By Marty Basch

The sun was barely up but it was all the time I had to go for a spin before leaving town. While much of the city was sleeping, I rolled the mountain bike out of Keene's tree-shaded Central Square for a brief few hundred yards on its ultra-wide Main Street and turned right on not as wide Emerald Street, cycling by a pool hall, natural foods store and empty shopping center parking lot.

Across from the stores was a narrow paved bike path.

I turned left on it, and even though  a sign just informed bicyclists to yield to pedestrians,I didn't need a trail sign to let me know I was on the right route. It was as it was described to me.

It was the Ashuelot Rail Trail.

Currier and Ives

New Hampshire's southwest corner is always billed as Currier and Ives country. There's some sense to that as there are bucolic gentleman farms, neat stone walls, rolling hills and handsome homes tucked into the woods. Covered bridges are always a blast, even to long-time New Englanders, and Cheshire County has a bucket full.

Though farms, fields and forests are pleasing to the eye, the reason the area and New England developed is industry. You know you're in a former mill town by the amount of red brick you see in the buildings, and when the Ashuelot Railroad was operational from the early 1850s to the early 1980s under varied owners it was key in the growth of the textile industry, tanneries and other businesses.

After it was abandoned in 1983, it rose like a phoenix later on as a rail trail which now goes for some 21 miles between Keene and Hinsdale. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to pedal its length, but I was able to taste some of its flavor.

The northern terminus in Keene was paved, and well appreciated. Just over the border in Quebec is the Route Verte, a 2,500 mile network of bicycle friendly routes from rail trails to paved shoulders. There was plenty of dirt and all, but many communities paved a short stretch, some even under a mile if memory serves, announcing to cyclists you are reaching someplace. That was the feeling in Keene. I was somewhere. And somewhere was Keene State College. The route ran over the river, by the athletic fields and soon the pavement ended and the dirt, mud, grass, sand and hard-pack begin.

Though there are plentiful stop signs and those multi-color gates to ward off motorized visitors, the route is not a place to put your brain on cruise control. There was a crossing of a early morning busy stretch of Routes 12/101, and some of the winding paved back roads of Swanzey had some blind sections where cyclists who didn’t stop might do a road kill impression.

Criticism aside, the route went over railroad trestles and down a long tree tunnel corridor. There were joggers, walkers and other riders. I had been told there might be moose, but on this day there were squirrels, horses, maybe a rabbit and definitely dogs.

Covered bridge and more

I stopped by the Sawyer's Crossing Covered Bridge in Swanzey, a short spin off the trail. A bridge over the Ashuelot there dates back to 1771, but that standing bridge was constructed in 1859 to replace the original. The bridge also goes by the name Cresson (which is on it) and the story goes that to celebrate its construction, town folk through a dance on the bridge complete with lanterns, a four-piece orchestra and midnight meal.

Now by the bridge is a map for cyclists detailing a couple of area rides to nearby covered bridges.

The trail is not without its bumps though. Several hundred yards south of the bridge where the trail goes under a nondescript span the pathway deteriorated quickly with ruts, mud and rocks. It would have been possible to take a side street to bypass this mess, but I didn't figure that out until I was through. But still the trail returned to a more pleasant stretch passing fields, gardens and hills.

Time was of the essence and I didn't quite make it to Winchester so I did an about face.

It didn't take much time before I knew I was somewhere because the pavement returned to remind me I'm going have to finish this ride in the future.

One Tank Away:

Keene is

1. *53 miles from Belchertown, Mass.
   

2. *143 miles from Norwich, Ct.
   

3. *139 miles from Westerly, R.I.