LOUDON - A mangled mailbox led a Currier Road resident to the body of a Loudon man, lying in a ditch alongside a damaged ATV early yesterday morning.

The police believe that Ralph Bourdeau, 48, of Bear Hill Road, was killed when his ATV hit the mailbox, a stone wall and trees sometime late Tuesday night or early yesterday morning. The resident found Bourdeau at about 5 a.m., after he noticed his damaged mailbox while pulling out of his driveway to head to work, said Loudon Police Chief Robert Fiske.

Fiske said speed and alcohol may have contributed to the crash. Officers could estimate the speed at which the ATV was traveling by measuring tire tracks, he said. He would not elaborate on what evidence the police found to suggest that alcohol may have been involved.

Bourdeau's 21-year-old daughter, Crystal, said her father left home late Tuesday evening to ride the town's trails alone. The family thought nothing of it: Bourdeau, who worked during the day in maintenance at Oxford Health Plan in Hooksett, often went out alone on his ATV at about 10 p.m. and returned a few hours later.

"It was no big deal. That's how he was, outdoorsy," Crystal said. "He was a careful guy, very responsible; he had been riding since he was a kid."

Bourdeau's daughter described him as a hard worker who was passionate about motorcycles, ATVs and gardening. He loved his family even more, she said.

Bourdeau grew up in Loudon. From the time he was 12, he lived in the large white Bear Hill Road home he later shared with his wife and two children, Crystal and her 22-year-old brother, Justin.

"We were probably the closest family you'd ever meet," Crystal said.

Bourdeau and his wife, Susan, had a model marriage, Crystal said. They always treated each other with respect, even during the few times they fought. (Crystal said she could remember only three or four occasions when her parents argued.) The couple had recently celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary by planting a garden together.

"They are my biggest idols as far as their relationship goes," Crystal said.

Bourdeau rode his Harley-Davidson motorcycle everywhere, even to work when it wasn't raining, his daughter said. He taught his children to ride. He bought two ATVs, including the one he rode Tuesday night, as a gift for his wife last year. He presented her with the keys to both vehicles on Christmas, Crystal said.

Bourdeau had taken the week off from work to enjoy Bike Week. Crystal had just bought herself a motorcycle, and the two planned to spend yesterday together at the Hill Climb at Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, she said.

The family noticed Bourdeau was gone at about 6 a.m., Crystal said. At first, she was upset that her father might have forgotten their date.

"We were looking for him instead of going," she said.

Bourdeau did not usually drink before riding his ATV, Crystal said. It was the kind of thing that he would have lectured against, she and other family members said.

"I just want people to know what a good man he was, and also, what a loving father," Crystal said.