IFR to Keene, NH

Boy, this winter seems to have been defined by this picture. Snow....more snow.....low clouds with a freezing level to the surface, freezing fog.......finally a day with no icing arrived. Surface winds were gusting to 20 mph from the west with a northwest wind at 45 knots at 6,000 feet. So a flight up to the hills of N.H. seemed in order to sample some turbulence.
I received a clearance to Keene, New Hampshire via radar vectors, Manchester VOR. I held the 182 to the ground a little longer and rotated close to 60 knots because of the gusty wind condtions. The Skylane leaped into the air and as I pitched for Vy, was already at 100 feet and retracted flaps, set climb power for 25" manifold pressure, prop for 2400 rpm and pitched for a 90 knot climb out and contacted Boston approach. The flight was cleared to 5,000 feet direct Manchester and I was at altitude before even reaching Lowell, MA.
After reaching cruising altitude (remember to close those cowl flaps) and MHT VOR, we were cleared direct Keene and I requested the ILS 02 approach. Approach gave me vectors to final and some alternate missed approach instructions because KEEN VOR was out of service. KEEN VOR defines the hold on the published missed approach procedure for ILS 02 and I was wondering why this wasn't in the NOTAMS I received in my weather briefing.
During the descent to intercept the localizer, I finally encountered the expected turbulence. ABout 2 minuted out from the localizer I pulled power back to about 15" m.p. and conducted the pre-landing GUMPS check: fuel selctor to BOTH, mixture rich, prop to high rpm, landing light ON and dropped 10 degrees of flaps. Once on the localizer, it was tough not to chase the glideslope as the wind gusts shifed to the west as I decended below the ridgeline and into the valley. At decision height I went missed and executed the alternate missed approach procedure as instructed by ATC.
The 182 G100o with a coupled autopilot is a sight to behold. As I crossed the MAP, it suspended operations and after hitting the SUSP key and putting it into GPS mode it gave course guidance back to the VOR hold and automatically told me the entry was to be direct and could have even flown the hold for me, if that's what I wanted. However, I received radar vectors back around for another shot at the ILS, went missed and climbed back to 5,000 to head back to Bedford.

Well, the winds at 5,000 were smooth, but fast. My groundspeed was 184 knots as I headed back to KBED in record time! After shooting the ILS into Bedford, taxied back to the west ramp and tied down. Great flight!