Thursday November 6 2014

Bathtime for Bonnie
2 - 3:30
9C/6C

Took the Bonnie down to Ayers Cliff for a good cleaning at Crooks' carwash. Hadn't cleaned her since end of August so the layers of oil and grease and mud from fall riding were getting pretty thick.

After drying off the Bonnie with a dish towel I decided she could use a little blow dry.

Turned into an hour-and-a-half blow job: forty-five miles from Ayer's Cliff to Burrough's Falls, Ways Mills, Stanstead (almost), back to Ways Mills, Kingscroft, Hatley, Massawippi, and finally back to Ayer's Cliff and home.

Hadn't bothered to put on my longjohns just to go down to Ayer's Cliff so I was pretty chilled by the time I got back. I hadn't lit a fire all day at home, but the house felt really warm when I came through the front door.

This entire ride is a riot of turns, curves, hills, corners, dips and rises, and scenic views in all directions.

The views south and west from Langlois are especially wonderful. Like some of the views from chemin Province that I was on yesterday down around Mansonville, these are "conveyor belt views", i.e. when the foreground scenery is sliding by the distant views.

  • From Ayer's Cliff, 141 south
  • Right on chemin Ways Mills
  • Right on Labbe
  • Left on Standish
  • Right on Langlois
  • Right on Fairfax
  • Right on Cloutier
  • Right on Standish
  • Left on Madore
  • Cross 141 onto Menard
  • Right on Roy from Menard
  • Right on Moreau
  • Left on Curtis
  • Right on Barnston
  • Left on 208 in Hatley
  • Left on 143 (Massawippi)
  • Right on 208 back to Ayer's Cliff

Ankle's still bothering me. Hurts to shift so whenever I could I bent down and shifted with my hand.