I don't know about you, but I hate to "bomb" the highway for very long. It's too tense and you don't get much of a chance to enjoy the things flying by you at 70 miles an hour. This trip is normally done on all highway in the car.
I decided to map out a route that would at least have me on secondary highways so I could enjoy the ride. I have ridden the western end of Route 2 here in Massachusetts several times but I've never run it very far east. I decided this was the way to go, speeds never exceed 55 and I know there's some really scenic stops along the way.
The day had arrived! It's thursday morning and I planned to leave that afternoon after lunch. I needed to be on-site at 7:30 the following morning and this is almost a three hour trip in a car...
Christine made a last minute decision to join me. She contacted her employer to see if taking Friday off would be a real hardship and other than the last minute notice, the indicated it would be fine. I had a riding partner!
We hit the road around one in the afternoon. We headed up Route 10 to Northampton, MA where we picked up 91. We spent just a few minutes on the highway running up to Greenfield to pick up Route 2.
For those that don't live in this area, the western end of Route 2 is called the Mohawk Trail. It was literally a road built over what once had been an indian trail. It runs through the Berkshire Mountains and winds through some of the most beautiful riding country I've seen. There are some breathtaking views from some of the many stops long the trail. There's even a great eating stop on the "hair pin turn" near North Adams where you can enjoy lunch or dinner out on the deck overlooking the valley below.
Now the eastern side (east of Route 91) also offers the rider some nice things to see along the way. The French Kings Bridge is really amazing. The Connecticut river runs far below and the mountains around it are beautiful. Especially so in the fall. Addititionally, you'll run along the Miller's River for a few miles. We stopped at one point to take a few pictures.
A few hours later, we arrived in Salem. Unforunately, it took much longer than we'd anticipated as we were stuck in traffic on Route 93 on our way into New Hampshire. There had been an accident on the highway so we were in virtual gridlock for some time. My clutching hand had just about enought for one day.
We checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Salem Holiday Inn which is a wonderful place to stay if you ever decide to make the trip! The rooms are clean, reasonably priced and the mexican food in the abutting restaurant is fantastic!
We decided to take a small ride to Canobie Lake just a short distance away. This is a pretty little lake that apparantly also acts as a local water supply. We arrived at sunset (that's the picture above) and took a few pictures. If you're ever up here in season, there's also an ammusment park next to the lake.
The following morning I was up and out good and early. I had to be onsite at 7:45. The morning was a little chilly so I slipped on the new chaps I'd picked up at the swap meet a few weeks ago and off I went.
I was informed that they'd recently moved route 101 and that I'd have to take this new way to the office. I had no maps with me so I was winging it... What a beautiful new road! It was much wider than the old and opens the ride up a bit.
I wrapped up around noon and headed back to meet Christine to make the trek home. We were a little tired upon returning but had a wonderful time!
If you ever decide to do this same trip, spend the weekend up there and make sure you explore the coast a bit. When you're in Salem, you're within 30 minutes of the coast so enjoy! You may also want to ride up into the White Mountains. This is a bit of a trip but certainly a beautiful one if you have the time!