2023 D2R2 Pre-Game Ride

I was the first to arrive from the Team Karl's Sausage Kitchen at D2R2 and met up with Zac at the registration tent and invited him to camp with us.  Will arrived after I set up camp and the three of us set off on our annual Pre-Game ride.

From the campground we rode through Deerfield Academy

Crossing Route 5 we noticed that the road was closed but figured that didn't apply to us

We started climbing and came to this cool train crossing

On the other side of the tracks is when we discovered while the road was closed

Apparently that big rain storm that flooded Vermont washed out this road, too.

The route said we had to go right somewhere but I all I saw was a driveway so we continued climbing

Finally the road turned to dirt!

and we were still climbing

Then we were at the top

and the view was amazing!

The descent was a bone shaker.

Then we headed north on River Road

And then the road turned to dirt again and went under this train trestle

there was a train moving slowly over us as we passed under

and it was a cool bridge, too.

You could just see the engine pushing the cars

and it was just a switcher so it must have been pushing these cars into a yard.

We started encountering these really big puddles.

My shoes got wet while I rode through 

but Will and Zac walked this one.

There were more puddles to ride around

and was more damage from the earlier rains.

We all took the go around on this one.

Here's the train yard where those train cars were being pushed into.

After the rail yard we picked up the Franklin County Greenway and headed towards Turner Falls.

The old rail road bridge crossed over the Connecticut River

Here comes Zac

From here we headed east paralleling the Connecticut River and then turned north again

and took this sandy, dirt road that cut through the Montague Plains Wildlife Refuge

We stopped for a little brake at this intersection with some amazing sight lines

And then we were riding again and dodging puddles

Then we came upon the Pioneer Valley Brewery

and we stopped for a cold one!

I bought a four pack of the Heroes Pale Ale. Will was able to take one can and I was able to fit two in my back pockets one in my frame pack.

We picked up the greenway again where there is a canal running a long side it.

and it was flooded

Leaving the greenway we came across more rolling stock

And then we were headed back to the campsite.

I think this route is part of a course for tomorrow's ride.