SCENIC SEACOAST WALKS
Stratham, NH

Exercise, enjoy the scenery and learn about salt marshes. It’s all possible here at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The walk is shorter than the name – just a half mile, but it’s among the best maintained and most interesting half miles in the Seacoast. Not for runners, but for walkers in the heart of the estuary that makes this region unique.

SCENIC LOCAL WALKS
Dover, NH

Second only to Mount Agamenticus, the tower atop Garrison Hill is the best place to take in the entire seacoast region. Thanks to hard working volunteers, this popular Dover attraction has been fully restored. Scarcely visible from the road, this tower is Dover’s secret jewel. Visitors must know where to turn to climb the hill get a natural high, seek out this Dover landmark. (Click above for photo tour)

SEACOAST BY BIKE

Fall is the best of all times for regular Seacoast biking. There are those leaves, the pounding surf, the cool sea air and the diminished army of tourists. If that isn’t enough, here are a dozen Balkin bits for the serious cyclist – or not-so-serious types. Included are the two most important words for biker relief -- bag balm.

South Addison, ME
36 feet tall; light is 51 feet above water.

It’s far from the beaten path and will never be a tourist attraction. But this old Maine lighthouse and a resident flock of sheep give Nash Island kind of a quaint, old-world feel.

SEACOAST BY BIKE

When your mother warned you not to play in traffic, is this really what she had in mind? This week we go off-road to examine the mountain bike phenomenon. The Great Balkini takes to the trails. And that is where, he says, these costly, high-tech machines should stay.

SEACOAST BY BIKE

Step One --  All cyclists run this article by Dave Balkin onto your computer printer (see printer friendly button above and to the right). Step Two – Make sure you have the three items needed to fix your flat. Step Three – Fold the printed paper and always carry it with you while biking. Step Four – Practice taking those danged wheels off and on.

Gloucester, MA
Est. 1821; present light built 1881
Tower 30 feet, light 57 feet above water.

To help guide mariners into Gloucester's inner harbor, the first 20-foot stone lighthouse was built here in 1821. Amos Story of sea serpent fame became keeper in 1833 for $350 yearly.

Jeremy’s Lighthouse Guide #48

New Bedford, MA
Built in 1849
Tower is 24 feet, light is 34 feet above water

Palmer’s Island Lighthouse is on the city seal of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The city’s motto, "Lucem Diffundo," means, "I Spread the Light."

SEACOAST BY BIKE

Back in the good old days bikes had two different sized wheels. Then came the two wheeler connected by a chain. Shifting is like changing the size of the wheel to optimize effort and maximize speed. But when and how to shift? The more you know about the process, the Great Balkini says, the shiftier you get. On a bike, that's a good thing.