Monday, August 13, 2012

Gorge(ous) Lovell

It’s the height of the tourist season. Has anyone else noticed the epic backups going into and out of North Conway? So tomorrow, August 14th, we need to get far from the madding crowds. And there’s nowhere more remote and scenic as the Kezar Falls Gorge /Five Kezar Ponds area out of Lovell, Maine. You’ll be surprised at the remoteness of the second half of the ride.

We'll start out at the Lovell Historical Society and take Old Waterford Road to Kezar Falls Gorge, which Delorme rightly describes as a unique natural area. Then the route will take us to the Five Kezar Ponds where we’ll take a path around one. Next we’ll retrace our tracks back down Old Waterford Road to a dirt road and head out to the Dan Charles Pond area and then after a series of dirt roads (with a couple of sandy spots) we’ll come out on Fern St which will lead us back to Old Waterford Road and the Historical Society.  After the heavy rains on Friday we may encounter puddles etc.

There are a few hills, primarily at the beginning of the ride so we’ll get our most aerobic exercise during the cooler part of the day. Otherwise the terrain will be relatively easy to cover. The surface will be pavement, pavement reverting to dirt, dirt and packed sandy soil. We should cover a bit over 19 miles.  Bring lunch, water and sunscreen.

Added Bonus: The Historical Society will be open Tuesday so you can nip in there for a look see at the exhibits after the ride.

Please be ready to ride at 9:30am. Park in the lot/field which is on the left, just across from the historical society building which is 1.5 miles past the intersection of routes 93 and 5 in Lovell. To get to Lovell take route 5 north out of Fryeburg, Me.

Carpooling: Meet at the Scenic Overlook in North Conway which is conveniently located across the street from Trails End Ice Cream Shop. Meet Time 8:40am

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