Local loop to York ME
Aug 21, 2022
(~309 miles)

Following the frame stay and GPS repairs, I managed to get out for a short local ride after work during the week, but was eager to head out for a full day to verify everything was operational before our upcoming September trips. Char was free to join me on Sunday, so we planned to hit a scheduled Ride-To-Eat at the Stonewall Kitchen Café in York ME, posted on the New England Riders group. I fiddled with Basecamp and came  up with a several hour loop to get us there and back.

We hit the road early (for Char), around 07:30 and stopped in at a bagel shop that that opened recently in Norton MA. Tasty’s Bagels turned out to be a modern & clean little coffee shop installed in a former Dunkin location on MA 123. Besides a decent variety of bagels, they’re selling various locally-sourced prepared and raw food products from a large freezer section. I opted for a latte (I seem to be developing a taste for them – what’s next a BMW?) and a bagel breakfast sandwich that was pretty…tasty, while Char focused on waking up with another cup of coffee and a bagel w/cream cheese. The bagels were pretty OK – certainly fresher than most options around us. Based on signs in the place, it would seem they are boiled at a bakery in Providence and then freshly baked here onsite. We made a plan to pick up a half dozen for home some time soon.

Weather-wise, it was shaping up to a be a lovely, clear, and warm day. We hit a nice easy pace on I-95 to I-93 north up to Boston, in light Sunday morning traffic. This is always a nice time of day to approach the city on the weekend, and many locals will recognize the following series of images progressing through the city: skyline, tunnel, bridge. Char caught a couple nice shots of the Zakim span as we circled the exit ramps to US 1 to cut the corner over the Tobin to the northeast.

Route 1 has undergone a lot of paving work in the last couple years. What was once a broken and rutted third-world slab of patchwork asphalt currently provides a fairly smooth and speedy ride (at the right time of day) on two wheels through the northern burbs of Chelsea, Revere, and Saugus. In Middleton, we turned on MA 114 to start running the series of back roads that comprise part of NER’s North Shore Merrimac River Ride. Beginning with a short loop westward through Harold Parker State Forest, we darted north again through the small village of Groveland (which I’m not sure I’d ever actually heard of). We crossed the Merrimack River on 113 and enjoyed the series of local roads that trace the northern riverbank back to the east into Amesbury.

We left the NER route at this point, circling town to the east and continuing north on MA 150 and rural roads to route 111 near Exeter, New Hampshire. Following that towards the coast and under I-95, we zipped through North Hampton and up through Rye to New Castle, which is the easternmost town in New Hampshire and situated entirely on islands, strung across the mouth of the Piscataqua River.

Running the causeways into Portsmouth, we then crossed the river, on US 1 briefly again, into Kittery, Maine. A right turn on scenic route 103 brought us through the Carson Wildlife Refuge area, offering woods and some salt marshes to gander at on the way up to the York River. Just to see what was there, we made a small detour out onto the tiny Harris Island, where there is a small marina, a restaurant, and not much else.

We backtracked a tiny bit and took a smaller local path called Seabury Road to cross the river on a picturesque little bridge, bypassing downtown York. In a couple more miles, we rejoined US 1 and pulled a right turn opposite the access road to I-95, into the long driveway of the York Visitor Center. We continued on past that to a larger complex of buildings making up Stonewall Kitchen‘s main headquarters, production facility, gift store, and cafe. There were several motorcycles parked in the busy lot, and we found a slot close-by.

We found other NER riders munching and socializing at the limited number of outdoor tables scattered around the patio, which are first-come-first-serve. We said hello to the event host, Karen, and got the lay of the land in terms of how to go about getting some food, as we were both fairly peckish by now. We got in line, which extended outside the door, but was moving quickly. The inside of the cafe is directly open to the company store, and the place was bustling, though there was still plenty of seating available at the high-seat tables.

All the food choices from seafood, to burgers, to salads, to sandwiches, looked and sounded good. I ended up with a chicken panini with a local bottled root beer, while Char had a caprese sandwich. After paying up, we were told our order would be brought outside to a rack by the door when it was ready and we headed out to socialize while we waited. Several of the riders were from another local riding group that Karen organizes rides with, so it was nice to chat with some new folks over our meal.

The shaded patio area was home to some very curious and pesky yellowjacket wasps, that insisted on trying to get inside everyone’s soft drink bottles. I had to replace the cap after every sip, but they eventually managed to get inside for a dunking. The sandwiches hit the spot and the gathering was a very friendly way to spend a lunch. After snapping a quick group photo, everyone drifted back to their motorcycles, to make the most of the beautiful riding weather.

Char and I now followed a series of local roads and state routes, borrowed from another NER ride, winding over through Dover NH and then south. We enjoyed the quick curves on Bay Road in Durham, fun as always, and made our way down through Exeter once again.  Following NH 111 southwest, we stopped in at Memories Ice Cream farm stand in Kingston, for a delicious dairy treat. And to say hi to the goats.

After a nice rest, we struck out once more, enjoying another great string of local roads from yet a third NER route, that eventually dumped us out on US 3 in Hudson. After cutting the corner down to Westford MA, we just cruised 495 all the way home. All systems on the ST were a go and looking great for our upcoming trips.