This ride starts in Andover, Massachusetts.
Left Andover at 11:30AM. Taking Shawsheen Road from downtown, turn right onto Lincoln, and then left onto RT. 133 … Follow this road to North Street to the three way intersection (traffic light). Turn left onto River Road. Take River Road to where it rejoins RT. 133. Turn right. Soon the road intersects with Rt. 38, a short stint heading North, and then at the traffic light, take the third exit onto RT. 113 West. Follow this all the way to Pepperell, Massachusetts where I pick up my friend Sara. Allen isn’t coming today, so it’s just us biker chicks. Sara has the ride plan so I follow her out to where we eventually hit RT. 13 North. Not long after we are heading through some beautiful countryside and towns dot the roadway here and there. It’s about an hour of nothing but back road where at times, we have the road to ourselves. Eventually we hit New Boston in New Hampshire where we stop for lunch at Molly Stark’s Tavern.
The lot is dotted with bikes of all makes. Mine is the only sport bike although there are many sport tourers and cruisers. I draped my helmet over my handlebars and went inside, which I almost never do, but I felt pretty certain that no one here would even take note of the helmet. New Hampshire does not have a helmet law so many of the people in the lot probably are not even carrying one.
The food was quite good, the atmosphere casual and rustic. Out back an acoustic guitarist was playing. Long story short, the food was good, the atmosphere good, wide plank flooring. highly recommended.
We left the parking lot, turning right onto RT. 13 North again in the direction of RT. 114 South, again more beautiful countryside. Soon the roads began to converge on the busy highways of RTS 293, 101, and the Everett Turnpike. Our plan was simple, a quick hop onto 101 and then get off onto RT. 3 South. On some maps, the Everett Turnpike and RT. 3 are labeled the same. Google maps does not do this however, so we found the original RT. 3, following it through Merrimack and Nashua, New Hampshire. Before long Sara and I parted ways, with the road dropping us both at RT. 113 where she would turn east and I, west. Crossing an old style iron bridge road, paved, but with the tall buttresses of the older suspended bridges. I followed this back along the Merrimack River until it intersected once again with RT. 38 South this time. A few blocks later a left onto RT. 133 and then back along River Road and home to Andover.
Total distance approx: 90 miles. High speed: 60 mph on RT. 101. Mostly twisty country highways and not too busy with the exception of the return trip through Nashua portion. But still good because that is driving the main drag which is fun!-)
bikerbossons 