Quebec / Vermont / Both Sides / Burke / Faves / Events / Riding Logs/Calendars
Here are a bunch of photos, maps, logs, calendars, and descriptions of some of the eighty-five-thousand mostly back road miles that the Bonnie and I have covered across Southern Quebec and Northern Vermont in the past 25 years.
Southern Quebec gravel roads have everything a motorcyclist could ask for - gnarly hills, curves, bends, corners, dips and rises, and sometimes surprises. All with virtually no traffic - but watch out for honey wagons! A fabulous motorcycling playground complete with fabulous scenic views in all directions.
South of the border, Vermont's asphalt roads are generally very well-maintained and inviting, but they can't compete with the rural beauty of the gravel roads running the ridges of Northeast Kingdom hillsides.
And there are plenty of unpaved roads to choose from - Vermont has 8,550 miles of gravel roads compared to only 7,213 miles of pavement.
Granted, The Gravel is a hard on all it touches - sprockets, chains, frame paint. But the views from The Gravel make Interstate views boring by comparison. But hey! watch the road! Hills and curves ahead!
"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”
John Muir
"I'd rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wise Men
Potton Quebec
Leadville & Mansonville on Lake Memphremagog's western shore, 21 October 2015
Saint Etienne de Bolton Quebec
A dozen or so photos taken while walking around the beautiful and charming village of Saint Etienne de Bolton. July 2016
Quick Ride Around the Neighborhood
All original 1969 Bonnie on the Quebec gravel, 26 October 2003
Bebee, Quebec
A few photos of the Stanstead Granite Quarries Company granite quarry, located in Beebe, Quebec. Leads off with a nice shot of the Bonnie in her completely original state. A might fine looking motorcycle, that Bonnie. October 2003
Brit-Iron in Birchton Quebec
BB&B assemble their Brit Iron, 2013
Georgeville, Fitch Bay, Cedarville, and Beebe Quebec
Features photos of Fitch Bay and Lake Memphremagog taken from high atop an escarpment. October 31 2003
Owl's Head, Mansonville.
The mountain views down on the border in Potton are hard to beat. As always, gravel roads rule! June 7 2014.
Along the border in Baldwin Mills
Lac Lyster and the Pinacle. July 25 2020.
Island Pond & Lake Willoughby
Lake Willoughby and the Hills of Olde Vermont, 2005
On most summer days the "Kank" is over-flowing with campers, bikers, and day-trippers. The best ride I ever had was early one August weekday morning. The road was deserted and once over the peak I cut the ignition and coasted for miles down the east side. The air, the sun, the silence - it was bliss! Braking to slow my descent, I weaved back and forth, taking in details of the craggy beauty of the surrounding peaks that I'd never seen before.
Kancamagus Highway, NH
The Kank - "No gas next 32 miles" - twists and turns up and over the Kancamagus gap, NOT the way crows fly! 2006 & 2013
With Bob Blackwood in 2013. RIP Bob.
Derby Line, Holland, Morgan, Echo Lake Vermont
August 2006
The ride from Derby Line to Island Pond and back is around 70 miles and permits many route variations. The route this day included scenic views from Nelson Hill Road and Mead Hill Road.
Mountain Biking in the Greens
Whimsey in Vermont's Green Mountains. The Green Mountains of Vermont are a Mecca for hikers and bikers. On my second trip down to the Greens this summer (that would be the one where it didn't rain all the time) I ran across this mountain bike., October 2017
Look! A Snow Bonnie!
Flashback to December 25th, 2006. With the tantalizing aroma of roasting turkeys filling the air everywhere, Bonnie and I get out for a surreal 68-mile ramble on Christmas Day! We even saw Santa Claus up on Herrick Hill. 2006
Five Ponds east of Lake Willoughby, Vermont
Photos of two of the five ponds I visited above and to the east of Lake Willoughby: Long Pond and Newark Pond. Summer 2013.
Thousand Islands, New York
A Fall 2013 trek across Northern Vermont, Grand Isle, and upstate New York to the Thousand Islands where I met up with my brother Greg. While Greg fished I took a nostalgic tour of Murray Isle and 'The Birches'. September 2013
Montpelier, Vermont
Photos of downtown Montpelier taken from the Hubbard Park hillside as well as a few of the brook next to Route 12 that flooded in June, taking out roads and bridges. July 2024
Irasburg, Barton, & Orleans Vermont
Photos from around the countryside between Orleans, Barton, and Irasburg, Vermont. The very best views are always from 'The Gravel'. July 2014
Three Ponds, Vermont Northeast Kingdom
Job's Pond, Bald Hill Pond, Long Pond.
Return visit to the ponds east of Lake Willoughby on a stunning fall day during peak colors. Also, gorgeous photos taken from the Brownington observation tower.
One of the last of many very special rides shared with friend Bob, RIP. September 28, 2014
Asbestos Mining in the Vermont Northeast Kingdom
A winding ramble down The Gravel from Troy to Lowell to Eden Vermont. Features views of the foreboding mountains of asbestos mine tailings along Mines Road, and a trio of fire engine finds.
(Loop Road, Buck Hill, Mines Road, East Hill, Eden Mountain, Collinsville, Wild Branch) July 25 2015
So Much Gravel!
This was pretty much an all-day ride that explored some previously un-traveled gravel roads around the Northeast Kingdom. Didn't have time to take photos, but as always the scenery from Vermont's gravel roads was stupendous.
Vermont Green Mountains
A trip in Vermont's Green Mountains covering four of the six gap roads between Waitsfield and Rochester, October 2015
Smugglers' Notch Vermont
Mountain Road 108, October 2015
The Texas Falls
The Vermont Green Mountains' fabulously beautiful Texas Falls, October 2015
14 Eastern Townships & Northeast Kingdom towns & villages
A scenic hundred mile ride through Hatley, Compton, Moe's River, Martinville, Saint Malo, and East Hereford, Quebec, and Beecher Falls, Norton, Island Pond, Seymour Lake, Morgan, Holland, and Derby Line Vermont. Special interest: observation towers in Saint Malo and Morgan. 2-1/2 to 4 hours, depending on how often you stop and how fast you go. Ideally often & not very. June 4, 2007
Burke Mountain: First Annual
The First Annual Burke Mountain Under the Wire Run. The toll road to the peak was closed for the season, but Bonnie and I slipped under the wire. The toll road was covered with snow and ice half-way up so I abandoned Bonnie and pressed on by foot. Needless to say I had the peak all to myself and I grabbed these pics for you. 11 November 2014
Burke Mountain: Second Annual
Burke Mountain in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom offers skiing, mountain biking, and hiking, and a toll road that goes nearly to the top. Really great way to reach the peak, but keep your eyes on the road!
No ice on the toll road for this year's Second Annual Burke Mountain Under the Wire Run. 10 November 2015
Burke Mountain: Third Annual
This year marked the Third Annual Burke Mountain Under the Wire Run. Due to scheduling conflicts it wasn't possible to make the trip on Veterans' Day as is customary. Instead, LA and I saddled on down on October the 6th, a glorious Indian Summer day. What a great day up on the mountain! October 6, 2016
Burke Mountain Oct 2018
October 15, 2018 - another set of photos from Burke Mountain, this one featuring a view of snow-capped Mount Washington
Abandoned and Vacant Houses, Very Spooky!
I just can't resist an abandoned house. Who lived there? Why did they leave? Where did they go? What was left behind? Open your eyes and ears. Listen closely and you might hear faint whispers of the hopes, fears and dreams of lives that came and went.
In the 60's I spent 3 years as part of the team of technicians who maintained the 773rd's FPS-35, then the US Air Force's state-of-the-art long-range search radar set.
Formally known as Camp Hero during WW2, the US Army created an extensive system of underground bunkers and installed coastal defence heavy artillery there.
Just like the heavy artillery, the FPS-35 had its day and became obsolete. The site was given over to the NY State Parks Service, and it became the Camp Hero State Park. Today the enormous FPS-35 sail no longer turns under 600 horse powers of electric motors, but it remains atop its concrete, five-story tower: a rusting monument to obsolescence.
And a challenge to trespassers.
During the summer of 2013 several former airmen of the 773rd met up for a nostalgic return to the old radar site.
Disclaimer: We hereby disavow any knowledge of 'The Montauk Project'. Rumors and conspiracy theories abound, but Our Lips Are Sealed.
The Graveyard Shift - Back Road Cemeteries of QC and VT
"I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome, swooping down from heaven to carry me home."
Richard Thompson "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"
When you want to stop and stretch your legs it's hard to find a more peaceful place than a country cemetery. Nearly always situated in scenic locations, the stories they tell are universal and they provide us the opportunity to reflect upon our own mortality and see beyond ourselves.
Fall Foliage in Stanstead Quebec
Brilliant! That's all I can say. Three photos of Bonnie and maxed out autumn foliage. Taken on Chemin McShane, just outside of Stanstead QC.
Bonnie Landscapes
Bonnie poses against dramatic landscapes and skylines. Special lighting provided by sunsets, clouds, mist, and fog.
2006 CVMG Ormstown Rally
Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group Montreal Section Annual Rally, August 2006
2007 CVMG Ormstown Rally
Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group Montreal Section Annual Rally, August 2007
British Invasion, Stowe Vermont
The Stowe Vermont British Invasion Car Show, 2012
CVMG Montreal Monthly Meeting
Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group Montreal Section Meeting in Stanbridge East, Quebec. A whole lot of Brit Iron on the scene! July 2013
Ride Calendar 2013 Fall
Photos, maps, weather, and notes on Bonnie rides taken during October and November 2013.
Ride Calendar 2014 Fall
Have to get out there and enjoy these waning days of the riding season here during the most beautiful season of the year.
The Bonnie Log 2014 Apr-Nov
The agony of wrenching and the ecstasy of riding. The Bonnie Log 2014 Apr-Nov.
The Bonnie Log 2019 Sept-Nov
The agony of wrenching and the ecstasy of riding. The Bonnie Log 2014 Apr-Nov.
The Bonnie Log 2020 Apr-Nov
The agony of wrenching and the ecstasy of riding. The Bonnie Log 2014 Apr-Nov.
