Allagash The Last Frontier.
Before the later part of the nineteen seventies snowmobiling in Allagash was done primarily out of necessity and then only by local folks that could afford a sled. In and around nineteen seventy-four a few of the men and women in Allagash got together and decided to try to carve out trails that would connect to what was becoming a growing winter sport in the more western parts of Aroostook County, thus the birth of what is today widely known as one of the best places in Maine to snowmobile. A used groomer was in Pennsylvania and on one of the long hauls transporting Maine potatoes out of Aroostook County, the driver returned to Allagash with the first Tucker. No more snowmobiles pulling handmade drags with compasses, maps and snowshoes to make trails, the newly formed Moosetown Riders Snowmobile Club was born. Allagash being on the edge of America and her sister country Canada, has always been known for its abundance of snow. They receive the white gold earlier than most regions and it stays on the ground weeks later for some of the very best spring sledding in the state.
In 1976 the Allagash town officials approached the Kelly family and asked if they could accommodate the food for the number of folks they anticipated coming to town for the bicentennial celebration. Leitha and Tylor Kelly accepted the challenge and the now iconic family-owned restaurant Two Rivers Lunch, that welcomes thousands of snowmobilers yearly, opened its doors for the very first time.
Year after year Two River’s doors were swung open by more and more snowgoers arriving at the last frontier hoping to find a good meal and a potbelly woodstove to dry their gear before heading back on the trails. Not only did they find what they were looking for, but they were greeted with a spirit of kindness that would inevitably keep them coming back. Tylor and Leitha continued to expand their little take-out hot dog stand, building it into what it is today, a full-scale restaurant and Bunkhouse which has grown into a lodge that sleeps eight comfortably. Repeat customers, word of mouth, topped with their traditional home cooking, daily specials all made from scratch and Leitha’s recipes have them lined up at times waiting for a seat and coming back. Two Rivers serves breakfast all day long with menu items such as “The Moosetowner”, loaded omelets, eggs benedict, crepes and their signature buttermilk pancakes that are the size of a dinner plate. Their award-winning burgers are made from fresh ground beef, purchased from a local grocer and are rated one of the best in the state by Down East Magazine. Hand cut French Fries sliced from potatoes purchased at a local farmer’s roadside stand, sizzle in the fryers, drawing them in. Snowmobilers pile through the doors hoping to have arrived in time for their famous Chicken Stew or Fish Chowder which is always a good way to warm up.
Recently, Down East Magazine also ran an article about Leitha’s famous Lemon Filled Cookies. It reads like this, “At Two Rivers Lunch, in Allagash, Leitha Kelly has folded tender sugar cookies around dollops of lemon curd ever since opening the diner, in 1976. Before that, her mother made the same cookies. And before that, she says, her mother’s mother probably made them, and so on. Kelly’s daughter, Darlene Kelly Dumond, runs Two Rivers now, but Kelly, at 80, still bakes the lemon cookies, which have devotees ranging from the hunters who come in every fall to stock up before trips into the woods to the woman who moved away to California and had a batch shipped cross-country so she could share them with her coworkers. “You realize how important those simple recipes that were carried down from generation to generation are,” says Dumond, who learned to cook the diner’s repertoire by watching her mother add a “tad” of this or a “ladleful” of that. “They’re soothing and comforting and so good.”
Homemade desserts continue to be served using recipes handed down from one generation of Allagash ladies to another and Mrs. Kelly who is now approaching 85 proudly bakes their customers favorite array of pies using her mother’s delicate crust recipe.
Many customers sign the guest books that have adorned the front counter for years leaving reviews such as, “The best omelet we’ve ever had. We had the loaded omelet three mornings in a row, it is big enough to share. The grilled cheese was perfectly grilled, and the tomato rice soup was the perfect accompaniment to dip the sandwich in. Homemade bread makes for great toast and even better French toast. If you’re in the mood for pancakes you only need one, it’s bigger than the plate and that’s just breakfast.” “It doesn’t get any more homemade than Two Rivers Lunch! Homemade bread and stews to tempt you! They treat you like family there, and make you feel like they’ve known you for years!
“This is the place to go if you like to know the history, present time or foretold future of the town of Allagash! Pay close attention to those locals that sit at the front booth, they have the best stories! The food is delicious! The ambiance is exactly what you’d expect, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find a sweet treat homemade by one of the beautiful founders of this great establishment; Leitha! Totally worth the trip “up North.”
“They were so incredibly nice; they saw that my friends and I were in a tough spot while snowmobiling in the region, and they did everything in their power to try to help us. Can not say enough good things about them!!!”
Everyone that finds their way upriver to the little place feels right at home. Folks here remember your names; they sit at the “locals” table in the front each morning awaiting the sound of the first sled arriving through the morning powder for with you comes the report of the goings on in the world outside of their forest retreat. Friends are made, tales are told while you unplug and unwind. Mr. Kelly recently reminisced quoting a remark that was made about the early days when the sledders first started to arrive, “Holy boy, here they come, just a sevener (a local term used for moving fast) ain’t they.” Everyone would step outside to see them.
The little restaurant recently added Wi-Fi, a credit card machine and cellular service now reaches Two Rivers Lunch thanks to the help of their friends in Augusta.
Two Rivers Lunch is open for breakfast and lunch from 7am to 3pm Wednesday through Sunday, but if snowmobilers arrive at our doorstep after hours, they will find a note directing them to the Kelly family homestead, the Moosetown Riders, and a list of emergency numbers. They leave a door always unlocked so a weary snowmobiler can enter, use the phone in an emergency, grab a drink or even lay their heads down on one of the comfy beds in the attached bunkhouse until a rescue arrives. The motto out here on the last frontier is “You get here, we’ll get you out.” Two Rivers Lunch ( 207-231-1328) and Tylor Kelly’s Camps ( 207-398-4478) are open year-round with their newly renovated riverfront cabins overlooking the St. John River equipped with full kitchens, bathrooms, Wi-Fi, televisions, propane heat and large parking areas for sled trailers. They are both located directly on ITS 92 and always prepared night or day to help with emergency gas, lodging and transportation out.
This restaurant is also home to the Can-Am International Dog Sled Race which is a 250-mile race with dog teams arriving in Allagash at Two Rivers Checkpoint #4 the first weekend of March each year. The team’s layover for a five-hour respite to strategize before departing on to the last leg and finish line in Fort Kent. It is an exciting weekend to be here to enjoy an up close and personal experience with the dogs and the mushers. The Annual Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby is usually held the last full weekend of January and again another fun weekend on Glazier and Beau lakes that are part of the trail system.
The family patriarch Tylor Kelly has been collecting Allagash logging artifacts, memorabilia and antiques most of his life. His dream was to build a museum here in Allagash to showcase his collections. Over the past several years, with the help of family and friends, that dream has come true. Papa and Mama Kelly’s Museum officially opened the doors so you can now visit it as well. The museum sits next door to Two Rivers Lunch.
As we mentioned earlier the Escourt Trail through to the Canadian border is once again open thanks to the Moosetown Riders Snowmobile Club making last season the most crossed international border by snowmobiles in the region. Now you can travel ITS 92 to Allagash, have breakfast or lunch at Two Rivers Lunch, sled to the border entering Canada for food or fuel when it is open and return to stay in one of our many lodging spots that are now open in Allagash year-round.
Two Rivers Lunch located at 75 Dickey Rd, Allagash, Maine is the last place to grab a square meal and a round cookie before entering the northernmost stretch of the North Maine Woods. The coffee is always on and the friendly smiles you encounter are FREE! To reach the Kelly’s for trail conditions, restaurant questions or reservation call Darlene at 207-231-1328 or 207-398-3393
Peace, love and you’ll be Braaaping in the Gash soon!