Valley of Pommes

 

We had a beautiful sunny day, if a bit windy, for our ugly sweater ride from No. Belgrade on Saturday.  With all hands to pitch in, we got a fire started at the lake and had some welcome hot cocoa and marshmallows to finish off the last scheduled ride of the season.  Many thanks to Anne for leading, and to all of her imaginatively dressed helpers.  We are now in the "post-season" where we may have some unscheduled rides to take advantage of favorable conditions, such as sunny, calm days with temperatures in the 50s - such as this coming Sunday!  For those who aren't ready to pack things up for 2024, we will meet in Wayne at the Elementary School at 11:00 am for a 22-mile ride out to Leeds and Monmouth, with a possible stop at the Apple Valley Bakery in Monmouth.  See you then!

Sunday, November 17 - WAYNE

"Apple Valley Ride" - a tour around Wayne, Leeds, and Monmouth

START: 11:00 am at the Wayne Elementary School, 48 Pond Road, Wayne

DISTANCE: 22 miles

TERRAIN: flat to rolling with a few climbs; possible gravel option

HIGHLIGHTS: a late season ride in 50-degree temps, optional stop at the Apple Valley Bakery

LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49042952

For Sweater Frends

 

It was quite November-like and cold for our cemetery ride around Wayne and Fayette on Saturday. It did warm up in the sun, which we actually saw for a few minutes, and we had a nice stop at the Apple Shed Bakery even though they had already stored their outdoor seating away. Such is life this late in the year. This Saturday at 11:00am we will see our last scheduled ride of the season as we head out to North Belgrade for a short ride to Great Pond where we hope to have a campfire with refreshments! If you have an ugly or seasonal sweater, feel free to model it for everyone! If you or someone you know would prefer not to ride, we could use a volunteer to get the campfire going - let Anne or Jim know. Hope to see you Saturday!

Saturday, November 9 - NORTH BELGRADE

"Ugly Sweater Ride" - a questionably-stylish ride around North Belgrade and Oakland.

START: 11:00 am at the North Belgrade Community Center, 508 Smithfield Road, Route 8. (Not to be confused with the Belgrade Community Center on Rt. 27.)

DISTANCE: 17 miles.

TERRAIN: flat to rolling; some short gravel sections to sights along Great Pond.

HIGHLIGHTS: a possible stop at an unusual WWI memorial on Great Pond, and a post-ride get-together around a campfire at the lakeside, with refreshments! Feel free to bring something to share if you wish, as this may be our last gathering of the year.

LEADER: Anne Uecker, anuecker@gmail.com

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44924531

Thw Wicked Time of Year

We spent the first part of Saturday's KVBC ride in Farmington muttering about the inconsistencies of weather forecasting, as it was a lot wetter than any meteorological source had predicted.  But the sun eventually came out, the roads dried up, and we had a nice ride - kudos to everyone who turned out!  This Saturday we will undertake our annual tour of cemeteries around Wayne.  Halloween falls on Thursday, but that's only a date on the calendar - the spirits don't need no dates.  See you Saturday!

Saturday, November 2 - WAYNE

"Wicked Wayne" - a post-Halloween ride featuring some historic cemeteries along some quiet back roads (maybe too quiet). 

START: 10:00 AM at the Wayne Elementary School, 48 Pond Road, Wayne.

DISTANCE: about 22 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, creepy in spots.

HIGHLIGHTS: at least six local cemeteries, including the circular Wing family cemetery and the Kent family cemetery; the Apple Shed on Kents Hill, a notorious, unsolved historic crime scene, and other local haunts. 

LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com, 293-3784.

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37867944

For more information about the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com, 293-3784, or check out the club blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com.

 

Putting the "in" in Industry

We've had some spectacular Fall weather for riding of late!  Last Saturday's ride in Augusta around Summerhaven was certainly first rate.  The club's thanks to Cynthia for mapping out the route for us!  This Saturday we will head north to see if we can catch some more Fall colors and explore the hills around Farmington, New Sharon, and Industry as we close out the month of October.  Hope you can join us!

Saturday, October 26:  FARMINGTON

"The Ups and Downs of Industry":  a Fall foliage ride through the picturesque hills and hollows of Farmington, New Sharon, and Industry.

START:  10:00 A.M., at the Hannaford Plaza on Rt.s 2 & 4 in Farmington, about a mile south from the junction of Rt.s 2 & 4 and Rt. 41, towards Wilton.  Park near the entrance to the shopping plaza.

DISTANCE:  25-30 miles.

TERRAIN:  rolling to hilly; approx. one mile plus of gravel along the Sandy River, and 3 miles of cinder on the Rail Trail (optional)

HIGHLIGHTS:  quiet back roads along the Sandy River, spectacular panoramic views from the ridgetops of New Sharon & Industry, Clearwater Pond at Allens Mills, a possible stop at the Orange Cat Cafe in Farmington, and an optional run along the Whistlestop Rail Trail.

LEADER:  Jim Merrick, 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com.

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44757878

 

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club and its rides contact Jim Merrick, 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, or check out the KVBC blog, "Posted Roads" at http://postedroads.blogspot.com.

Still a Haven

 Sunday's KVBC ride from Norridgewock turned out to be sunnier and more pleasant weather-wise than expected. The 50/50 gravel route took us over some very pretty back roads with little traffic and lots of early foliage. And the ride leader's home-made cookies at the ride's end really hit the spot!  Many thanks to Denise & Brian for another fine ride!  This Saturday we will set off on another Fall tour around the Summerhaven section of Augusta.  Lots of great Fall riding ahead!

Saturday, October 19 - AUGUSTA

"Beyond Summer-Haven" - a post-summer tour through the Summerhaven section of Augusta, and Readfield, Wings Mills, and Belgrade.

START: 10:00 am at the parking lot by the Career Center at 2 Anthony Avenue, off of Darin Drive, across from the Great Wall Buffet.

DISTANCE: about 34 miles

TERRAIN: moderate with some hills; route includes about a quarter-mile of gravel

HIGHLIGHTS: many pretty ponds and streams and little-traveled back roads west of the capital.

LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48764106

Gravel By Half

 

The weather was quite damp at the start of the KVBC ride from Waterville to Canaan on Saturday. In weather parlance, the expression that rain will end "mostly" by 9am should actually be "mostly (but not all)" - but eventually end it did, and once the roads dried up we had a fine ride.  This Sunday we will set off from Norridgewock for a ride over both paved and unpaved roads - about a 50/50 mix of each.  Wide tires are recommended - the route is a great introduction to gravel riding!  Please note the 10:00am start, and hope to see you Sunday!

Sunday, October 13th - NORRIDGEWOCK

"Indigenous Gravel" - a mixed surface ride exploring the back roads of Mercer, Rome and Norridgewock

START: 10:00 AM at 434 Fredericks Corner Road, about two miles from the junction of Rt.2 in Norridgewock. Please park along the driveway.

DISTANCE: 24 miles

TERRAIN: moderate; the route is about half gravel (despite what the route map indicates)

HIGHLIGHTS: lots of adventurous back roads, paved and unpaved, with Amish enclaves and Fall foliage

LEADERS: Brian Bowker, bbowk321@yahoo.com; and Denise Crowell, denisemcrowell@gmail.com.

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48493902

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out the KVBC blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com, or the KVBC Facebook page.

Sorting Out Somerset

 

We had a beautiful Fall day for our ride from Boothby's Orchard in Livermore on Saturday.  The roads were in good shape, we had a fine run on the Chesterville Esker, an abundance of apples for picking at the end!  Many thanks again to John for leading.  This Saturday we will head north from Waterville to check out some early Fall foliage from several great ridgetop vantage points in Somerset County.  Hope you can join us!

Saturday, October 5 - WATERVILLE

"A Somerset Sortie" - an early foliage tour through Somerset County.

START: 9:30am at Colby College, visitor parking at the Lower Athletic Center Parking Lot, corner of Mayflower Hill and Campus Drive, beside the roundabout and across from the baseball fields. See aerial view attached. Follow detour signs around construction on Rices Rips Road and Mayflower Hill Drive.

DISTANCES: 29 or 39 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate with some hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: country roads up and down the Kennebec and inland from Canaan to Benton, ushering the Fall season.

LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com

LINK to ROUTE MAP (Long): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48498707

LINK to ROUTE MAP (Short): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48498777

 

Aerial View of Ride Start Location