enjoying breakfast specials, while we opted for their fresh donuts and coffee. We were surprised by the number of tourists visiting this simple cafe but found the answer once went outside.

This little restaurant had become a regular stop on several senior’s tour bus routes and for luxury motorhomes passing by. It had obviously earned a special place in the tour community, becoming a favored rest stop proving yet again that it is not what you look like but how well you serve. Very cool!

As we got close to Gorham it was obvious we were in hikers haven and 4x4 country. The volume of off-road vehicles on the roads or hitched to trucks continued to increase. We didn’t fully understand the extent until we checked into our suite and went for a walk. Not one, but several rental spots were set up around the small town, loaded with 4x4 vehicles of all types. I was ready to rent our own and get off-roading for a while but Andrew wisely suggested another option.

When visiting Karen and Mark they told us about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed-in for peace. While our cause was not nearly as global, our bodies appreciated our mini ‘bed-in’ that evening and the next day as saturated the area and fog made travel hazardous. While we recuperated, outside our bikes had a nice wash, ready departure. Tomorrow we head to Lake Placid, along the way exploring sweeping mountain roads…to arrive in the home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Can’t wait!