free website stats program Laconia - June 2011 | Page 2 | Harley Davidson Forums

Laconia - June 2011

Hi everyone,
This is all fantastic advice which I will print and follow. Now don't laugh... but !!!! "I DONT DO RAIN"... lol. It rains... I stay home. Worse case I lose my Hotel deposit.. Riding in rain for me is simply a pain.

My plan is to leave Montreal on a Tuesday early a.m. and be there for noon. Spend the day at the famous W. Beach.. gets some shirts and just absorb the atmosphere. By 10:00 a.m. the next day I suppose I will leave so I get back home around 4 pm.

A few have left very detailed suggestions here and I will most likely pm with a few questions. But for sure I wont go/come back on a week-end. The line up at the borders will also be horrific.

Thank you all again and I can't wait. This will be my first ever real Biker event.
Rgds, Shawn
 
Hi everyone... time is ticking and I can't wait.

Has anyone heading to Laconia gone down using the 113 ?. When you google map the route from Montreal.. ideally its I-91 and onto I-93 all the way. But a Friend of mine suggested the 113 for a part of the trip. Its more a "side/country" type road which I fear will only prolong our way down. I am just there for one night so want to enjoy ride but not take 7 hours getting there.

Thank you
 
israguard said:
Hi everyone,
This is all fantastic advice which I will print and follow. Now don't laugh... but !!!! "I DONT DO RAIN"... lol. It rains... I stay home. Worse case I lose my Hotel deposit.. Riding in rain for me is simply a pain.
Click to expand...

Hi Shawn,

If you really won't ride in the rain and only need a room for one night I suggest that you cancel the reservation you have and wait till you can be sure of the weather. I can't remember a Laconia week when i didn't get wet, usually very, very wet. You should have no problem getting a room in North Conway. Check Trip Advisor for lodging in the area. That way you can pick which day to come, although in the White Mountains you can still get wet. Not trying to discourage you just allerting you to a fact of life here in the mountains.
 
Hi Mainah,
Rain or shine I'm going. Time to suck it up and be a grownup lol..

I am preparing for rain... not much i can do but hope its sunny
Rgds, Shawn
 
Don't feel bad Shawn, I know a lot of guys that won't ride in the rain.

That being said you miss out on a lot, especially in this part of the country. Just be sure you have good breathable rain gear and you should be OK. I've used everything from the old yellow rain suits, Harley rubber suits (both almost as bad as riding without rain gear) to the new Gore Tex gear and have found that for me the textile gear made by Tourmaster, First Gear or Harley FXRG is the way to go. The reason is that if you hit a sudden storm you already have your rain gear on. Add a good pair of waterproof boots and gloves and riding in the rain is a whole new experience.

The good news is that if you don't have what you need you can find it at Laconia. There are lots of vendors, just look for the brand name gear and avoid the imitation stuff, although it is all made in China. A couple of places to find the good gear are Laconia Harley in Meredith and Whitehorse Gear in North Conway.

Good luck, ride safe and have a great time.
You may become like me, Laconia regular since 93

Best wishes, Rick
 
Hi Guys,

Regarding white mountain... some questions for you please. By looking at the map I93 & route 302 seem to cut through it. Route 302 just seems to be much longer through North Conway.

Was hoping to get an idea of differences in scenery between the I93 portion versus Route 302. Also, is there any part of either route which goes through the mountain and is unpaved ? At least one way (going or coming back) we would like to see/enjoy what we have heard are spectacular views/scenery.

Thanks for your time and the more details the better.

Rgds, Shawn (17 days to go)

================================================

Sorry... meant Mount Washington.. not White Mountain.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Shawn,

Getting close now. We're all getting anxious.

As far as scenery either road will give you great views of the Mountains Rt 302 will allow some views of Mt Washington but the best view is from Rt 16. It will add an hour or so to the ride but you will also get some good views from Rt 2 of the Northern White Mtns.

The only unpaved road that I can think of right now is Jefferson Notch Rd that runs from the Base Station Road (Cog Railway) to Valley Rd then Rt 2 but the best scenery will be on Rt 302 headed South and Rt3/I93 headed North. At least IMO. If you can ride into Franconia Notch from the South just as the Sun comes over the Mountain the sight is outstanding.

There really isn't a bad route for scenery, you just have to keep coming back till you've tried them all. If you are like me and about 400,000 others you will.
 
Thank you Mainah,
What about Mount Washington itself.. do we pass right by it & enjoy the views of it or should we actually try and go to it ?

One of the guys in my group headed down seems to really want to visit Mount Washington... Im just starting to feel like its too much for the time we have.

Thanks
 
Hey Shawn,

You can get a good view of Mt Washington from Rt302 at a scenic turnout in front of the Mt Washington Hotel. The view is pretty good with the hotel in the foreground, the cog railway and the mountain behind. There are several good spots to view Mt Washington from Rt16 and that is where the Auto Road to the top starts. There is also a cool small museum across the road with examples of the "stage coaches: that have been used over the years to get to the top. If you want to ride to the top Monday and Thursday are motorcycle only days but you can go up any time. I suggest you not go up if the weather in the valley is not good because it can be real bad on top. One weekend in June I hiked to the top. We left the Cog base station it was a little cloudy and 75 degrees f, at the top it was 20 degrees f and had snow and 60 mph wind, not that unusual any time of the year. Having said that on a clear day the view is amazing.

I would suggest that you skip Mt Washing the first trip, especially since you are time limited. You will probably be back and Mt Washington will be there. New Hampshire is a good place for a bike vacation and any weekend in the Summer you may think there is a bike week going on but it is just vacationers. The riding is incredible and the hotels and restaurants love bikers. The welcome bikers signs go out in April and don't come down till they put up the welcome skiers signs.

Here are a few websites you might find interesting:

Mt. Washington Auto Road



Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) – Webcam Network

YouTube - ‪Ride to the Sky, Day 1 - 2009‬‏
 
Thank you very much Mainah,
I really appreciate the time you have taken to reply and post the info that you did. The Youtube video does speak volumes of what one can expect. I think we will follow your good advice and stay away from Mt. Washington this time and just enjoy the views.

In next few days we (The "council"... as we like to call ourselves) will sit down and plan the routes going down & back up and load it all up on the Nav units. All so very exciting.

Thanks again.

Warmest rgds, Shawn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top