Groton-Princeton-Ashburnham Loop
Having gotten thoroughly disgusted with the cloudy weather threatening rain, I decided to go riding anyway. Rain looked like it might never get here, and by the time I’d mapped out a route, the sun was coming out. Whoo Hoo! Good day to ride after all. I decided to take a fairly short ride today, 80 or so miles, with the main intention to go places, or at least on roads I haven’t been before. The map below is my altered version of this loop, as I discovered that there are some roads I can’t recommend. In fact, I don’t want to see them again. But some really interesting things happened on the original route, that got a bit improvised along the way.
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So, the main purpose of this trip, was to discover Princeton, MA. The first part of the trip was on familiar roads. Groton, Harvard, and Still River are familiar and enjoyable. I nice warm up to get me in the groove. But once I crossed 117, I went beyond the fields I know. (With apologies to Lord Dunsany.) I had my directions memorized through Five Corners, and was pretty comfortable that I’d memorized them to Route 62. Once I got to a numbered road, I hoped it would be reasonably well marked, and so navigation wouldn’t take up too much of my concentration. And it proved to be so. But it was a bit tricky in places, and I didn’t get to look around very much. I’ll have to make this trip again, as what I saw was intriguing.
But all too soon I was out of town and headed to some challenging areas. I wanted to keep the trip as rural as possible so, I quickly left 68 to avoid Gardner. (And since I got a bit turned around in Gardner earlier on the week, I wasn’t keen to repeat it.) As I turned off 62 onto 68, I had a BWM F650 GS pull up beside me. It felt like an omen. And about 5 minutes later, I was beginning to wish I was riding it. Now the road from Hubbardston to Westminster was fine. It was in pretty good shape and decently wide. And it was wonderfully scenic. The Mare Meadow Reservoir definitely deserves some photographic exploration. There are good places to pull off on this road, as it is used by fishermen.
There were probably some shops to stop at in Westminster, but the weather was beginning to concern me some, so I just kept on. I’d been watching the beginnings of thunderheads, and it seemed like I was circling one. But I wasn’t so worried that I felt I needed to bag the trip and hit Rt 2 and home. The leg to Ashburnham was fine. I only needed quick glances at my directions, and I was making good time. Once there I had to keep my eyes peeled for my next turn, the eerily names River Styx Rd. And aptly enough, the road went straight to hell. Once it became Russell Hill Rd the road bed smoothed out, but the road is narrow with blind turns, with sand and gravel on the inner curves and low spots. A technical and challenging ride. Got dreaming about that BMW again. Before leaving Russell Hill Rd, I passed a house with a sign proclaiming it the John Adams Homestead. Which, it turns out, is a Bed and Breakfast with 3 rooms.
Here’s where my route begins to deviate from the map above. I crossed Rindge Rd to Richardson Rd. I would have felt more comfortable on a mountain bike than a motorcycle. The posted speed limit dips to 15mph, and I wasn’t arguing. This isn’t a two lane road. Traffic flows both directions, but it isn’t two lanes. I eventually worked my way over to 31, crossed it, got over to New West Townsend Rd, and had to do a U-turn to head north. I wanted to see another stretch of Willard Brook State Park. It was fine as a park, but no where near as fun as the twisties on 119. :) But I didn’t just want to head to 119 for the quick trip home, so I headed back south on Lunenburg Rd. I missed my turn for Old City Rd (sign was difficult to see,) so I had to turn around and a light misty rain had started. It wasn’t horribly dark and the mist was very innocuous. But I was in an area where I didn’t have a clear view of the sky. If I could have seen what was coming, I’d have beaten a very hasty path home. I made the planned turn onto Tyler Rd, and the misty rain stopped. I began to have more signage difficulties, as things weren’t marked terribly clearly. I’d also not spent much time memorizing this bit. I’m so close to home, how could I get seriously lost? I’d quickly find familiar territory.
Well, instead of turning left onto S Row, as was clearly written in my directions, I turned right. Dyslexia? Bad signage? Who knows, but now I’m headed in the wrong direction looking for a road I won’t find. And now it starts to rain. Not a drizzle or mist, it’s looking like it’s going to be serious. I start making the most logical turns I can, based on where I think I am. (I’m well aware that I’m lost at this point.) And it’s DARK. I want my sunglasses off NOW, but I can’t find anywhere to pull off. Finally, I come to the intersection of whatever road I’m on, Townsend Harbor Rd and Mulpus. I pull off onto the non-existent shoulder at the stop sign. Zip up and seal the jacket. Waterproof doesn’t do you any good when it’s only snapped and open at the collar. I pull the rain cover over the tail bag, and think briefly about putting my rain pants on. But cars are coming up at the intersection, and there ain’t much room. Why bother anyway considering how wet my leathers already are? (It’s now bucketing down!)
Now which way? Townsend Harbor was where I was headed, but it doesn’t feel right. My inner compass is telling me Malpus. I go with my gut, Malpus it is. Before I take off, I remember to take off my shades, but I’ve got no place to put them. I hook them on the cargo net that has been holding my (now soggy) directions on the tank. I don’t expect to ever see them again. But by now the lightning has started and it’s scary. There’s no shelter anywhere, nothing but tall trees lining shoulderless residential roads. I need to get out of here. Malpus is now flooding in many areas, and I ride into water that flows over the tops of my feet. Then I come out to a main drag. Left? Right? Where am I anyway? Left feels like north. Left. The road is better but the lightning is coming fast and furious. I still need shelter now! Did that sign say 225? Where? Longley, Lawton, yes! The old mill is minutes away! Just one careful turn through the river now flowing over the railroad tracks and I’m safe.
Of course, now the rain lets up and the lightning is less. I call home to say I’m safe, and find out the cat is MIA, the wind blew open the door, and the rain has soaked the carpet below the open windows. Sigh. I figure I’ll hang about for a bit longer to get my head straight before I get back on when I look west. Evil looking clouds, we are not done yet! Gotta run back under cover for round two, and it’s worse. Lighting is almost non-stop. It strikes some where very close by. I heard it, but I didn’t see where. The mill generator kicks in, but while it’s only 10ft away, it hardly adds to the din. After an hour hanging out in the underpass, I figure it’s finally safe enough to manage the 20 min ride I have left to get home. The road is covered with leaves and twigs, some sticks. Then 1/2 mile from where I hid out, I find the lightning strike. Or maybe strikes. It looks like a whole section of pines just exploded. The road is impassable even for a little motorcycle for about 200 yrds. I can barely see the police lights on the other side. (There aren’t any on mine.)
After choosing the most likely to be passable alternate route home, I get there. The cat beat me back and for once didn’t object to being towelled off. Me neither. Still glad I took my MSF course in the rain. I was worried about a lot of things. But how the bike would handle the wet was never one of them.
