Our Motorcycle Ride to Main Street Farm for Coffee & Bites!
The Ride
The coffee shop for today is part of our Upstate Coffee Crawl series on the other side of the Hudson River. A couple of riding buddies joined me, and the Beeline Moto compass indicated 76.7 miles in a straight line to our destination. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.
I thumbed the starter on the BMW R1200GSA, departed Cross River, NY, and aimed the bike roughly in alignment with the compass. We had a long ride ahead of us & I hoped to find some fun roads along the way.
We headed toward Carmel and the local favorite road of Route 301, running along several reservoirs in the area and passing through Fahnestock State Park. We aimed to cross the Hudson River at the Bear Mountain Bridge, so we turned south on Dennytown Road and then onto Canopus Hill Road to climb over the ridge separating us from the valley Route 9 runs along. We had a very short section of a dirt road on Old Albany Post Road, one of the country’s oldest unpaved roads, and was built on some of the original native American trails.
We crossed Route 9 onto Snake Hill Road, which winds toward Route 9D near Garrison, New York. Here, we headed south toward the bridge and crossed the Hudson River.
Harriman State Park is just on the other side of the bridge, and as we passed the Bear Mountain Inn, we continued west on Seven Lakes Drive. The drive is one of the most scenic in the park and, as its name suggests, passes by seven lakes. At Lake Tiorati, we turned right onto Arden Valley Road, my favorite road in Harriman State Park. It features several elevation changes and switchbacks as it heads toward Route 17, crossing over Interstate 87.
Route 17 runs roughly north/south here, but the Beeline Moto compass still points northwest. We diverted south on Route 17 to take the Orange Turnpike, which brought us into Monroe, NY, and connected with Route 17M, which aligned roughly with the compass.
BMW R1200GSA parked in front of Main Street Farm
Route 17M is a congested route with strip malls on either side. We diverted to pass through the village of Goshen, NY, and then any back roads roughly aligned with the compass heading. Our efforts paid off with scenic roads through small villages like Rockville and Van Burenville, leading to the excellent Mountain Road that runs along and climbs a small ridge toward Wurtsboro, NY.
The main highway of Route 17 paralleled our route as we passed through several of the small towns it runs along. We made our way to Livingstone Manor and turned onto Main Street.
As we found the coffee shop on our left, we found some spots right in front of the shop. Rever had recorded our route with a distance of 132.5 miles, so we found a few curves along the way. See the route below.
The Coffee Shop
We weren’t the only motorcyclists who stopped there; another pair of bikes was parked near us in front of the shop. Of course, Sullivan County is known for some outstanding motorcycle roads, so I’m not surprised to see the bikes out today.
Counter at the coffee section of Main Street Farm
Main Street Farm is in the Livingstone Manor hamlet of Rockland, New York. The town is near Route 17, a major highway and frequent travel stop. Also nearby is Willowemoc Creek, famous for fly fishing and stocked by state wildlife agents. The area claims to be the birthplace of fly fishing in the United States, and with so many rivers throughout the Catskills and plenty of trout, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true.
When I entered the shop, my first impression was the bright light from the many windows. The shop is divided into two areas: the coffee shop with some food and the shopping market, with entrances to each section. Some open wood sections allow viewing between the two regions, while a sizeable cased opening allows walking between them.
Peaking through to the market portion of Main Street Farm
It was busy when we arrived and got the last available table. With our stuff holding the table, we headed to the counter to review the menu and make our order.
Coffee options included drip coffee, nitro cold brew, Espresso, americano, macchiato, Gibraltar (1:2 espresso to milk), cappuccino, latte, and mocha. Matcha lattes, teas, and fruit drinks were also available directly next door at the market. Food options included several sandwiches, including all-day breakfast choices. Soups like chicken dumplings, kale quinoa, and New England clam chowder rounded out the menu.
Given the significant takeout traffic, I ordered a latte served in a paper cup. It had some excellent espresso art, and I found a delicious flavor and smooth texture in the milk.
When we arrived mid-morning, it was a bit early for lunch, but seeing the many delicious offerings fellow patrons were eating, I would have loved to try some. With so many great roads available in the area, lots of food and coffee options, and convenient motorcycle parking right out front, I highly recommend making a trip to Main Street Farm.
