A Great Find Along The Way...

Errol, NH - As a young girl growing up in a border town - my parents would often take a Sunday road trip; most often these mystery rides would find us in the USA. As an adult my passion for road trips has not changed, recently I recalled a yearly road trip my parents would take me on; and relived the experience all over again.

 

Chad and I decided to leave Sherbrooke, QC at around 10 am on Labor Day Monday, and headed out towards Cookshire and then took the long straight numbered two-lane road to towards the Maine border.

 

After clearing customs, (which, by the way, the officer's booth is on the passenger's side) we were back on our mystery ride headed towards the Rangeley Lakes region in Maine. We took a couple of picture-taking stops along the way; and saw a small spiked-horn deer on the side of a logging road. As we turned around to snap a shot, he was long gone. I was in high hopes of seeing a moose or two, as when I made this trip as a young child. However we were left mooseless. but we did discover something that I would like to share with you; The Errol 'Cream Barrel & Chuck Wagon.

 

After spending a few hours walking up one side of the main street in Rangeley Maine, and then down the other, and again snapping off a few pictures we were off to find Route 16 back towards New Hampshire, then Vermont, and then back home. Not having packed a lunch; we wanted to find a nice place to eat. It was around 4 pm and we were getting a bit hungry; when entering Errol, New Hampshire we saw a general store with a deli on the left. This was tempting, but decided to drive a few more yards; we came across a Subway on the right, this was housed in a sporting goods store; but that's not what we were really looking for. across the street diagonally we found this fantastic rustic restaurant and ice cream bar called 'The Errol 'Cream Barrel & Chuck Wagon'.

 

What a find! On Route 26 just west of Route 16 - a great little family restaurant with down home hospitality and we later found out that it's a Yankee Magazine Travel Guide Editors Pick. The homemade food is served in a very unique casual rustic dining room. And they are very proud to promote the fact that all their items are homemade right down to the pizza sauce, fresh cut fries, hand cut onion rings, fresh-made burgers, soups, chowders & more! They even make their own rich tasting ice cream in a variety of flavors.


I asked the hosts, Joe and Bonnie if they were open year round and Joe acknowledged from under his cowboy hat 'Yup, we are on a major snowmobile trail.'

 

If you can not find something on this menu - then you have a problem; as they serve everything from BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches, a famous BBQ chicken dinner, burgers, dogs, fries, pasta, seafood, pizza, onion rings, brownie sundaes, and their own Barrel Beverages, unique flavours brewed and bottled just for them including: Old Fashioned Root Beer; Ginger Beer; Birch Beer; Sarsaparilla; Vanilla Cream Soda; Raspberry Lime Rickey; Orange Soda and Wild Black Cherry.

 

One visit will have you convinced that if you are travelling along this route, you must stop in and check this place out - the food is fantastic; the hospitality is warm and friendly; and the rustic décor is unique, warm and inviting. The check is even delivered to your table in a metal pie-type pan with a gold-painted stone-like nugget placed upon your bill - as if you were in a western town and had been panning for gold; however, don't forget to bring cash, as their saying goes 'We're so real we don't even accept plastic.'

 

This was a great find - and I wanted to share our Labor Day road trip and findings with all your readers. Have a safe road trip and do enjoy The Errol 'Cream Barrel & Chuck Wagon once you get there!

Published 2007 - Log Cabin Chronicles