Announcing, the Second Annual
Thursday May 19th through Sunday May 22nd 2011
Thursday May 19th
"It's all about the Chowder, baby!!"
We will be departing from the Kittery Dunkin Donuts , on Route 1 (just north of the Kittery Trading Post) at 10:00AM.
We're starting a little later in the AM to put us in better shape for the chowder tasting stops, and we should be late enough to miss the evening rush hour traffic when we roll through Portland. It'll also allow folks to visit the KTP before the ride if they want.
Intended stops along the route will be:
Nubble Lighthouse
Billy's Chowder House
Maine Diner
Alisson's Restaurant. (Lunch stop)
Clambake Restaurant
Lobster Shack at Two Lights
Portland Head Lighthouse
Alisson's Restaurant will be the actual, sit-down, lunch stop. And yes, we really will be stopping there this year!!
The Petite Lobster Roll and cup of Chowder combo is very good. :thumbsup:
All of the other chowder stops (restaurants besides Alisson's) will be fairly brief stops. We'll try to just grab a cup of chowder to taste (or whatever else you want to try). The lighthouse stops will be primarily photo ops. We'll try to make each of these ~20 minute stops.
I've made arrangements for us to stay at the Best Western "Freeport Inn". The nightly rate is $69.99 (+ 7% tax) for either a single King bed or 2 Doubles room. Additionally, we will get a 15% off coupon for the Muddy Rudder restaurant, which is within easy walking (or stumbling) distance and part of their property.
They have two buildings located along the sides of the Cousins River. They have blocked off 20 rooms for us together in what they call their "Topside Building". They will also have a bike wash station available for us to use and all riders receive a Best Western Cleaning cloth upon check-in.
Please call the hotel directly to make your reservations at 800- 998-2583. The secret squirrel password is "FJR Forum Group" to get the discounted group rate.
Friday May 20th
"Coastal Sightseeing day - More miles, less filling."
Departing from the parking lot of The Freeport Inn at 7:30AM sharp!
Breakfast at Mae's Cafe and Bakery in Bath from ~8:00-9:00AM. For those joining the ride on Friday, meeting us here is an option.
Planned stops:
Boothbay Harbor
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Owl's Head Lighthouse
Rockland Cafe (lunch Stop)
Fort Point Lighthouse
Bar Harbor Motel
The Bar Harbor Motel has blocked out 20 rooms for us for this weekend at a group rate of $69 per night plus 7% tax. This is for rooms with 2 Double beds or a single King. If you want 2 Queen size beds or one of the 2 room suite it will be a little extra. Ask for the FJR Forum group rate when you call to make your reservations. Phone # 800-388-3453 or 207-288-3453. They will hold the blocked rooms until May 10th and if we exceed 20 rooms will honor the rate until sold out.
Let's plan on having dinner Friday night at the Jack Russell Steakhouse and Brewery. It's right next door to the Bar Harbor Motel, and they make their own beer!! When we get a little closer to the date I'll take a tally, and call ahead to warn them of our impending arrival. If that doesn't suit your fancy feel free to head on out and find something else in town. There are lot's and lots of other great choices.
Saturday & Sunday May 21s t/ 22nd
Acadia National Park
There are a whole lot of things to do and see in the park. I suggest that folks form their own plans for places they want to stop and just use the GPS route as a general guide. We used to bring the kids up and spend a full week vacation on the island every year, did that for several years running, and we never ran out of things to do and see. Note that there is a park access fee of $5 per person to use all of the park roads and facilities. It is possible to get around MDI without paying the park fee, but you can't go on the park loop roads.
I have a couple of short GPS routes pre-planned for the weekend. A loop around both sides of Mt Desert island for the morning and a short out and back loop to the section of Acadia on the north side of Frenchman's Bay on the Schoodic Peninsula. Those that have to make a run for home early may want to make their departure after a lunch stop at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. :thumbsup:
I plan on stopping and taking the short hike up Gorham Mt. It's only a short hike and you get to some exceptionally breathtaking views for such a small investment in time. If you are interested in doing that be sure to bring along some shorts and "sensible shoes" as you won't want to walk up in riding gear. There are also a lot of other trails that are both longer, tougher and more strenuous trails or flatter and less challenging ones. Almost all result in spectacular photo opportunities.
A stop at the Jordan Pond House for pop-overs and tea is highly recommended. There is also a very nice little loop around the pond that can be walked there, or you can get onto the Carriage Trails system (bicycles or walking only), which is all fairly level for those not up for the cardio challenge of more vertical hikes.
No trip to MDI would be complete without a ride up Cadillac Mountain. The auto road is paved all the way up, but is fairly steep, and the view from the top cannot be beat on a clear day. A favorite thing to do is to ride up and park at one of the turn-outs along the road to watch the sunset.
Ride Routes
We will be following approximately the same routes that we did last year, with a few minor changes and a few less U-turns. Routes are available in two GPS formats, and plain old printable route sheets:
Chowder routes file in Gamin proprietary GDB Ver3 format
Chowder routes file in generic GPX format
Chowder routes in printable route sheet .PDF file (zipped)
(right click above link, save as, yadda yadda)
Thursday May 19th through Sunday May 22nd 2011
Thursday May 19th
"It's all about the Chowder, baby!!"
We will be departing from the Kittery Dunkin Donuts , on Route 1 (just north of the Kittery Trading Post) at 10:00AM.
We're starting a little later in the AM to put us in better shape for the chowder tasting stops, and we should be late enough to miss the evening rush hour traffic when we roll through Portland. It'll also allow folks to visit the KTP before the ride if they want.
Intended stops along the route will be:
Nubble Lighthouse
Billy's Chowder House
Maine Diner
Alisson's Restaurant. (Lunch stop)
Clambake Restaurant
Lobster Shack at Two Lights
Portland Head Lighthouse
Alisson's Restaurant will be the actual, sit-down, lunch stop. And yes, we really will be stopping there this year!!
The Petite Lobster Roll and cup of Chowder combo is very good. :thumbsup:
All of the other chowder stops (restaurants besides Alisson's) will be fairly brief stops. We'll try to just grab a cup of chowder to taste (or whatever else you want to try). The lighthouse stops will be primarily photo ops. We'll try to make each of these ~20 minute stops.
I've made arrangements for us to stay at the Best Western "Freeport Inn". The nightly rate is $69.99 (+ 7% tax) for either a single King bed or 2 Doubles room. Additionally, we will get a 15% off coupon for the Muddy Rudder restaurant, which is within easy walking (or stumbling) distance and part of their property.
They have two buildings located along the sides of the Cousins River. They have blocked off 20 rooms for us together in what they call their "Topside Building". They will also have a bike wash station available for us to use and all riders receive a Best Western Cleaning cloth upon check-in.
Please call the hotel directly to make your reservations at 800- 998-2583. The secret squirrel password is "FJR Forum Group" to get the discounted group rate.
Friday May 20th
"Coastal Sightseeing day - More miles, less filling."
Departing from the parking lot of The Freeport Inn at 7:30AM sharp!
Breakfast at Mae's Cafe and Bakery in Bath from ~8:00-9:00AM. For those joining the ride on Friday, meeting us here is an option.
Planned stops:
Boothbay Harbor
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Owl's Head Lighthouse
Rockland Cafe (lunch Stop)
Fort Point Lighthouse
Bar Harbor Motel
The Bar Harbor Motel has blocked out 20 rooms for us for this weekend at a group rate of $69 per night plus 7% tax. This is for rooms with 2 Double beds or a single King. If you want 2 Queen size beds or one of the 2 room suite it will be a little extra. Ask for the FJR Forum group rate when you call to make your reservations. Phone # 800-388-3453 or 207-288-3453. They will hold the blocked rooms until May 10th and if we exceed 20 rooms will honor the rate until sold out.
Let's plan on having dinner Friday night at the Jack Russell Steakhouse and Brewery. It's right next door to the Bar Harbor Motel, and they make their own beer!! When we get a little closer to the date I'll take a tally, and call ahead to warn them of our impending arrival. If that doesn't suit your fancy feel free to head on out and find something else in town. There are lot's and lots of other great choices.
Saturday & Sunday May 21s t/ 22nd
Acadia National Park
There are a whole lot of things to do and see in the park. I suggest that folks form their own plans for places they want to stop and just use the GPS route as a general guide. We used to bring the kids up and spend a full week vacation on the island every year, did that for several years running, and we never ran out of things to do and see. Note that there is a park access fee of $5 per person to use all of the park roads and facilities. It is possible to get around MDI without paying the park fee, but you can't go on the park loop roads.
I have a couple of short GPS routes pre-planned for the weekend. A loop around both sides of Mt Desert island for the morning and a short out and back loop to the section of Acadia on the north side of Frenchman's Bay on the Schoodic Peninsula. Those that have to make a run for home early may want to make their departure after a lunch stop at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. :thumbsup:
I plan on stopping and taking the short hike up Gorham Mt. It's only a short hike and you get to some exceptionally breathtaking views for such a small investment in time. If you are interested in doing that be sure to bring along some shorts and "sensible shoes" as you won't want to walk up in riding gear. There are also a lot of other trails that are both longer, tougher and more strenuous trails or flatter and less challenging ones. Almost all result in spectacular photo opportunities.
A stop at the Jordan Pond House for pop-overs and tea is highly recommended. There is also a very nice little loop around the pond that can be walked there, or you can get onto the Carriage Trails system (bicycles or walking only), which is all fairly level for those not up for the cardio challenge of more vertical hikes.
No trip to MDI would be complete without a ride up Cadillac Mountain. The auto road is paved all the way up, but is fairly steep, and the view from the top cannot be beat on a clear day. A favorite thing to do is to ride up and park at one of the turn-outs along the road to watch the sunset.
Ride Routes
We will be following approximately the same routes that we did last year, with a few minor changes and a few less U-turns. Routes are available in two GPS formats, and plain old printable route sheets:
Chowder routes file in Gamin proprietary GDB Ver3 format
Chowder routes file in generic GPX format
Chowder routes in printable route sheet .PDF file (zipped)
(right click above link, save as, yadda yadda)
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