North Fryeburg and Green Hill Road Loop 10:00 am

Thursday, August 31st, 2017

Looks like cool weather with some clouds and wind. This is a relatively short ride that is a good workout and should be light on the traffic. Connie hosted this ride about a month ago and it was a good one!! I will not be able to ride with you, I am with my Mom.

Start at the Maine Visitor's Center on Rt  302, just over the state line. Ride out the bike path and take the first left at the auto repair business and go into Fryeburg, and out to Route 302. Take a left on 302 and quick right after the post office on River Road to head out on Route 113 past Weston's Beach, then bear right to stay on Rt 113.

Take a right at the closed convienince store to stay on Rt 113 and head to North Fryeburg. Take a right at the little white church to head out on Fish Street, then left onto MacNeil, left again on Old Harbor, continue left to Harbor Road. At the intersection of Harbor Road and Rt 113, go right, and take a left into South Chatham Road just after the Saco Valley Fire Station. The road has quite a bit of potholes in this section, but will change to good pavement soon. The road name changes to Green Hill Riad, you will go up and down, eventually passing Hurricane Mt Road, then enjoy a flat/downhill cruise all the way back to Sherman's farm stand. Take a left there to head back to Fryeburg and retrace the route back to the bike path and the Maine Visitors Center.

Total distance: 27 miles.

Meet at the Maine Visitor's Center, ready to ride at 10:00 am.

Here is a map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1754860316

Rides for the next 2 Thursdays: Aug 17th The Basin and Aug 24 North Road

I am posting 2 rides to cover the next 2 Thursdays. The traffic will likely be bad in the pre-Labor Day vacation time, so I think it best to ride on the quietest roads possible and start early, 9:00 am.
 I will not be able to join you for either of these rides, and I think that next week I will be located in an area without reliable internet or cell service, so I will post that one now, too.


Thursday, August 17, 2017  9:00 am

The Basin 

How about Fryeburg Farm Fields and the Basin? Hopefully the weather will be good for you!! Ride as far as you like, many options to choose from.  Check out the former location of the Red Iron Bridge.  Stop at the Stow Store for lunch or snacks.

Meet at the corner of South Chatham Road and Route 113 in North Fryeburg, alongside the park next to the Saco Valley Fire Station. As you already know, please do not block the fire station parking area.

The last quarter mile up to The Basin is a dirt road, and I am not sure of its condition at this point of the season. If it is a wash out, you may want to just use the campground at the entrance as the lunch and/or turnaround spot.

The starting time, ready-to-ride will be 9:00 am.

Doing the ride starting south on 113 with a left on Fish St and left on MacNeil, it will be a 28 mile ride.  Add another 5 miles if you add the Cornshop-Rt 5-Fish Street loop.    

Thursday, August 24th, 2017  9:00 am

North Road to Bethel

Meet at the North Road-Hogan Road starting point, in the parking area at the intersection of North Road and Hogan Road above the dam. Get there by driving north on Route 16 to Gorham, take a right onto Route 2, go about 3 miles looking for the big beautiful stone house on the left.  After the stone house, take a left onto North Road. Cross the Androscoggin River at the dam and head up a short distance. Where the road bears hard right, you go left into the parking area on the dirt Hogan Road.

Ready to Ride at 9:00 am. 

Bring a lunch or snacks to enjoy at the riverside park in Bethel.

Toral distance: About 39 miles

The Andover Ride

Thursday, August 10th, 2017

Looks like Thursday will be a good day for a great ride along the rivers and fields of western Maine!  It is time again to get out of the rapidly crowding valley and explore some quiet roads and places!

The route to Andover from Bethel is a gem, one of my favorites, worth the drive to Bethel. It is an extension of the North Road ride!!! It is a beautiful, mostly shady route on quiet roads. It is not a hard ride, only some short grinder hills on Intervale Road in the first 10 miles (and last 10 miles). The remainder of the ride is pleasantly gentle and scenic. It is a ThursdayBike favorite!

Start at the park on the Androscoggin River in Bethel (where we picnic at the end of the North Road ride) and go north on Intervale Road to where it ends at Route 232 in Rumford Corner.  Take a left and cross the Androscoggin River on the new bridge. A very short ride on Route 2 then right on Whippoorwill Road to Andover Road and eventually into the center of Andover where there is a great general store and perfect town green with gazebo for lunching.

Return south on Route 5 for a short distance, then cross the Lovejoy Covered Bridge (Maine's shortest covered bridge) then retrace the route back to the cars.

Total distance: 49 miles   (a short out and back on the bike path and you get a 50 miler)

Lunch: The Andover General Store is a good food and ice cream stop located across the park and gazebo. 

Starting Time: 9:30 am Ready To Ride from the riverside park at the end of the bike path in Bethel on Route 26 (our usual lunch stop with picnic tables, porta-potties and playground).

Parking: There are not a lot of parking spaces at the riverside park. If the lot is full, park near the convenience store/DunkinDonuts on Route 2 where the bike path crosses the Androscoggin River.

Carpool: If you want to carpool, meet in Jackson at the parking lot across from the J-Town Deli at 8:15 am, otherwise, see you in Bethel! 


Shorter Options:  

Park along the edge of Intervale Road, north of our starting point. You can cut out up to 16 miles this way (it is 8 miles to the intersection with East Bethel Road, located on the right off of Intervale Road where the cows are), and avoid the 2 hills at the very end of the ride!  Meet with everyone else at the park at 9:30, then drive up a ways, park, hop on your bike and join the group as we ride by! 


To see a map of the ride click the link:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9696224

Brownfield, Hiram, Cornish Ride 9:00 am

Thursday, August 3, 2017

I see that the weather should be OK for us tomorrow with only slight chances of storms in the mid to late afternoon. By starting early, we will enjoy cooler temperatures and avoid any storms.

This ride is a shorter version, I think easier version of the classic Apple Acres Ride. The ride goes by Apple Acres, then drops south into Hiram and then Cornish, returning by South Hiram Road and Route 160. Perhaps some ice cream on the way?

Meet at the Brownfield Community Center on Main Street. Ready to ride at 9:00 am

Distance: 32 miles

Map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1709903762

Will post a ride on Wednesday evening

Thursday, August 3, 2017

There are those annoying conflicting forecasts out there again for Thursday's weather. At issue is the timing of predicted scattered thundershowers. Timing will determine how far we can go!  The forecasts will hopefully converge by tomorrow evening....I will post then!