LL Bean in the Rain

Since the purchase of my Honda NT700, I became an active member of a web-based forum dedicated to that model bike. Actually, reading members posts prior to my purchase helped me decide that the NT was for me and I haven't looked back. The members are dispersed around the country and it is truly a great group people. Some of the New Englanders have now held two "mini" rallies in Maine. The most recent was last Saturday, October 1.
The event was planned well in advance and we decided to go rain or shine. It was rain.
I left the house about 7:45 in a light drizzle which turned into a downpour before I got to Winterport. It came down in buckets, cats and dogs. I met my friend and fellow NT owner, Alex, in Belfast and we headed east on Route 3. The rain had let up when we first departed. Our reprieve continued as we headed south on 131 through Appleton to Union, where we caught 235 south Waldoboro. The rain began again in earnest as we took US route 1 to Brunswick then US 201 to Topsham. Here we visited Tri-Sports and perused motorcycles and motorcycle gear. They're in the process of preparing for winter and bringing out the snow sleds and snowmobile gear so it was a bit disappointing. There was a 20011 Triumph America that was a bit over priced but was very pretty.
We jumped on I-95 and went the 10 or 15 miles to Freeport where we met Mac and Karl. Linking up with them was harder than it should have been. I had lost Mac cell phone number and failed to feel my phone vibrate during his first call. We shared some stories, eyed each other's bikes and had lunch. It was then down route 1 to Falmouth and Street Cycles. Here I drooled on a couple of Triumph Americas and Bonnevilles.
Our departure up US 1 to I-295 occurred in a light, steady rain. As we headed north the rain eased up and the dry pavement enabled us to go a bit faster. We exited I-295 at Gardiner and followed route 126/9 to Bridge Street where we crossed the Kennebec River and continued to follow route 9 to route 3 which led us to Belfast. The rain returned making for a soggy ride. I got some much needed fuel in Belfast as I parted ways with Alex. It was then up 1A to Bangor and on up route 2 to Veazie, retracing my path from earlier in the day. I got back at dusk.
What did I take away from the trip. My waterproof boots are no longer waterproof. My socks were soaking wet and as the sun went down and temperature dropped by feet go really cold. My waterproof gloves are no longer waterproof. My hands got wet. I took 3 pairs of gloves, so that helped as did my heated grips. My Frogg Toggs rain suit performed perfectly, except my crotch got wet. Can't figure that one out. Maybe the zipper leaked. I need a little better rain gear but with it, riding all day in the rain ain't so bad.
Finally learned that route 131 and 235 are great roads, fun to ride, and I'm going to visit the again as soon as I can so I can lean into the turns and roll on the throttle.