MotoJournal: Lobster Rolls & Ice Cream Bowls

It is hot.

Nah, it’s not hot, it’s hot AND humid. A combo this sweaty lady abhors.

I know, I know, everyone sweats, my doctor has told me. I am not getting into a “I sweat more” thing here. Everyone I know wants to outdo me in the “I sweat too” thing meanwhile a beads of sweat splat on the pavement while they explain how sweaty they are.

Yes, I am complaining about the humidity, and yes, we are all suffering. No need to outsuffer each other. We are all basking in this climate change mess together.

It is HOT. It is HUMID. I am SWEATY.

As such, I am camping out in my air-conditioned, home office most days and only venturing out when needed. Most days, I am a recluse like this. But it’s okay, I have my Facebook friends and my YUGE fanbase here to keep me company. That said, I am not riding my motorcycle as much as I would like. This summertime weekend warrior is looking forward to the fall.

The heat prompted me to buy a new riding jacket. My first was a cheap clearance rack thing. It got me across the country, but I was ready for an upgrade. Also, what better way to peripherally participate in more than weekend motorcyling than by buying more gear? I also bought a new helmet, new gloves and new boots. Now, I need to buy new tires too.

My spending habits aside, I am quiet happy with my new jacket. I did not go cheap this time. I got the nice mesh, 3-season Levante touring jacket from Rev’it. I am not evangelizing Rev’it, but paying more was worth it. This jacket fit well out the box and it was flattering. There are awesome finishes like the UTA tab cuffs, the flexisnap at the neck, a cushy fleece neck lining, adjustable waist and POCKETS! Oh, big ass pockets and lots of them. How the hell did I ride over 5000 miles through deserts, rainstorms, mountains and hurricanes in that cheap thing I had before? It is also mesh, which makes this sweaty lady happy.

But I digress, I did bait you into reading this with Lobster Rolls and Ice Cream Bowls. I didn’t have a good plan going into this post, so bear with me, this prose is a mess.

As a weekend warrior, I am usually angling for weekend rides to get food and meals. These are Ride to Eat (RTE) as the New England Riders call it. When Oivind and I go out, we find a cool place for lunch or dinner and we ride to it. Literally, we Ride to Eat. Interestingly, someone approached me recently about the idea of combining some Cooking with Kimi inspiration with a Motorcycle Tour. So, I consider these Ride to Eat adventures research as well.

We also found a cool new motorcycle mapping app called CaliMoto that finds us the curvy roads to a destination. Look at me evangelizing another product here – two in one post! But it is pretty cool.

For example, I searched the web for clambakes in Massachusetts. I found the Rehoboth 375th Anniversary Clambake Celebration. Yeah, I had never heard of the place before either, but a Ride to Eat Clambake (RTEC) seemed like a reasonable outing. And clambake we did! Check me out posing with a 5-ft tall lobster in Rehoboth. Even cooler was the trip report from the app including lean angle. It’s like a fitbit for your motorcycle.

We Ride to Eat Lobster Rolls (RTELR) at The Lobster Pool on the North Shore. I am pretty sure the view makes the the lobster tastier.

We Ride to Eat in Lowell (RTEL) for lunch with fresh greens from Mill City Grows at Fuse Bistro. Although Affagato was not on the menu, we took it upon ourselves to make it happen anyway.

We Rode to Eat Ice Cream (RTEIC) Middleton for Richardson’s Ice Cream from the source. Seriously, their cows are in the pasture out back. This place was hoppin’ and for good reason, their ice cream was amazing.

More Ride to Eat Ice Cream (RTEIC) at Anne’s in a town called Orange. While the scoops were YUGE, it was a bit too sweet for me.

How’s about some really great Ride to Eat Pub Food (RTEPF) at the Cooper’s Irish Pub in Petersborough, NH. Full disclosure, we walked to this pub because I do not Ride to Drink (RTD). However, our bikes were safely parked at the Jack Daniel’s Motor Inn.

We also made a Ride to Eat Sandwiches (RTES) and peaceful scenery at Nashoba Brook Bakery.

Then there was Ride to Eat Cookies and Drink Coffee (RTEC&DC) at the Flat Iron Exchange in Bellows Falls, VT.

And one of my favorite places to Ride to Eat and Art (RTEA) is North Adams, Massachusetts where we stopped in at one of our favorites, PUBLIC eat+drink before visiting MassMOCA.

It all finally culminated in attending my first motorcycle gathering in Jaffrey, New Hampshire at Kimball Farm for a New England Riders’ Ride To Eat (RTE). Yes, I had a lobster roll, and yes, the ride home we stopped for an ice cream bowl.

So, I guess for a weekend warrior, I am doing pretty good on getting my Ride to Eat on. And now that I have a cool new airy, three-season jacket and fun mapping app, so there will be more to come.

Happy Cooking and Happy Riding to Eat!