Miles: 253
We hit the road well before 7:00 as we were going into Conway which is only 3-4 miles from the hotel to see two covered bridges before eating breakfast. We first went to the Saco River Covered Bridge which of course spans the Saco River and maybe 300 yards upstream is the Swift River Covered Bridge which is just upstream from the confluence of the two rivers. The former is open to traffic and we rode across as the latter is only for pedestrians. Bea's Cafe is within walking distance of both bridges so we were there when the doors opened. The food was decent and the service was good but not very friendly. We started off going south and stopped at an overlook thinking we would have a good view of Lake Winnipesaukee but it was nothing special. We rode through Concord and stopped at the Capitol and walked around some. It was a Saturday morning and there was a good deal of activity on the surrounding streets. We looked at Daniel Webster's statue, took some pictures and moved on. We stopped in Peterborough knowing there looked to be a nice park on the Contoocock River but we didn't see anything special despite walking around some. Continuing south we quickly found ourselves in MA and just south of the state line we rode past the Thomas Aquinas College campus that was the school's second campus launched on the former site of a prep school. The grounds looked very well kept. Just beyond the campus we took a dead-end road down to the Schell Bridge. This cantilever bridge was built in 1903 from a donation given by Thomas Schell so he could have a quicker commute from his home to the railroad station. The bridge was closed in 1985 and in 1987 the decision was made to tear down the bridge, bids were submitted and contract made but nothing has happened to date, and now there is a private non-profit working to save the bridge. When we arrived to the bridge it was all we could do just to see it. There was a big steel plate across the entrance and it was clear no one was to be on the bridge. I have never seen such an obstruction to keep people off of a bridge. Maybe there is a safety issue. Anyway we didn't go out on it, and after a few pics we were on our way. We were planning to stop in Turners Falls as there were a couple of breweries we wanted to hit. We stopped at Pioneer Valley and Brick and Feather Breweries eating some hot dogs at the former for lunch. After leaving Brick and Feather we walked along the Montague Power Canal exploring the area some. The canal dates to 1869 when it was built to provide power to existing and planned new mills in the area. We continued south planning to ride over the Connecticut River Bridge and ride through Greenfield but the bridge was closed so we had to ride back through Turners Falls and over the Turner Falls-Gill Bridge viewing the falls and onto I-91 for a brief stint. Next up was the town of Shelburne Falls along the Deerfield River where we would stop at Floodwater Brewing Co. This was a really neat town with many interesting shops along Main Street including a Candlepin Bowling alley that dates back to 1906. We took a side road down to view the falls but it was a very busy Saturday afternoon and we couldn't find a good parking spot so we crossed over the 1890 Iron Bridge and found a place in front of Floodwater. From the small back deck where we were seated we had a good view of the Bridge of Flowers. This concrete bridge was built in 1908 to accommodate the freight carrying trolley line that was too heavy for the Iron Bridge built 20 years earlier. As automobile traffic increased freight began to be moved more by trucks and the Trolley Company went out of business in 1927. The bridge could not be easily destroyed as it carried the city's main water line and so it was left standing. After many years of non-usage a local resident in 1929 decided to start planting flowers and it took off from there. The bridge had several feet of dirt on it and a volunteer group maintains the flowers and maintenance of the bridge. It is really worth a visit. It was 3:00 and we only had 70 miles to ride so we weren't in a big hurry. We rode the Mohawk Trail west towards North Adams. After roughly 10 miles or so we continued to follow the Deerfield River which meant exiting the Trail and following Zoar Road which turns into River Road. The road was narrow but in decent shape but we were not riding fast on this road. There were several places to stop and we felt we wanted to choose just one so we stopped at the Monroe Bridge Overlook. The area is the former site of the Ramage Paper Mill and later as Deerfield Paper that operated her from 1887 to 1996. In addition to the brick and concrete structure there was a section of wooden building closet to the bridge that sat on a rock foundation. The wooden section contained hazardous materials and after the remnants of Hurricane Irene came through in 2011 the deterioration of the foundation could no longer be ignored. After much legal wrangling the demolition of the wooden structure began and a new retaining wall was built along with the addition of a park. The area continues to be a favorite spot for rafters and kayakers when water is released over the dam creating, at times, Class IV rapids. The small town surrounding the old site is Monroe which had a population of 120 in the recent census, but it didn't even look that big to me. Getting out of Monroe we rode up over a 1,000' in a very short time to meet back up with the Mohawk Trail and descended back down more than 1,000' in I think an even shorter distance. We stopped at the Golden Eagle in the hairpin turn to take a few pics. The original building built in 1914 was at the very apex of the turn until in 1958 within 10 weeks of one another two different semi-trucks crashed into the restaurant and after the second time one the owners decided to rebuild it behind a recess in the mountain to provide more protection and that building is the one standing today. We did not eat there but it was worth a stop to view the historic building and visit a spot we first passed in 1994. We stopped in North Adams at Bright Ideas Brewing where they had a nice outdoor area with many shops and restaurants. The complex known Mass MoCA is a converted factory site with many buildings that began in the mid-1700s and really got underway in 1860 with the Arnold Print Works. This company printed cloth and had major government contracts including one for the Union Army. It continued operation until 1942 when the Sprague Electric Company took over the site and produced various electrical components including advanced high-tech weapons systems. After going out of business in 1986 the Williams College of Arts purchased or somehow obtained the site and opened art and museum galleries along with a performing arts center. We continued on and had to stop at the motel on the West side of town where we stayed in 1994. Back then it was a mom and pop motel and looked to be right out of the 1950s. Now it is a resort of sorts with very high end looking amenities. A short ride up US7 and we were in Bennington VT where we were staying. We arrived early enough to jump in the outdoor pool before heading out to dinner. Three breweries were within walking distance which was a big reason for choosing this location. At Farm Road Brewing we had a pint and then went two doors down to Madison Brewing where we had some dinner, and stopped at Harvest Brewing to close out the night.