Steaming Tender
Category
What a terrific turnout for the Ride to Anywhere on Saturday. The Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer MA, noted by Bob Bolandrina as the "often ill-fated" ride which "holds the record for the most rescheduled ride in Chapter history", had once again been canceled in August due to rain! So this was the perfect opportunity to make it our destination for this day. We gathered at RedStreak Motors on what was a brisk, but clear morning and most of us wore layer upon layer of clothing to keep warm. We departed at 10:30 AM. Our ride captain, Ray led us from Marlboro on a very nice route that took us through Shrewsbury, W. Boylston, Sterling and Princeton to our first stop at the DD on Rte 122A in Rutland for coffee, snacks and warmth. From there, we traveled many more scenic roads to Barre and into Ware (where?) where we made a rest stop at the Friendly's in the center of town for a quick stretch. We arrived at The Steaming Tender about 30 minutes later. After checking out some of the train cars on display in the parking lot, our group of 15 were seated in the indoor dining area where we had a very nice, relaxing lunch. Through the windows we could see several trains, some passenger and some freight, pass by during our meal. And the food was delicious as usual. We left the station and began our journey back, traveling Rte 20 most of the way, until we got to a gas station at the intersection of Rtes 20 and 56 in Oxford. A few of us gassed up and we all chatted for a while, the weather still nice. Some said their good-byes at that point and others made a stop at MotorSports International in Auburn before heading for home. From start to finish, Jack Mooney took video, both during the ride using his handlebar cam, as well as at all of our stops. The video came out great and is really fun to watch. Thanks, Jack!
Although a bit chillier than we would have liked, it did turn out to be the better (and drier) of the 2 weekend days giving Chapter 239 members another good day of riding.
What a terrific turnout for the Ride to Anywhere on Saturday. The Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer MA, noted by Bob Bolandrina as the "often ill-fated" ride which "holds the record for the most rescheduled ride in Chapter history", had once again been canceled in August due to rain! So this was the perfect opportunity to make it our destination for this day. We gathered at RedStreak Motors on what was a brisk, but clear morning and most of us wore layer upon layer of clothing to keep warm. We departed at 10:30 AM. Our ride captain, Ray led us from Marlboro on a very nice route that took us through Shrewsbury, W. Boylston, Sterling and Princeton to our first stop at the DD on Rte 122A in Rutland for coffee, snacks and warmth. From there, we traveled many more scenic roads to Barre and into Ware (where?) where we made a rest stop at the Friendly's in the center of town for a quick stretch. We arrived at The Steaming Tender about 30 minutes later. After checking out some of the train cars on display in the parking lot, our group of 15 were seated in the indoor dining area where we had a very nice, relaxing lunch. Through the windows we could see several trains, some passenger and some freight, pass by during our meal. And the food was delicious as usual. We left the station and began our journey back, traveling Rte 20 most of the way, until we got to a gas station at the intersection of Rtes 20 and 56 in Oxford. A few of us gassed up and we all chatted for a while, the weather still nice. Some said their good-byes at that point and others made a stop at MotorSports International in Auburn before heading for home. From start to finish, Jack Mooney took video, both during the ride using his handlebar cam, as well as at all of our stops. The video came out great and is really fun to watch. Thanks, Jack!
Although a bit chillier than we would have liked, it did turn out to be the better (and drier) of the 2 weekend days giving Chapter 239 members another good day of riding.
