This will be short and sweet, just so everyone knows that I am alive and well and in the 13th state along the Atlantic Coast.  Our hotel has no internet service so I am using the hotspot on my phone – no photos, just a quick summary of the day.

We started the morning having to climb back 3+ miles that we had soared down yesterday afternoon – not one of our most popular activities.  We wandered along a ridge, then dropped down into the town of Ayer where we biked onto the Nashua River Rail Trail.  It obviously continued to Nashua, NH, but we left in the town of Groton, a very lovely area, continuing on through Dunstable and Tyngsborough, before crossing the Merrimack River and entering the state of New Hampshire.  Again, we found the hills less steep than in Connecticut though there were still a lot of ups and downs (4200+ ft of ascent, 4400+ ft of descent).

At mile 36, the van was stopped to pick up some riders, and Gail, Marilyn and I joined about 10 other riders for a little picnic – the sun was shining, we bought chocolate milk, and ate our PBJ sandwiches, ready to face the second half of the day.

Our route took us through East Derry, Danville, Kingston, and into Exeter – the original plan was for us to stay in Exeter but no hotel rooms were available (likely Phillips-Exeter Academy graduation weekend). So we headed another 6 miles and are staying in Hampton Beach, on the 20-mile Atlantic Coast that is in New Hampshire.

The afternoon breezes were crisp off the ocean, and we felt the chill, with actual temperatures around 52 degrees.

No margarita celebration tonight as the motel has a zero alcohol tolerance.  We found a circle area with some late sunlight and out of the wind – and enjoyed Cookie Daddy cookies for dessert.  Thanks to Alana, Tana and Tom for the treats.

Photos tomorrow…

Mileage today:  79.08