Slices of valley life [07/13/2002]

By Marty Basch

Beauty can not be appreciated if you are not staring at it. Take Hurricane Mountain Road, for instance. The road from the North Conway side parallels Kearsarge Brook and sways under the tunnel of evergreens. Good shade on a hot day. But if your body is hunched over, face staring down at the ground as you shift into granny gear, even the co-ed naked cycling team is going to have a hard time getting your attention if they happen to be riding by.Hurricane Mountain Road is one of the valleys punishments or challenges, depending on your point of view. The 17 percent grade five percent less than the last pitch on the Mount Washington Auto Road is test of muscle and desire on the way up, and one of brakes and mettle on the way down.The road is also a link between slices of valley life. On the Kearsarge side are the inns and B&Bs for the visitors. Ski club houses sit under the guise of Cranmores ledgy slopes. Trailheads for mountains like Kearsarge and Black Cap are there. Its an alpine flair.Then theres the East Conway side and the rural flair of farms, fields, sheep and greenhouses. Snowmobile trails emanate from the winding roads. Stores are less frequent. Theres not as much traffic. Roadies looking for a bit of workout should consider this 21 mile loop from North Conway, over Hurricane Mountain Road, to Green Hill Road, Route 113 and back to North Conway. The points of view change constantly. The toughest part is in the beginning and there are opportunities to ride hard in the valleys eastern flats.The ride materialized as they often do with head buried in the Gazetteer. The last thing a rider wants to do is spin his or her wheels in routine. Its death. So variations on a theme are encouraged. Kearsarge Road in North Conway is home to a small parking area by Whitaker Woods. It is across the street from a power station. That is the rides beginning. Take a left out of the parking area and ride through the slopeside neighborhood. A mile into it, its down to the four corners, crossroads of change. A right here on what will be Hurricane Mountain Road goes past stone walls, trailheads and soon starts one of the valleys toughest climbs. The first grunt is at about two miles into the ride. Life changes at that sweeping right curve. The road narrows. The tree canopy overhead grows and for two miles, theres nothing but sweat and gears. For those on mountain bikes, try the Red Tail Trail opened last year which gets to the top of the road too. The two-mile grunt to the roads apex is followed by a 2.4 mile downhill. The road isnt smooth. There are plenty of bumps of contention on the way down. The aftermaths of the 1998 ice storm are evident here with cut areas and low tree tops with vistas to the lakes of Maine. The stop sign is the six mile mark and a right to East Conway finds rolling hills instead of a killer climb. Theres not much of a shoulder, but thats not much of a problem. The first store Websters Country is at 9.3. Stay straight on rural Route 113. Cycle by the butcher and the ice cream shop. Look east to Maine and Jockey Cap. Flat and White Mountains are an oxymoron. But it doesnt get much flatter around these parts than some of East Conway. At about 10 miles, stay straight at Shermans Farm on East Conway Road. The transfer station goes by as does Twombleys, another stop for cycling fuel if needed. The bucolic nature of the road is soon left behind for another slice of life. A wide shoulder emerges for the right on Route 302 by the Conway police station. The valleys increasing commercialism is on display as riders turn right at the lights on Route 16. Route 16 in summer isnt one of the top spots to recommend riding. Once the north-south road is completed, cyclists will have an option to parallel Route 16. The road will actually bisect a piece of Kearsarge Road the beginning and ending point of this circuit so bikers can use north-south instead of Route 16.Until then, its another slice of valley life: the outlets. Watch for motorists watching you and pedal into North Conway village. Turn right on Kearsarge Road and follow it about a mile (left at the top of the hill) to return to Whitaker Woods.Marty Basch can be reached at rodeman@aol.com.