Two gems (Rte 143 & Rte 116) and BBQ

The motto of Saturday was we’re riding no matter where we go we’re riding some where.

Well it was decided Western Massachusetts and Mt. Greylock would be the place. A slab ride out Rte 146 and Rte 90 from Lincoln, RI to Rte 32 in Palmer, MA was uneventful and sort of fun for what it is. We hooked up with Rte 181 making our way to 202 and eventually Rte 9 passing through Belchertown (gotta love it). Our sights were set on Rte 116 and as I made the turn onto Rte 116 off oh Rte 9, love was in the air, it wasn’t my riding partner for the day but rather I remembered my second love which is BBQ. I told Don if Bubs BBQ was open we’ll stop for an early lunch, unfortunately we were a half hour early but with the smoker out front smoking we decided to wait the half hour and gorge ourselves on some BBQ before we head further West.

Lunch was good as usual and Don helped himself to 2 plates of fixings before even touching the ribs. The deal with bubs is you order the meal ex. chicken or ribs and then help your self to two side bars both hot and cold. Don and I opted for the baby back ribs; they were a little smaller but much leaner and very tasty. I love the cucumber salad they have and the sweet potatoes oh my. After lunch and getting ready to head out a pack of bikes pulled in and what do you know 100 miles from home and I run into someone I know, this seems to happen a lot but I guess when you get around riding you seem to make friends where ever you go. Don was also bug eyed because an older Vulcan had pulled in with a fairing, Don is looking to put a batwing fairing on his brand new Vulcan over the winter and it gave him some ideas.

Now heading out on Rte 116 it doesn’t get really good until just after you cross Rte 10; some riders in this area call this the New England Dragon. The road is a lot of fun with some cool twisty sections, lots of nice farm land and some quaint towns. I think when I have more time to explore I’d like to stop for a few pictures in some of these towns and hopefully I can do that later in the fall during peak foliage. The road will quickly remind you that motorcycles are meant to lean and that I surely did. Don had no problems keeping up but dam the C14 really carves a mean corner!

Now I have yet to put on a GPS so we had a little half time fumble when we connected with Rte 2 but quickly recovered and we made our way to Mt. Greylock. Mt. Greylock has an elevation of 3,491 feet and a newly paved scenic road that takes you up the mountain and back down to Rte 7 making it a nice side trip. The scenic road reminds me some what of the Blue Ridge Parkway but it’s no real comparison to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hairpin turn after Hairpin turn you finally arrive at the summit with a view that seems to encompass several states.

Making our way back home I had found a road that I thought could entertain us for awhile and that was Rte 143. This road was a lot of fun and again twisty with some straight sections to pick up the pace a bit and some natural air conditioning when it parallels the river; a very pretty road through the hidden hills of Massachusetts.

Now the running joke is that I could make a milk run into an all day adventure, ok no joke, I have a way of adding some miles to the trip. Anyway after missing a turn on my planned route I started to wing it which is usually where the miles start and from that point we were heading north when we need to head south and west when we needed to head east. Heck its all in good fun and it makes for a hell of a story around the campfire if we ever have one. As the light started to diminish we thought it would be a good idea to check in and let our wives know that we’ll be a little late and to leave a light on.

Wow 12 hours of riding can really make you hungry so we stopped into a McDonalds, not my exact definition of “road food” but it will do. Now the next set of roads are through some deer infested farm land and it’s as dark as dark can be, we’ve both ridden these roads in the day light but those corners really get interesting in the dark. Before long Don and I parted with a couple toots of the horns and a quick wave I continued on down Rte 165 in CT and him down Rte 138 in Ct both heading home to two different parts of Rhode Island.

Click Here For A Map Of Our Madness

It’s always fun and always an adventure… better clear the schedule if you plan on riding with me