vwUMO
TDIClub Enthusiast
I actually live in Bethel and have always had the best intentions of attending one of these, but now can finally make it! Since I'm a few miles from the mountain, I thought it was a good idea to throw some local info together:
Camping:
Pleasant River Campground is W. Bethel is nice with a pool.
You could also do Stony Brook Campground as well.
If you just want to be uber frugal (because getting 50+MPG just wasn't enough
), the white mountain national forest has a great little campsite (drive up) at Crocker Pond in Maine. It's $14/day I believe.
Food and Drink:
In order of where I have mug club membership.....
Suds Pub - Downtown bethel - it's the local spot. Cheap decent food, lots of beer on tap. Tell them Brian sent you.
Rooster's Roadhouse - Near the Irving (where you should fuel up on the inside diesel pump (outside is bigboy nozzle)) - large selection of food and salad bar - lobster, steak, etc.
Sunday river brewpub - I personally skip this one.... something about $15 hamburgers makes me feel like I'm in NYC, But it's convenient to the mountain.
22 Broad - Looking for amazing wine and italian food? Look no further. I travel for work and haven't found many places with food as good. Spendy but worth it. Downtown Bethel
Funky Red Barn - There are usually some really good scenes of drunken dancing late night here. Truly a local spot. They also have cheap food earlier in the eve.
Hitchin post - Rt 2 west from bethel on your left 1/2 mile out of town. Ice cream stand and decent homemade food. Cheapest/best breakfast in town with most stuff made from local farms etc. Good pizza too.
Short drives for good food and drink:
Ebenezer's Pub - Lovell - Voted best beer bar in america the last 5 years... It's pretty solid! http://www.ebenezerspub.net/ 35 on tap and 1000 bottles to choose from... They have food too, but I've never tried it Pretty drive to this location: Rt 2 to Rt 5 to Ebenezers, then Take Rt 113 through Evans Notch back to Rt. 2. It's my favorite motorcycle road (so watch out for two wheels when you are enjoying yourself in the twisties)
Mountain Fire Pizza - Gorham, NH - short 25 min. drive west on rt 2. Amazing pizza - my favorite: Maple syrup and bacon pizza. Hand cut french fries are super too (ask for house made aoili!)
Rt 2 Diner - In Rumford Center - small but excellent, cheap food. As the name would cleverly suggest, it's located on Rt. 2 in the heart of Rumford center - don't blink or you'll miss it!
Fun routes to check out:
My favorite:
Errol - Gorham - Bethel Loop (108 Miles, 2.5 leisurely hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/51J3A Lots of chances to see moose and wildlife. Tons of elevation changes and twisty roads through mountain notches and along the Androscoggin river. WATCH SPEED THROUGH GORHAM NH. Police have nothing better to do.... Milan country store is a good food stop as is Gorham (mary's pizza is the real local deal or Mountain Fire Pizza is great too.)
Bethel - Lovell - Gilead Loop (113 Miles, 3+ hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/HOYQS BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!! I ride this on my motorcycle 1-2 times a week. Lots of good twisty roads, scenery, some shopping in North conway if you choose (Check out Zebs country store, it's an interesting stop!). Hurricane mtn. road is paved but super steep and narrow and twisty. Trees covering the road and a few good hikes at the height of the land. Follow this down into Rt 113 for a ride north through Evans notch . Beautiful valleys and rivers as well as some secret swimming holes (if you find me, I'll tell you the details). This ride will not disappoint!
Bethel - Andover - Rumford Loop (81.5 Miles, 2.15hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/sep0I Taking you off the beaten path through my old stomping grounds! You'll pass through a scenic covered bridge and the small town of Andover (the Andover store has great food inside - a freq stop of mine during hunting season/motorcycle season). Continuing past Andover, you will pass the site of the first Satellite relay stations in the US. HUGE satellite dishes, but mostly fenced and cameras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andover_Earth_Station Be careful along this route as moose are as frequent as it gets. Roxbury notch passes by a huge wind farm and down into Rumford area. I routed through the back way that takes you by my ol' favorite ski area Black Mtn. (home to the oldest ski club in the US and more winter olympians than any other town per capita in the US). From there, you'll wind through some back mountain roads and make your way back to Rumford proper and rt. 2. Here, you will be able to see the largest drop east of Niagra falls and a huge hydroelectic dam.(Rumford is home to once the largest paper mill in the world (china now owns that distinction)). From there, you'll continue up the back side of the river all the way back to Bethel. Nice and twisty river drive.
Cool facts:
More later....
Just ask if there are other things you want to see here!
Brian
Camping:
Pleasant River Campground is W. Bethel is nice with a pool.
You could also do Stony Brook Campground as well.
If you just want to be uber frugal (because getting 50+MPG just wasn't enough
), the white mountain national forest has a great little campsite (drive up) at Crocker Pond in Maine. It's $14/day I believe. Food and Drink:
In order of where I have mug club membership.....
Suds Pub - Downtown bethel - it's the local spot. Cheap decent food, lots of beer on tap. Tell them Brian sent you.
Rooster's Roadhouse - Near the Irving (where you should fuel up on the inside diesel pump (outside is bigboy nozzle)) - large selection of food and salad bar - lobster, steak, etc.
Sunday river brewpub - I personally skip this one.... something about $15 hamburgers makes me feel like I'm in NYC
, But it's convenient to the mountain.22 Broad - Looking for amazing wine and italian food? Look no further. I travel for work and haven't found many places with food as good. Spendy but worth it. Downtown Bethel
Funky Red Barn - There are usually some really good scenes of drunken dancing late night here. Truly a local spot. They also have cheap food earlier in the eve.
Hitchin post - Rt 2 west from bethel on your left 1/2 mile out of town. Ice cream stand and decent homemade food. Cheapest/best breakfast in town with most stuff made from local farms etc. Good pizza too.
Short drives for good food and drink:
Ebenezer's Pub - Lovell - Voted best beer bar in america the last 5 years... It's pretty solid! http://www.ebenezerspub.net/ 35 on tap and 1000 bottles to choose from...
They have food too, but I've never tried it Pretty drive to this location: Rt 2 to Rt 5 to Ebenezers, then Take Rt 113 through Evans Notch back to Rt. 2. It's my favorite motorcycle road (so watch out for two wheels when you are enjoying yourself in the twisties)Mountain Fire Pizza - Gorham, NH - short 25 min. drive west on rt 2. Amazing pizza - my favorite: Maple syrup and bacon pizza. Hand cut french fries are super too (ask for house made aoili!)
Rt 2 Diner - In Rumford Center - small but excellent, cheap food. As the name would cleverly suggest, it's located on Rt. 2 in the heart of Rumford center - don't blink or you'll miss it!
Fun routes to check out:
My favorite:
Errol - Gorham - Bethel Loop (108 Miles, 2.5 leisurely hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/51J3A Lots of chances to see moose and wildlife. Tons of elevation changes and twisty roads through mountain notches and along the Androscoggin river. WATCH SPEED THROUGH GORHAM NH. Police have nothing better to do.... Milan country store is a good food stop as is Gorham (mary's pizza is the real local deal or Mountain Fire Pizza is great too.)
Bethel - Lovell - Gilead Loop (113 Miles, 3+ hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/HOYQS BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!! I ride this on my motorcycle 1-2 times a week. Lots of good twisty roads, scenery, some shopping in North conway if you choose (Check out Zebs country store, it's an interesting stop!). Hurricane mtn. road is paved but super steep and narrow and twisty. Trees covering the road and a few good hikes at the height of the land. Follow this down into Rt 113 for a ride north through Evans notch . Beautiful valleys and rivers as well as some secret swimming holes (if you find me, I'll tell you the details). This ride will not disappoint!
Bethel - Andover - Rumford Loop (81.5 Miles, 2.15hrs) https://goo.gl/maps/sep0I Taking you off the beaten path through my old stomping grounds! You'll pass through a scenic covered bridge and the small town of Andover (the Andover store has great food inside - a freq stop of mine during hunting season/motorcycle season). Continuing past Andover, you will pass the site of the first Satellite relay stations in the US. HUGE satellite dishes, but mostly fenced and cameras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andover_Earth_Station Be careful along this route as moose are as frequent as it gets. Roxbury notch passes by a huge wind farm and down into Rumford area. I routed through the back way that takes you by my ol' favorite ski area Black Mtn. (home to the oldest ski club in the US and more winter olympians than any other town per capita in the US). From there, you'll wind through some back mountain roads and make your way back to Rumford proper and rt. 2. Here, you will be able to see the largest drop east of Niagra falls and a huge hydroelectic dam.(Rumford is home to once the largest paper mill in the world (china now owns that distinction)). From there, you'll continue up the back side of the river all the way back to Bethel. Nice and twisty river drive.Cool facts:
More later....
Just ask if there are other things you want to see here!
Brian
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