Bicycle Downhill

Strange New England Bicycle Tours

Historic New England:

Let's start off by giving New England its just due. After all, it is famous for its Boston Tea Party way back when not so very long ago, and Paul Revere did make his historic "one if by land, two if by sea" horse ride, although it is suspicious whether he actually ever completed that ride or not, and New England does have its elegant steepled churches, Maine lobster, brilliant fall foliage tours, as this author has previously written about in "Vermont: A Tiny Little State With A Big Fall Foliage Season, " and in "Massachusetts Fall Foliage Tours, " both of which can be found on associatedcontent.com, and New England does have many other historic sights and sounds to it as well, but this is a bicycling tour, so let's have some fun with it, shall we?

America's Stonehenge:

North Salem, New Hampshire - didn't a famous witch trial or two take place here? No, guess not. That was another famous Salem, wasn't it? Like the one over in Massachusetts? May as well make our first stop right here about 40 miles north of where the Red Sox play baseball every season in that Green Monster simply known as Fenway Park. It is here we will find more than 30 sprawling acres of cave-like dwellings, a sacrificial stone among astronomically aligned rock formations, and other structures left behind by unknown people. Anybody know where we are at? Old England? No, our little tour of Strange New England starts at America's Stonehenge, which opened to the general public in 1958, and was known as Mystery Hill Caves until 1982. America's Stonehenge remains one of the oldest megalithic sites in North America.

Desert of Maine:

Freeport, Maine will be stop Number Two along our bicycle tour today, here we are found right smack dab in the middle of the Desert of Maine, that thanks to an ancient glacier, was formed by a large sand deposit almost 11, 000 years ago. The Desert of Maine contains a 1783 barn museum with antique farming tools, marked nature trails, and giant sand dunes. Not your typical New England, that is for sure.

Equinox Hotel:

Tonight we will rest and relax at the historic Manchester Village, Vermont Equinox hotel that has been hosting many famous guests since 1769, and perhaps Mary Todd Lincoln will come pay us a little visit if we are on our best behavior. Here, we can go take some hands on lessons with the birds of prey, at the British School of Falconry, in the Hildene Meadows, but you have to be 12 years old or older to participate in this event.

Holy Land USA:

Morning bikers. Time to rise and shine. Air those tires all the way up real good. We are going to put some miles in today on our way to Waterbury, Connecticut to visit the miniature Jerusalem known as Holy Land USA, which, unfortunately has been closed since 1984, but remains a very popular tourist attraction any way, sitting there on that bluff overlooking the town. Why is a closed site still so popular you may want to know? That is because of the very tall steel cross that can be seen from miles away and would light up at night, and the famous Holy Land "Hollywood"-style sign located on the property.

Ruggles Mine:

Aren't we having so much fun on our tour now? Here comes our next little destination, the Ruggles Mine, on Isinglass Mountain, in Grafton, New Hampshire. We are going to break a serious sweat here today, folks, digging all day if you want to, searching for buried treasures at the oldest mica, feldspar, beryl, and uranium mine in the United States.

Sad Story Time:

All that digging should have you pumped up for our next little stop at Jumbo's Ashes. Know who he was? PT Barnum's famous "Largest Elephant In The World, " who was tragically run over by a freight train, but later stuffed, and his 1500-plus pound body was displayed at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, but, sadly, poor Jumbo was subsequently burned to ashes in 1975, and his ashes are all that remains of him, and they are locked away in the University some place. Some claim in a peanut butter jar. Poor Jumbo.

The Mummies:

Don't despair too long for poor Jumbo though, we have to ride on to the little town of North Woodstock, New Hampshire and visit the fascinating rock formations known as "The Mummies, " but watch out for that very steep rock face we have to descend to reach the mummies, and stay out of the wide brook under that bridge over there, especially if you do not know how to swim. It is very deep. But, don't be afraid, these mummies are only exposed bedrock, covered by the brook, that have been carved into very unique designs of human body features wrapped in cloth. Cool, ain't it?

Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum:

Man, we have put in a whole lot of miles on our bicycles this tour, haven't we? So, for this time we will end our little escapade in Falls River, Massachusetts, at the world famous Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, that is maintained by the Falls River Historical Society, and became extremely well known in 1892. Anybody for forty whacks? Lizzie's hatchet, Ma and Pa Borden's stomachs, their blood stained pillow shams, locks of the poor victims hair, and photographic evidence of the murder scene are all displayed in the museum for everyone to enjoy. Have at it.

Websites:

Don't forget those of you brave enough to come back for more exciting, strange, bicycling adventures in New England can find more information on these wonderful destinations, and a whole lot more, on websites like gonewengland.com, roadsideamerica.com, ectoparanormal.com, rugglesmine.com, and lizziebordenmuseum.com.

Conclusion:

Well, that concludes our little biking tour of a completely different side of New England bet you never saw before. Thanks for coming alone. See you all next time. Have a safe trip back home. Bye!