We found a small restaurant with a bar in the corner to sit back and relaxe at. Pam kicked back with a Woodpecker Hard Cider while I enjoyed a craft beer from the Woodstock Inn Brewery called Pig's Ear Brown Ale.
The roadtrip was now officially off the ground. It was a crisp 52 dgrs and the winding roads lined with the scarecrow theme throughout the state was great.
The bike was loving the mountain air and was slicing through the turns with confidence and grace.You would never know there was over 1500 pounds of people, gear and machine snapping through the curves.
With Pam being a relative newbie on the back from the flatlands of Michigan, she was apprehensive about zipping through the mountain backroads of New England. She quickly settled right in to the BMW's heated seat and backrest and soaked up the scenery with no problems. Even when we were running hard and scraping metal in the corners she was happy snapping pictures and giggling.
Just north of Jaffrey we swung east on the 101. This was a great ride across to route 3 where we headed north. I had made reservations for a cabin just south of Woodstock NH. We were booked for Monday and Tuesday right at the foot of the White Mountains. I have toured this area many times and was fired up about being back. I have ripped through these mountain roads in vans, my old Jeep Wrangler and a Harley full dresser or two over the years and was excited about getting to hit the roads hard on 
the beemer.
It was hard to stay focused on getting to the cabin before sundown with all the cool stuff along the way to play with. We finally had to get serious and get it done. We stopped and picked up a chicken and all the fixin's along the way and rolled in to the paradise of the Valley Brook Cottages.
It was about an hour after dark when we rolled in and the wet 40 dgr air was getting ugly. Even on a bike with heat that's getting chilly when running distance. Don the owner met us at the end of the driveway and hooked us up.
The cabin was small on the outside but the perfect size on the inside. We quickly opened a bottle of wine and got dinner in the oven as the frost settled in across the lawn. I squeaked in a short nap on the couch just before dinner. The forecast was for 50 dgrs and sunny for our loop through the White Mountains the next day so we both went to sleep like kids on Christmas eve excited about the next morning.
We woke to a frosty panorama of snow capped mountains and bright sunshine. We took our time and made a great breakfast while the sun burnt off the icy dew. By noon the temps were in the upper 40s and we were ready to roll. Having the cabin for two nights let us leave our luggage behind lightening up the bike for some spirited riding. We ran a few miles north into Woodstock where we hit a "gotta stop" of mine called "Truant's Taverne".
There I introduced Pam to a tall pint of Long Trail beer. The basement bar is all done in dark wood with the bar top being made with old school desk tops. The desk tops are covered over in a thick layer of varnish and still wear the carvings from decades of school kids like old tattoos. Each desk tops had a story to tell right down to the old ink well holes. The bartender, Jill was a ton of fun but after a few of cold ones we had to roll out. With a the short riding window due to the low temps we had to keep moving.
We ran rt 3 north to the 302. We ran it east across the top of the White Mountain National Forest eventually dropping down through the heart of the mountains. Mt Washington was snow covered as we passed. Mt. Washington is the highest mountain east of the 
Mississippi and has the honor of the highest recorded winds on earth. The roadway up the mountain is the oldest man made tourist attraction in the country.
We turned south on a shortcut called Bear Notch. This road rocked! It is so wild that it is only open during the summer months because the snow is unmanageable all winter. We were just in time before the road blocks went up for the season. It took us right to the Kancamagus Highway. Then road climbs up into the clouds where everything is wet and cold for the rest of the day. This is an old logging road that was recently opened to the public. It is windy and cold. The mountain peaks and waterfalls are amazing. We ran this right back to Woodstock where we did a market stop and picked up groceries before settling in to our toasty warm cabin. After dinner we settled into the Jacuzzi with cocktails and relaxed in the chilly air and hot bubbling water.
I highly recommend Valley Brook Cottages ! Book it now and go play in the mountains! Tell Don that Ziggy sent you.
We slept so soundly after a great day playing in the mountains that we wished we could stay another day but we had to push on.
Chapter 3: Woodstock New Hampshire to Woodstock Vermont then Woodstock NY