Trail Ride Along the Winnpesaukee
I discovered a new adventure close to home this
morning. I had to stop at the bank and the teller told me
about a nearby bike trail!
So when I finished the banking, I headed
down the road behind the bank with my dog
Meghan in search of the spot... a rails-to-trails
route right along the Winnipesaukee River
between Tilton and Franklin.
Barely a half mile down the country road we found
the gate at a road crossing. The sign warned:
Pedestrians, bicycles and horses only.
The trail runs a total of three and a half miles... an easy
ride. It's a glorious laneway through the woods with
spectacular views of the Winnipesaukee River... swollen
from recent flooding.
About 3/4 of the way to Franklin I leaned my bicycle
alongside a beautiful masonary wall... part of a railroad
building from many years ago. I set my gear on top of
the wall and tossed a wire over a branch maybe 25 feet
above me and extended it horizontally another 40 feet to
a nearby tree.
I had brought an FT-817, Elecraft T-1 tuner and a laptop
battery in my pack. Meghan stands guard for any QRM!
I tune up on 40 and hear W3ORU/2 Dick calling
CQ. He comes right back to me and we chat for
ten minutes or so. He's 589 and he gives me a
559. "This is the first time in my 57 years of ham
radio that I've ever worked someone biking with
their dog," Dick replies.
After the QSO, I pack up and head
up the trail to the road. The whole
adventure extended my trip to the bank
by little more than an hour. But what
a difference an hour of outdoor radio
can make!
-end-