9/27/18 Deerfield, MA

Today is yet another "van free" day, so we're starting our ride on Route 5 & 10 in Deerfield, MA.


Our route begins by taking us past historic tobacco barns and the modern crop of hosta plants bound for nursery. Next we cross over the Deerfield River and sail over the top of Interstate 91 free of interchange. After a bit more uphill work, we are at the junction of Route 116. We're following a printed route map we picked up a few days ago at Basically Bicycles, a recumbent shop in nearby Turners Falls, MA. While it's working well thus far, we pull off the road and consult Google Maps on our phones, just to be sure. Paula notices that if we turn right on Route 116, we'll be about 1/4 mile from Pekarski's Sausage, so we opt for a quick side trip.

As we roll into the parking lot, the air is richly thick with the aroma of smoking meat. Once inside we are greeted to a visual feast of smoked duck, chicken, pork chops, as well as ham, bacon, kielbasa, andouille, Italian sausage, bratwurst, fresh sauerkraut, pickles, pierogi, honey, and maple syrup. Since we're at the start of our ride, we know we must limit our purchase to non-perishable and non-breakable items, so we settle on a beautiful kielbasa. We're complimented on our bright orange matching bike kit by both shop staff and fellow patrons. 😃We pack our treasure into a pannier and head south on Route 116.

We're relieved that the route only has us on Route 116 for about a mile of downhill as it is very busy and extremely rutted. California is definitely not the only state with nasty road surfaces.

After an unpleasantly exciting, and blessedly brief, downhill run, we take a right and onto a lightly traveled rural road. VIDEO: S. Mill River Rd. It looks familiar, and we realize that it's the road where Warm Colors Apiary is located. Leslie's mom took us to an open house there shortly after we first arrived. In addition to fresh honey, The Artisan Beverage Cooperative was also offering samples of their wares. Their Ginger Libation was excellent as a refreshing stand-alone drink, and would likely be a delicious addition to a Moscow Mule.

Our loop continues south towards Sunderland and the vistas are spectacular through gently rolling hills and curves. The occasional maple tree is sporting red, but we're still waiting for the big wash of color to spread across the entire landscape. To our surprise, we notice an RV park along this route. We stop for a closer peek, and see that they are able to accommodate large rigs and have complete facilities including a pool. White Birch Campground

After a few more miles, we make a left at River Road, so named because it parallels the Connecticut River. There's a whole lot of water in this area! Our paper route map has ice cream icon showing, so we know that there's a stop in our future as Leslie is an ice cream hound, and besides we haven't had lunch. Ice cream is a lunch entree, right? The stop turns out to be Pasiecnik's Farm Stand, featuring both "creamees" (New England for soft serve ice cream) and hard serve flavors. They had a picnic area replete with umbrellas and comfy adirondack chairs, so we had a leisurely repast before continuing our ride.

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