Travels With Bonnie - Last Ride 2016

Synopsis

150 miles door to door
Just over 5 hours
Departed: 11:20am 8C
Returned: 4:30pm 10C
Three quick stops for gas, map, and food/beverage
Total stop time less than an hour
Sunny skies and a high of probably close to 15C

Saturday, November 19th 2016

With snow forecast throughout the coming week of November 21st, this was undoubtedly the last ride for this season. Also the most enjoyable. The weather was gorgeous, the gravel roads were smooth and hard with zero dust, and the Bonnie ran impeccably.

Going down Rte 100 I elected to take a side road just south of Westfield that I had eye-balled on the way to and from Burlington last week to pick up LA at the airport. Bucks Road looked familiar, but I thought the similarity was to Underpass Road between Crystal Lake and Sutton, Vermont. The two roads are quite similar, climbing and following ridges, but eventually I realized that I had indeed been on Bucks Road several times. It's the road that ends up on Rte 58 between Lowell and Hazen's Notch, just west of Mines Road.

I more or less planned on following Mines Road but wound up taking a left onto Kempton Hill Road. Kempton Hill Road winds its way up a long and very steep hill and then back down the other side to Valley Road. Great winding road up and down!

Itinerary

Departed home 11:20
Route 247 to border (Beebe Plains)
Lakeview Road into and out of Newport
Vance Hill Road over to Newport Center
Five-minute non-ethanol gas stop, Newport Center, departed at 11:50am
South on 100 to Westfield
Just south of Westfield on 100, turn right on Bucks Hill Road
(Bucks Hill Road doesn't seem to have a sign from 100)
(On Bucks Hill Road, pass TRUMPASS ROAD on left on Google Maps it's shown as a dead-end)
Follow Bucks Hill Road south to Hazen Notch Road (58, west of Lowell)
From Hazen Notch Road (58)

EITHER
Turn left onto 58 and then right onto Mines Road
Turn left on Kempton Hill Road off Mines Road
Turn right off Mines Road onto Valley Road

OR:
Turn left onto 58 and then right onto Valley Road

THEN
Turn left off Valley Road onto Cheney Road
Follow Cheney Road all the way to Mink Farm Road
Turn either left or right onto Mink Farm Road, both lead back to 100
Just south of Eden Mills
Turn left onto Blakeville Road
Follow Blakeville Road back to 100
Turn left (south) onto 100
From 100, just south of North Hyde Park/Eden Fire Station
Turn left on Ferry Street
Ferry Street turns into North Hyde Park Road
From North Hyde Park Road, turn right onto Centerville Road
Follow Centerville Road past Hyde Park Fire Dept on left to Route 15
Turn left (south) on Route 15
Route 15, Morrisville shopping center/McDonal's

Arrived 1:09pm at Maple Field gas/mart, got map at Info Center
Continue on east on 15 past Morrisville towards Wolcott

** Note: East Hill Road in Eden Mills eventually leads back to Route 14
- East Hill Road turns into Eden Mountain Road
- Follow Eden Mountain Road to Collinsville Road (Tee)
- Turn right onto Collinsville Road
- Follow Collinsville Road to Wild Branch Road (left or right at fork)
- Turn Left on Wild Branch Road which leads to Route 14
EITHER
Stay on 15 South all the way to Hardwick (smooth scenic asphalt)

OR
Take a side trip to Eden Pond and then back to 15, quite close to where leaving it:
BEFORE Wolcott
Turn right onto Eden Pond Road
Follow Eden Pond Road to Route 12

Stopped here to look at map for 10 minutes

Picnic tables on Eden Pond, good place to lay-over
Follow Route 12 south
Turn left off Route 12 onto Lacasse Road
Left onto Cross Road
At the fork, turn right onto Pleasant Valley Road
Pleasant Valley turns into Symonds Mill Road
Follow Symonds Mill all the way to East Ellmore Road
Turn left on East Ellmore (now headed north)
East Ellmore Road turns into School Street (in Wolcott)
School Street leads back to Route 15 (downtown Wolcott)
Follow 15 East to Hardwick

THEN
From Hardwick take Route 14 North
Route 14 to Route 5
Route 5 through Coventry and back to Newport
Returned home at 4:45pm