New England clam chowder group ride

[MEM]

Eagle's Nest Restaurant - Works for me. I can be there for supper, shoot the **** in the evening and be home the next day. Just a nice 1000 mile warm-up ride for the season.

Canadian FJR

Crossing at St Stephen (meet you at Gagnons where I'll pick up some chocolate) or Houlton (you pick me up on the way) ?

Bringing Gypsy and NSRider?

 

[Fred W]

Your destination: "A" marks the spot!

 

[Canadian FJR]

"Bringing Gypsy and NSRider? " Sure. We just need to set a date.

Fred, that must be close to the Colony Motel. Am I correct?

Canadian FJR

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Ok, well, after much serious personal deliberation, I have decided that FOR ME personally, I'd have to use either sick time on a weekend I'd have to work ( I work every other) or burn a weekend set aside for visitation with my kids in order to do this ride. UNLESS, there's enough interest in doing this as a midweek ride . Which, by the way, may lead to less traffic . Open for discussion....

That being said, I am casting my vote for May 21-23.

 

[Iris]

If you name it and date it, I'm sure peeps would show up.

I for one (actually two, I'll answer for ZOOOMM), we're good with May 21-23.

 

[Canadian FJR]

That is a long weekend for us. That just may work out well.

Canadian FJR

 

[Geezer]

If I can figure out a way to do this without using vacation time I'll be there.

 

[Fred W]

Ok, well, after much serious personal deliberation, I have decided that FOR ME personally, I'd have to use either sick time on a weekend I'd have to work ( I work every other) or burn a weekend set aside for visitation with my kids in order to do this ride. UNLESS, there's enough interest in doing this as a midweek ride . Which, by the way, may lead to less traffic . Open for discussion....
That being said, I am casting my vote for May 21-23.

CJ,

I'm good wit dat. And if it turns into a mid-week ride, I'm good wit dat too. To be honest, I think a midweek (or end of work week) might be preferable in southern Maine. And thems that wants could continue on up to da more eastern points over the weekend.

 

[snikr]

It could work out for me as well. I'm watching this thread for sure.

Tom

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Thanks, all, for the follow up ! We'll see what other responses wind up here and go from there. To make things a little less open-ended, let me go ahead and say that we'll finalize the dates no later than 31 March (just couldn't do the April first thing, it is Friday ya know! :lol: )

So, that being said, if there's any others out there with other thoughts, the meter's tickin'!

 

[Harvey]

Can there be one plan for a multi-day trip and another for anyone that wants to do one or two days only?

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Can there be one plan for a multi-day trip and another for anyone that wants to do one or two days only?

Uh, I suppose? :blink:

I was figgerin that since some of our more northern brethren (and sistahs ) might be looking to make this trip, I was kinda thinkin' that a multi-day trip was in order since they're making the effort to come from a ways off, eh, and that the entire ride covering the Maine coast would be broken up over the three days into legs and that we'd hole up each night at these preplanned stops and that anyone wanting to do just a single day ride would just be able to meet up with the group at said preplanned spot and ride with the group to the next stop, but if yer wantin' to do a single day ride up and back, then you wouldn't have to twist my arm too hard since Alisson's really does have the worlds best clam chowder and we could plan that for another time - I just wasnt sure of what it was that you were asking, but don't take the run-on sentence personally, it's not aimed at you, it's just that it's Friday, it's late, I'm tired as hell and it's been one really ****** work week and I'm just trying to get out a little energy in a positive manner so that I don't go and kill some stupid sonofabitch doctor at work ( yep, goin' postal on his ***! :assassin: ), but also because I know that FredW can translate jibberish.

I hope that answers your question, but if not, let me know and I'll try to be more specific and put the above sentence in expanded form..... thanks for playing!

 

[Fred W]

Now wait just a minute...

Alisson's really does have the worlds best clam chowder

Isn't that what we are trying to determine here? If ya go letting the cat out'ta the bag all in advance like that, why would anyone bother making the trip?

...also because I know that FredW can translate jibberish

I certainly speak jibberish on occasion. That doesn't make me a full blown translator.

But to the actual question at hand: What CJ jibbered out is pretty much how the Whites and Greens worked last year (and likely will again this year, so watch for it in late July time frame). The only difference is that we had a single hotel as the command central and made two single day loops through NH and the VT. Some folks joined for just the NH loop on Saturday, some came in for just the Sunday loop in VT, some did both days and then went home, and some others continued on through Monday to do an impromptu loop up over lake Champlain to the Canuckistan border.

So regardless of how this is ride "set up", whether as a single day Chowder ride in the southern coast only or a multi-day ride all the way up, there will probably be some folks doing both anyway, as they choose.

I'm thinking that I'll be in the multi-day group as I've never actually even been all the way up to Quoddy Head in Eastport, never mind ridden there on a bike.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

My preference is to do a multiday ride, friday to sunday. Of course, this depends on the people who make a solid commitment to this ride, as to what they can/want to do. I think that for those folks who can only make it for a one day trip, perhaps it would be best to do the southern end first. This would most likely be closest in proximity to most people attending. This is a grand assumption on my part. We could of course break up the coast into three legs staying in a different locale each evening heading south to north, OR, we could stay in a central location and make two round trips with the southern leg first.

Not to state the obvious, but just for the sake of discussion; if it's broken into thirds, it offers more time for sampling culinary delights of one's choice, the ability to see more of the sights, allows for not having to set a specific location to bed down if the travel time is slower than expected, and may be more desirable for those who can only travel one or two days.

If the trip is done over two days, there would be more riding, less sampling, not necessarily seeing less, just less time for stops/photo ops. I suppose whether it's done over two vs. three days, it would be prudent to travel in one direction vs. having to backtrack and cover the same ground to get back to central place.

Certainly these thoughts are by far not a complete list, but a starting point so that those who are seriously considering making this trip can begin a dialogue to help bring this into shape.

 

[Canadian FJR]

For me, I see this as more of a Ride N Eat sorta Meet N Greet. Pick the place, I'll ride there and eat. Maybe spend the night and then ride home.

Canadian FJR

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Well, here's what I'm contemplating. A three day ride, broken up into three legs. First riding from Eastport southward to Rockport. Then from Rockport down to Portland, and then down to Kittery the next day. I was trying to be considerate thinking of where everyone might be coming from, but whether it's north to south, or vice versa, SOMEONE is going to have to ride a long way either way!

Plus, if there are folks who can only make a single day ride, it'd be more likely to be on the weekend, so better being closer towards where the majority would be coming from at the end of the ride instead of a longer ride to get to the start point.

I hope what I'm trying to say here at least makes a little bit 'o sense to most people! I'm just trying to be accomodating to those who perhaps may be coming from the furthest distance to make this ride. I suppose I could've just picked the date, the places/route and itinerary, but I really wanted to get most people's feedback for those most interested/likely to attend. However, it's never too late, so if that's what most of you would prefer, just say the word!

 

[Harvey]

For me, I see this as more of a Ride N Eat sorta Meet N Greet. Pick the place, I'll ride there and eat. Maybe spend the night and then ride home.

Depending on the decided plan, that might be how it might turn out for me too.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...231842&z=10

Try this out . . . (read as, "I really gotta get off my cheap *** to either fix/replace my damned home computer with Mapquest!!" LOL)

For me, I see this as more of a Ride N Eat sorta Meet N Greet. Pick the place, I'll ride there and eat. Maybe spend the night and then ride home.

Depending on the decided plan, that might be how it might turn out for me too.

However it works out, would be a good time! Hope you can make it!

 

[cota95]

CJ,

I got a little dizzy trying to read through this thread and I can't seem to find a start date. Has one been established yet?

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Well, George, I'm putting in my vote for May 21-23. Any other takers on this date?