Sunday, April 7, 2024

Grantham, NH (USA)

Like yesterday, I spent a lot of the day working (chores, cleanup) around the condo.  Also like yesterday, I wanted to get outside on my skis if there were any places with wintry ground cover.  Most of the snow was already gone from areas near the Connecticut River but I was confident that I could still find some.  There is a large elevation gain south of Enfield and I remembered a bike trail (following Old NH-10) that started near the Grantham line - that was my backup target then I left home at 1500.  On the way, I encountered Ann sweeping up salt in the parking lot! As I made my way towards I-89 (Hanover and Lebanon), I saw absolutely no snow.  Once on the Interstate, I was stunned at the volume of traffic going north for the Eclipse.  As I suspected, there was actually some virgin snow on the bike/skimobile trail that was definitely skiable!  Between 1530 and 1630, I logged 2 miles (one mile to the north and back).  Even better, I enjoyed the warmer temps (high 40s), some sunny blue skies and another wintry activity that won’t be possible for much longer...  The trail is so close to the highway that I'm sure a lot of people wondered "what is that guy doing?"  After finishing, I got gas at Irving in Grantham (1645) and then drove to Enfield, where I attended Mass at St. Helena (1730).  Got to see Michael and Camille - that was nice.  Felt great when I arrived at home (1830) - another fun day in the snow!