Metro Boston: Good ride today?
08-21-19, 03:30 PM
#8327
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I did I ride through Harvard with my husband last year. He's from the area (Bolton) and wanted to ride the roads he used to take as a teenager. Those hills kicked our butts! But we survived. I'd like to take another stab at it now that I have a proper road bike. Ruby is much better suited to climbing.
08-22-19, 12:50 PM
#8328
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Hey, before I spend $1,000 for three nights at the Marlowe Hotel by the science museum, can anybody suggest a less expensive - but decent hotel with easy access to the Charles River/Dudley Bikeway that's in a lively area for two tourists from New York? We want to come up there on Columbus Day weekend and I understand it's prime price time, but I'd be happy to spend a little less on accommodations. I'm particularly miffed to have to shell out almost $100 just to have my car sit dormant at the Marlowe for three days. We'd like to get around Boston and Cambridge on bikes, exclusively, and we hope to fall in on some type of festival or outdoor concert while we are there.
I need to book something by the end of this week (8/23/19), so any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!
I need to book something by the end of this week (8/23/19), so any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!
08-22-19, 06:17 PM
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Hey, before I spend $1,000 for three nights at the Marlowe Hotel by the science museum, can anybody suggest a less expensive - but decent hotel with easy access to the Charles River/Dudley Bikeway that's in a lively area for two tourists from New York?
We want to come up there on Columbus Day weekend and I understand it's prime price time, but I'd be happy to spend a little less on accommodations. I'm particularly miffed to have to shell out almost $100 just to have my car sit dormant at the Marlowe for three days.
We'd like to get around Boston and Cambridge on bikes, exclusively, and we hope to fall in on some type of festival or outdoor concert while we are there.
I need to book something by the end of this week (8/23/19), so any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!
We want to come up there on Columbus Day weekend and I understand it's prime price time, but I'd be happy to spend a little less on accommodations. I'm particularly miffed to have to shell out almost $100 just to have my car sit dormant at the Marlowe for three days.
We'd like to get around Boston and Cambridge on bikes, exclusively, and we hope to fall in on some type of festival or outdoor concert while we are there.
I need to book something by the end of this week (8/23/19), so any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!
At first I was surprised to see a post by you, a diehard Long Islander, on this Metro Boston thread but then I was amused when I read the content. In 2013 you posted a similar request somewhere on BikeForms. I couldn’t find the original request, but I effusively replied:
I can't help you in regards to hotels, but I've ridden the the Cambridge/Boston side of the Charles River Bike Path many times and the Watertown -> Newton -> Waltham side only once…
Hi PT,
I had to look up the location of the Daly Rink, and it seems you were off the bikepath by a few blocks. DcSe gave a nice description of the entire length of the Charles River Bike Path. I have not ridden myself from Watertown to Waltham, but I estimate the entire loop would be about 20 miles.
A couple other suggestions are the Minuteman Bikepath from Arlington Center to Bedford, about 11 miles one-way. It’s entirely paved and mostly leafy green scenery and it passes close to historic Lexington Center with nice casual restaurants, and the historic Minuteman statue.
A more urban path is the Southwest Corridor Path beginning in the Back Bay by the Train Station and proceeding to Forest Hills, At Forest Hills you can enter the Arnold Arboretum for some gentle parkland riding. I would estimate that ride would be about 15 miles or so round-trip.
There are some interesting Columbus Weekend events in Boston, including the Tufts 10K Women's Road Race in downtown Boston, an Oktoberfest in Harvard Square in Cambridge, and a Street Performer's Festival at Quincy Market.
As you realize, the farther out from downtown, the cheaper the hotels. You might consider some hotels on the Rte 128 Beltway in Waltham, because that would provide easy access (by car) onto Mass Pike and into downtown. A cousin of mine stayed at the Westin if I recall, with a reasonable rate one September.
BTW, Boston and has a bike sharing system called Hubway [now Blues Bike], and you could rent a bicycle on an hourly to daily rate from many kiosks, or rent a bike from several bike shops (likely cheaper on a daily basis).
I would like to offer to show you around, but I have a busy but unfixed schedule for this weekend which would include some pleasure walking in downtown Boston if interested. Feel free to send me a PM for any further information I could provide. I enjoy showing people around Boston, and was the point man here for this year’s Fifth Annual Fifty-Plus Forum Ride.
I'm sure readers of this Northeast Regional subforum would enjoy reading of your experience here.
PS: FYA, the Charles River Bike Path is known as the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path, who was President Eisenhower’s cardiologist when he had a heart attack circa 1955. Dr. White I believe was an early advocate of exercise for the heart. The Southwest Corridor Bike Path is known as the Pierre Lallement Bike Path:
I had to look up the location of the Daly Rink, and it seems you were off the bikepath by a few blocks. DcSe gave a nice description of the entire length of the Charles River Bike Path. I have not ridden myself from Watertown to Waltham, but I estimate the entire loop would be about 20 miles.
A couple other suggestions are the Minuteman Bikepath from Arlington Center to Bedford, about 11 miles one-way. It’s entirely paved and mostly leafy green scenery and it passes close to historic Lexington Center with nice casual restaurants, and the historic Minuteman statue.
A more urban path is the Southwest Corridor Path beginning in the Back Bay by the Train Station and proceeding to Forest Hills, At Forest Hills you can enter the Arnold Arboretum for some gentle parkland riding. I would estimate that ride would be about 15 miles or so round-trip.
There are some interesting Columbus Weekend events in Boston, including the Tufts 10K Women's Road Race in downtown Boston, an Oktoberfest in Harvard Square in Cambridge, and a Street Performer's Festival at Quincy Market.
As you realize, the farther out from downtown, the cheaper the hotels. You might consider some hotels on the Rte 128 Beltway in Waltham, because that would provide easy access (by car) onto Mass Pike and into downtown. A cousin of mine stayed at the Westin if I recall, with a reasonable rate one September.
BTW, Boston and has a bike sharing system called Hubway [now Blues Bike], and you could rent a bicycle on an hourly to daily rate from many kiosks, or rent a bike from several bike shops (likely cheaper on a daily basis).
I would like to offer to show you around, but I have a busy but unfixed schedule for this weekend which would include some pleasure walking in downtown Boston if interested. Feel free to send me a PM for any further information I could provide. I enjoy showing people around Boston, and was the point man here for this year’s Fifth Annual Fifty-Plus Forum Ride.
I'm sure readers of this Northeast Regional subforum would enjoy reading of your experience here.
PS: FYA, the Charles River Bike Path is known as the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path, who was President Eisenhower’s cardiologist when he had a heart attack circa 1955. Dr. White I believe was an early advocate of exercise for the heart. The Southwest Corridor Bike Path is known as the Pierre Lallement Bike Path:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
[Lallement] is considered by some to be a the inventor of the bicycle… He died in obscurity in 1891 in Boston at the age of 47.
Thanks for the replies you've posted so far. I will cut and paste this info into a Word document and save it for future use, but for now, we've decided to pass on this weekend's getaway. There are several things going on here in New York that we decided we just can't miss.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
... All my visitors have a great time here. Not to brag, but e.g…I really enjoy showing visitors around Boston on informal walking tours [or bikes], and I would offer that to a fellow BF subscriber, but I'm a pretty busy person, and would need a heads up to see if I'm available at a mutually agreeable time
“Suggestions for next epic ride”
Personally. I'm very happy cycling in Metro Boston, and have posted an informal Cycling Guide to Metro Boston (link) that would make a nice hub and spoke tour … It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great.
One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown, while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene. Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours. In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate.
Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth.…If you’ve never been here before, the experience may be even more…epic.
Personally. I'm very happy cycling in Metro Boston, and have posted an informal Cycling Guide to Metro Boston (link) that would make a nice hub and spoke tour … It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great.
One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown, while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene. Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours. In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate.
Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth.…If you’ve never been here before, the experience may be even more…epic.
Originally Posted by irwin7638
One of the issues Jim was struggling with was lodging. Are there going to be reasonably price options for people unaccustomed to Boston's rates?
...I'm glad to see Boston is still under consideration. Here’s some of the basic logistics:
THE RIDE:
...
BOSTON:
Besides the Ride, the downtown of Boston is presumably a second point of interest to draw riders. The MASS BIKE Ride itself starts about 15 miles west of downtown Boston. So if visitors would like to maximize their time here, they would have to consider where to stay to encompass both the ride and touring the city.
Because the downtown is compact and walkable, the major sites can be seen within one day or less. I have taken visitors on a satisfying four-hour walking tour of about five miles. We live just on the outskirts of the downtown, in Kenmore Square, less than about two miles from the Boston Common.
LODGING:
In general, hotels in Boston proper and vicinity are more expensive than in the Midwest, though the rates decrease farther from downtown. There are some hotels near the starting point of the ride, Lexington, MA. I have perfunctorily searched for campsites, and the few there are are pretty far from Boston and Lexington…
A new Boston Youth Hostel has opened in downtown Boston so you might want to check availability (bostonhostel.org). There are several colleges in the area, but I don't know what their policies are about rentals of dorm rooms. There are also fraternities and sororities, which I think allow alums to stay short-term. Finally, perhaps some visitors have friends or relatives in Boston and environs who could accommodate them for a summer weekend.
THE RIDE:
...
BOSTON:
Besides the Ride, the downtown of Boston is presumably a second point of interest to draw riders. The MASS BIKE Ride itself starts about 15 miles west of downtown Boston. So if visitors would like to maximize their time here, they would have to consider where to stay to encompass both the ride and touring the city.
Because the downtown is compact and walkable, the major sites can be seen within one day or less. I have taken visitors on a satisfying four-hour walking tour of about five miles. We live just on the outskirts of the downtown, in Kenmore Square, less than about two miles from the Boston Common.
LODGING:
In general, hotels in Boston proper and vicinity are more expensive than in the Midwest, though the rates decrease farther from downtown. There are some hotels near the starting point of the ride, Lexington, MA. I have perfunctorily searched for campsites, and the few there are are pretty far from Boston and Lexington…
A new Boston Youth Hostel has opened in downtown Boston so you might want to check availability (bostonhostel.org). There are several colleges in the area, but I don't know what their policies are about rentals of dorm rooms. There are also fraternities and sororities, which I think allow alums to stay short-term. Finally, perhaps some visitors have friends or relatives in Boston and environs who could accommodate them for a summer weekend.
Another, and IMO more pleasant suburb with hotels, between Boston and Lexington is Newton (“The Garden City”). There is a Marriot on Commonwealth Ave (Comm Ave)/Rte 30 in a residential area on a favorite cycling loop of mine.
As a primer for those driving to Boston, the city streets, though charming and/or interesting, are very confusing, so it might be best to stick to expressways to get from one point to another.
There are two major arteries serving the western suburbs including Lexington: the above-mentioned Rte 128 circumferential Beltway, and the Mass Pike (I-90), an east-west toll road that intersects Rte 128 and goes straight into downtown Boston through Newton. So you may want to be near those two freeways to get about. Another interstate is I-93 north of Boston, also with hotels along it.
If you stay at a hotel in one of the Boston’s inner suburbs, they may be served by the Light Rail system known as the (T). There are four major lines, distinguished by colors, that go into the city. Three allow bikes during off-peak hours, including the entire week-end, but not the Green line, which goes west to Newton. There are a lot of hotels in the central city, but they are the most expensive.
Another logistical consideration is parking a car, but we can figure that out later as plans materialize.
As a primer for those driving to Boston, the city streets, though charming and/or interesting, are very confusing, so it might be best to stick to expressways to get from one point to another.
There are two major arteries serving the western suburbs including Lexington: the above-mentioned Rte 128 circumferential Beltway, and the Mass Pike (I-90), an east-west toll road that intersects Rte 128 and goes straight into downtown Boston through Newton. So you may want to be near those two freeways to get about. Another interstate is I-93 north of Boston, also with hotels along it.
If you stay at a hotel in one of the Boston’s inner suburbs, they may be served by the Light Rail system known as the (T). There are four major lines, distinguished by colors, that go into the city. Three allow bikes during off-peak hours, including the entire week-end, but not the Green line, which goes west to Newton. There are a lot of hotels in the central city, but they are the most expensive.
Another logistical consideration is parking a car, but we can figure that out later as plans materialize.
While on this trip to Boston, I had a really enjoyable experience with AirBNB. In Boston, I was able to find a nice place to stay for $35 a night. Really. I just say this because I'm sure several people ruled out a trip like this because of the expense.
In the future it could be possible for several to get together in a city and share an apartment or perhaps an entire house for a get together. I put a review of the place on my blog for those interested.
In the future it could be possible for several to get together in a city and share an apartment or perhaps an entire house for a get together. I put a review of the place on my blog for those interested.
Also checkout Subway and Commuter Rail lines on the MBTA website to determine possible corresponding outlying hotels.
Driving into, and parking in the City should be easier on Columbus Day weekend.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 08-22-19 at 06:47 PM. Reason: added PS
08-22-19, 06:59 PM
#8331
Senior Member
Holy spokes! Is that all one reply??? Thank you, Jim, for not making me feel like a doofus for having lost all that Boston info you gave me a couple of years ago. Somehow, it never made the transfer from old computer to new computer.
Anyway, I need to get up early in the morning, so I'm headed off to bed for tonight, but I am going to take this to work with me tomorrow and check it out. As of now, we are kind of discouraged about booking anything, as it's a big investment and the cancellation policies are not very forgiving. Should the forecast show any signs of rain that weekend, it probably wouldn't be worth the 4-5 hour drive for us.
I will run it by the wife and see if she can talk me back into going. In the meantime, thank you a million for digging out that old post once again!
Anyway, I need to get up early in the morning, so I'm headed off to bed for tonight, but I am going to take this to work with me tomorrow and check it out. As of now, we are kind of discouraged about booking anything, as it's a big investment and the cancellation policies are not very forgiving. Should the forecast show any signs of rain that weekend, it probably wouldn't be worth the 4-5 hour drive for us.
I will run it by the wife and see if she can talk me back into going. In the meantime, thank you a million for digging out that old post once again!
08-23-19, 04:53 AM
#8332
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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08-23-19, 07:12 AM
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Holy spokes! Is that all one reply??? Thank you, Jim, for not making me feel like a doofus for having lost all that Boston info you gave me a couple of years ago. Somehow, it never made the transfer from old computer to new computer.
Anyway, I need to get up early in the morning, so I'm headed off to bed for tonight, but I am going to take this to work with me tomorrow and check it out. As of now, we are kind of discouraged about booking anything, as it's a big investment and the cancellation policies are not very forgiving. Should the forecast show any signs of rain that weekend, it probably wouldn't be worth the 4-5 hour drive for us.
I will run it by the wife and see if she can talk me back into going. In the meantime, thank you a million for digging out that old post once again!
Anyway, I need to get up early in the morning, so I'm headed off to bed for tonight, but I am going to take this to work with me tomorrow and check it out. As of now, we are kind of discouraged about booking anything, as it's a big investment and the cancellation policies are not very forgiving. Should the forecast show any signs of rain that weekend, it probably wouldn't be worth the 4-5 hour drive for us.
I will run it by the wife and see if she can talk me back into going. In the meantime, thank you a million for digging out that old post once again!
Thanks for the reply. My advice is based on a strategy I use when looking for reasonably priced accommodations in a convenient location in a city I don’t really know. We belong to AAA (Automobile Association of America) and they publish handy guidebooks by state with extensive listings of accommodations, restaurants, and attractions by city, with maps of the Metropolitan area as well as the Downtown, indicating the location of the hotels and restaurants with specific descriptions, including prices.
So once I know my destination, often a Conference Center, I peruse the listings of hotels in the vicinity of interest, sometimes more remotely if I have a car, select a few, and call them about availability and prices. I always ask, “Got anything cheaper?,” often with success.
I don’t know how well you know Boston; it’s difficult to navigate, but the main attractions are mostly in a compact central downtown that’s a pleasure for walking and cycling, but not driving, and parking can be difficult and expensive.
Ok, so, I'm back from Boston. Good news is, I'm still alive. Man, driving downtown is for sadistic people!! Who designed these roads???? ;-)
Ashamed to say I let SWMBO and my daughter decide on the "attractions" (call it buying peace) so we spent a crazy amount of money on the tourist traps (Science Museum, Aquarium, Harvard, Shopping, etc). And parking.... ohhh parking... Now, I get it, they don't want you to drive your car. When we were all museum'd out, we brought the kids to Six Flags New England. Yipppeeeee...
I guess I'll have to go back and do what I want to do in that beautiful area, cause I definitely did not this time around.
If you read this far, and haven't figured it out yet, yes, this was a rant! :-/
Ashamed to say I let SWMBO and my daughter decide on the "attractions" (call it buying peace) so we spent a crazy amount of money on the tourist traps (Science Museum, Aquarium, Harvard, Shopping, etc). And parking.... ohhh parking... Now, I get it, they don't want you to drive your car. When we were all museum'd out, we brought the kids to Six Flags New England. Yipppeeeee...
I guess I'll have to go back and do what I want to do in that beautiful area, cause I definitely did not this time around.
If you read this far, and haven't figured it out yet, yes, this was a rant! :-/
And another benefit of AAA:
Welcome to Boston and environs; I love riding in and around this town. …
For some generalities, my favorite map is the AAA road map of metropolitan Boston.
I think of the area in sectors radiating from downtown and surrounded by a circumferential belt about 10 to 15 miles from Downtown, known as Route 128 ("America's Technology Highway") …All the [road] riding is markedly better outside of 128, but the city and inner suburbs are nice and interesting.…
Even though I've lived here for over 30 years, I always get lost on a new ride. Streets are laid out in a haphazard fashion; many streets, particularly the one you are riding on are not marked; they surreptiously change names; and in rotary intersections it's easy to lose your sense of direction. (I don't have a GPS.)
On a happier note, the Transportation Authority (MBTA) allows bikes on subways and commuter trains with certain restrictions and that's a nice way to get out of town without city riding. MBTA > Riding the T > Bikes on the T
For some generalities, my favorite map is the AAA road map of metropolitan Boston.
Even though I've lived here for over 30 years, I always get lost on a new ride. Streets are laid out in a haphazard fashion; many streets, particularly the one you are riding on are not marked; they surreptiously change names; and in rotary intersections it's easy to lose your sense of direction. (I don't have a GPS.)
On a happier note, the Transportation Authority (MBTA) allows bikes on subways and commuter trains with certain restrictions and that's a nice way to get out of town without city riding. MBTA > Riding the T > Bikes on the T
…First, do a trolley tour. The main historic and vibrant part of Boston is quite compact, but geographically pretty confusing. A trolley tour would orient you and likely suggest activities for your particular interests.
IMO the Duck Boat tours are the most popular but kind of gimmicky, with a plunge into the Charles River. I recommend the Olde Towne Trolley.
IMO the Duck Boat tours are the most popular but kind of gimmicky, with a plunge into the Charles River. I recommend the Olde Towne Trolley.
Originally Posted by Pope John Paul II
Boston is beautiful, even when it rains.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 08-24-19 at 03:17 AM. Reason: added quote by CHinookTx
08-24-19, 08:27 AM
#8335
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08-24-19, 08:36 AM
#8336
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Last Sunday, my daughter Betsey and I loaded our bikes on the back of her Subaru and drove out to Burlington, Vermont. Monday morning, we started a 3-day credit-card tour of the Champlain Islands by riding out the Island Line Trail, the Colchester Causeway and South Hero Bike Ferry, and peregrinated up West Shore Road, with stops at the Accidental Farmer for lunch and the Ed Weed Fish Hatchery for a look at somebody's lunch-to-be, before arriving at Faywood Gardens, our airbnb home base for the next two days. After settling in, meeting our hostess and her dog and cat, and taking a short rest, we hit the road again for a grocery run to Pomykala Farm for fresh vegetables and AB Beverages for everything else, with a little more touristic splendor on East Shore Road North, US-2, and Lovers Lane (graveled and hilly), then cooked up some dinner and plotted the route for Tuesday's ride. All this entailed 35.64 miles of pedaling through Burlington, Colchester, South Hero, and Grand Isle.
I was on my trusty LHT, Betsey on her Cross Check, both rear-loaded. The pannier weight seemed to disappear after a few miles, although mounting was sometimes like a jiu-jitsu bout if one didn't give it a little forethought.
Even before the Causeway, the Island Line is a dandy rail trail.
Soon enough, we were on the Causeway. It's pretty special. The gravel surface was unexceptional (we had the tires for it), and the washouts were manageable. In any event, they're going to reconstruct the whole thing starting September 2nd, so this was pretty much last chance to ride in its current form.
Onto the South Hero Bike Ferry, the best 200' of cruising money can buy. Next year, they'll add a wet bar and a casino.
West Shore Road: birdhouses and dinosaurs.
Ed Weed Fish Hatchery: please keep hands out of water.
Pedal long enough, you get somewhere. More pedaling followed, of course.
rod
Day 2
I was on my trusty LHT, Betsey on her Cross Check, both rear-loaded. The pannier weight seemed to disappear after a few miles, although mounting was sometimes like a jiu-jitsu bout if one didn't give it a little forethought.
Even before the Causeway, the Island Line is a dandy rail trail.
Soon enough, we were on the Causeway. It's pretty special. The gravel surface was unexceptional (we had the tires for it), and the washouts were manageable. In any event, they're going to reconstruct the whole thing starting September 2nd, so this was pretty much last chance to ride in its current form.
Onto the South Hero Bike Ferry, the best 200' of cruising money can buy. Next year, they'll add a wet bar and a casino.
West Shore Road: birdhouses and dinosaurs.
Ed Weed Fish Hatchery: please keep hands out of water.
Pedal long enough, you get somewhere. More pedaling followed, of course.
rod
Day 2
Last edited by rholland1951; 08-25-19 at 08:08 PM.
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08-24-19, 09:47 PM
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Tuesday, our touring goal was Isle La Motte, the most out-of-the-way of the Champlain Islands that has road access. Getting there entailed a transportation stage on US-2 across North Hero Island and onto the Alburg peninsula, then picking up VT 129 and crossing a short causeway to Isle La Motte. We were drawn to Isle La Motte as one of the world's terminal nodes, quiet and in its own way significant. Fossil sites associated with the Chazy Reef, a time machine good for 450 million years and more, were there to be explored at the Fisk Quarry Preserve and the Goodsell Ridge Preserve. Ste Anne's Shrine sits on the site of the former Fort Ste Anne, built by Capt. La Motte as a bulwark against the Mohawks during the French and Indian Wars. The Old Schoolhouse Bike Hostel bore investigation. Between stops at those destinations, and some other nosing around, including a ride on the Alburg Dunes Nature Trail, we logged 49.35 miles. This day gave the most scope to my daughter's practice as a naturalist.
North Hero Island: Betsey tracks a Cooper's Hawk.
North Hero Island: rescue of a Monarch butterfly that had been stunned by a passing truck, and was lying on the pavement. After a few minutes on a little bush, it revived and flew off.
Isle La Motte: welcome to our island, please stay in line. To be fair, as we entered Isle La Motte, a peloton of Quebecois cyclists turned up, and some odd interactions ensued. File Indienne isn't such a bad idea, given relatively narrow roads and a local population that, while welcoming, are not themselves on vacation. We saw this sign several times.
Isle La Motte: Ste Anne's shrine is a place of religious veneration with deep roots in local history, dating back to the 17th Century.
We rode to the Fisk Quarry Preserve, and had a very interesting time finding, photographing, and identifying fossils.
At some point we realized that people had been surrounding fossils they had located with stone circles. After that, suddenly we were seeing dozens of them, in a sort of crowd-sourced natural history museum. It was pretty exciting.
Isle La Motte: Moving on, and feeling a bit hungry and thirsty, we stopped at Hall's Orchard's farmstand, and bought a half-gallon of very cold cider, which we divided between two water bottles. We enjoyed a bit of gentle rustic humor in the process.
Isle La Motte: Godsell Ridge Preserve had wonderful fossils, along with excellent interpretive material for a self-guided tour. A complementary approach to that used in the Fisk Quarry Preserve; both seemed successful to me.
Isle La Motte: stopped at the Old Schoolhouse Bike Hostel, and were graciously treated to a tour. Hospitable, and a labor of love for its organizers.
North Hero Island: stopped to buy some corn at the Savage Gardens farmstand. Those folks have funny heads. The corn was delicious.
rod
Day 3
North Hero Island: Betsey tracks a Cooper's Hawk.
North Hero Island: rescue of a Monarch butterfly that had been stunned by a passing truck, and was lying on the pavement. After a few minutes on a little bush, it revived and flew off.
Isle La Motte: welcome to our island, please stay in line. To be fair, as we entered Isle La Motte, a peloton of Quebecois cyclists turned up, and some odd interactions ensued. File Indienne isn't such a bad idea, given relatively narrow roads and a local population that, while welcoming, are not themselves on vacation. We saw this sign several times.
Isle La Motte: Ste Anne's shrine is a place of religious veneration with deep roots in local history, dating back to the 17th Century.
We rode to the Fisk Quarry Preserve, and had a very interesting time finding, photographing, and identifying fossils.
At some point we realized that people had been surrounding fossils they had located with stone circles. After that, suddenly we were seeing dozens of them, in a sort of crowd-sourced natural history museum. It was pretty exciting.
Isle La Motte: Moving on, and feeling a bit hungry and thirsty, we stopped at Hall's Orchard's farmstand, and bought a half-gallon of very cold cider, which we divided between two water bottles. We enjoyed a bit of gentle rustic humor in the process.
Isle La Motte: Godsell Ridge Preserve had wonderful fossils, along with excellent interpretive material for a self-guided tour. A complementary approach to that used in the Fisk Quarry Preserve; both seemed successful to me.
Isle La Motte: stopped at the Old Schoolhouse Bike Hostel, and were graciously treated to a tour. Hospitable, and a labor of love for its organizers.
North Hero Island: stopped to buy some corn at the Savage Gardens farmstand. Those folks have funny heads. The corn was delicious.
rod
Day 3
Last edited by rholland1951; 08-25-19 at 04:30 PM.
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08-25-19, 02:53 PM
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Rod, that looks like a delightful trip! Thanks for sharing.
08-25-19, 02:57 PM
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I rode about 30 miles Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Saturday I rode 36. We’re deep in headlights before 6:00AM territory now. My blinkie only sees use on the weekends. Today I rode 66 miles. It was pleasantly delightful. Cool and almost windy with an Autumn crisp in the air.
08-25-19, 04:05 PM
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We'd been watching the weather forecasts since the beginning of the tour, and the Pocket Devil had a new story for Wednesday every few hours, all involving thunderstorms with various probabilities in shifting time slots. When Wednesday morning came, we had a quick and early breakfast, loaded up the bikes, and set out, aiming to get to the bike ferry by the first run at 10 a.m. if possible, but in any event soon enough to beat the storm that the weather radar showed us was advancing from the SW. The route was a straight shot S on US-2 until that turned E to cross to the mainland, then straight down the aptly-named South Street, and W on Martin Street to connect with the Island Line Trail. We focused on making time, stopping only for a cider doughnut that looked likely (and quick). Didn't make the first ferry run, but connected with a relatively early one. Lake Champlain was sporting white caps, there was a stiff head-wind that made it feel like we were pedaling up-hill on a steep slope, and the ferry captain gave us a demonstration of why seamanship is important even on a 200' run from dock to dock.
Grand Isle: US-2, with Betsey climbing a hill in the distance.
Island Line Trail: we made it to the ferry, but it's at the dock on the other side of the cut.
Island Line Trail: Raise flag to request ferry service.
South Hero Bike Ferry: here it comes, negotiating passage with a sailboat that was motoring into the cut as if pursued by the Devil. The flag is lowered.
South Hero Bike Ferry: all aboard and back we go, through the whitecaps, with some helpful tips about what to do in an electrical storm. The rain hasn't started yet.
Colchester Causeway: There is a fierce headwind; riding into that is a great deal like hill climbing, one of those long, steep hills that you just settle into. Betsey gets an adrenaline rush and goes rocketing off towards Burlington. I grind along, stopping to take a few pictures.
The wind shifts, becoming a cross-wind first from the E, then from the West. With the West wind comes rain, pretty nearly horizontal. After a bit, it appears to be mixed with very small hail. Makes a racket when it strikes the helmet, and stings a bit. I close my right eye from time to time.
The wind/rain/hail intensifies. There's a single lightning strike across the lake in the New York hills, not close enough to be dangerous, but vivid enough to inspire sustained effort.
Soon enough, I make it to the end of the Causeway, rejoin Betsey, and off we go, wet and smiling. We hear an occasional peal of thunder, and it is still raining, but Zeus is behind us, and has business elsewhere.
As the rain subsides, Betsey stops her bike suddenly, and rescues a Cercropia moth larva from the pavement. She restores it to the relative safety of the greenery. This giant silk moth may spread its wings yet.
We rode to our Burlington airbnb, which our host has generously allowed us to return to early. After a bit of drying out of ourselves and the bikes, we went off by car to find Burlington friends and relatives for the balance of the day, and had an interesting return trip to Boston the next day, but the bike tour had run its course, Wednesday's 27.34 mile sprint bringing the 3-day total to 112.33 miles.
rod
Day 1 (Again!)
Grand Isle: US-2, with Betsey climbing a hill in the distance.
Island Line Trail: we made it to the ferry, but it's at the dock on the other side of the cut.
Island Line Trail: Raise flag to request ferry service.
South Hero Bike Ferry: here it comes, negotiating passage with a sailboat that was motoring into the cut as if pursued by the Devil. The flag is lowered.
South Hero Bike Ferry: all aboard and back we go, through the whitecaps, with some helpful tips about what to do in an electrical storm. The rain hasn't started yet.
Colchester Causeway: There is a fierce headwind; riding into that is a great deal like hill climbing, one of those long, steep hills that you just settle into. Betsey gets an adrenaline rush and goes rocketing off towards Burlington. I grind along, stopping to take a few pictures.
The wind shifts, becoming a cross-wind first from the E, then from the West. With the West wind comes rain, pretty nearly horizontal. After a bit, it appears to be mixed with very small hail. Makes a racket when it strikes the helmet, and stings a bit. I close my right eye from time to time.
The wind/rain/hail intensifies. There's a single lightning strike across the lake in the New York hills, not close enough to be dangerous, but vivid enough to inspire sustained effort.
Soon enough, I make it to the end of the Causeway, rejoin Betsey, and off we go, wet and smiling. We hear an occasional peal of thunder, and it is still raining, but Zeus is behind us, and has business elsewhere.
As the rain subsides, Betsey stops her bike suddenly, and rescues a Cercropia moth larva from the pavement. She restores it to the relative safety of the greenery. This giant silk moth may spread its wings yet.
We rode to our Burlington airbnb, which our host has generously allowed us to return to early. After a bit of drying out of ourselves and the bikes, we went off by car to find Burlington friends and relatives for the balance of the day, and had an interesting return trip to Boston the next day, but the bike tour had run its course, Wednesday's 27.34 mile sprint bringing the 3-day total to 112.33 miles.
rod
Day 1 (Again!)
Last edited by rholland1951; 08-25-19 at 07:07 PM.
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08-25-19, 04:22 PM
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It's a good place to ride, for sure. The Causeway will be rebuilt this Fall, which will make it somewhat more accessible, and is a creditable investment by local government in a unique resource. We'd like to go back some Summer, bring our passports, and continue for a ways on Quebec's Route Verte.
rod
rod
08-26-19, 08:47 AM
#8344
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Great trip report and pics!
Saturday i rode out from Davis out to Concord on the minuteman and to Walden Pond and back. What an absolutely perfect day. A good little ride for me, I'm mostly a mountain biker and don't often go on longer rides. Sunday my wife wanted to ride (she's very new to riding) and we rode from Davis to Depot Park and back, her longest ride yet. It might be time to replace her vintage cruiser with something that moves.
Saturday i rode out from Davis out to Concord on the minuteman and to Walden Pond and back. What an absolutely perfect day. A good little ride for me, I'm mostly a mountain biker and don't often go on longer rides. Sunday my wife wanted to ride (she's very new to riding) and we rode from Davis to Depot Park and back, her longest ride yet. It might be time to replace her vintage cruiser with something that moves.
08-26-19, 02:41 PM
#8345
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Last Sunday, my daughter Betsey and I loaded our bikes on the back of her Subaru and drove out to Burlington, Vermont. Monday morning, we started a 3-day credit-card tour of the Champlain Islands by riding out the Island Line Trail, the Colchester Causeway and South Hero Bike Ferry, and peregrinated up West Shore Road, with stops at the Accidental Farmer for lunch and the Ed Weed Fish Hatchery for a look at somebody's lunch-to-be, before arriving at Faywood Gardens, our airbnb home base for the next two days. After settling in, meeting our hostess and her dog and cat, and taking a short rest, we hit the road again for a grocery run to Pomykala Farm for fresh vegetables and AB Beverages for everything else, with a little more touristic splendor on East Shore Road North, US-2, and Lovers Lane (graveled and hilly), then cooked up some dinner and plotted the route for Tuesday's ride. All this entailed 35.64 miles of pedaling through Burlington, Colchester, South Hero, and Grand Isle.
I was on the Cape this weekend thanks to the generosity of our friends who hosted us. I was unable to get up on time for an early morning ride on Saturday but did manage a 13-mile 'quickie' through Barnstable and Osterville. You know you're in a nice town when you get passed by a procession of 3 Range Rovers in a row. It drizzled a little bit, which was very annoying because it made hard to see but eventually stopped and the sun came out. My clip-on fenders came in very handy.
The Cape is a really special place to ride, IMO. I wish I had more time to explore it (but Saturday was beach day!)
If I start a thread of pictures of bikes with rainbows, do you think I'll get enough responses?
Hoardes of turkeys everywhere!
Total of just about 13 miles.
A little later in the morning we attempted to take our daughter to CCRT, but the weather was treacherous. While it was sunny and warm when we left, things got cooler, more cloudy, and muuuch windier by the time we got out on the trail. We made it only 5 miles before turning around, we just weren't prepared for the cold. It was still a nice outing and we got to ride the new addition with the bridges over Bass River and Rt. 134.
The bridge over 134 and less-than-perfect weather.
Crossed paths with 3 guys who were doing a bikepacking tour to P-town. Always interesting to see where people are riding through and what kind of routes they're putting together.
Last edited by autonomy; 08-26-19 at 02:45 PM.
08-26-19, 07:57 PM
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Took the LHT for a late-afternoon ride out to Depot Park. Somebody had given the drivers in Arlington Center Stupid Pills: there was a line of them idling on the bike lane on Mass. Ave. westbound (I remonstrated with one), and the ones in the back were honking for the one in the front to turn right, while the bike and pedestrian crossing signal was showing green, and the signal for that auto right-turn lane was showing red, in spite of the TWO signs that say NO TURN ON RED. No pictures of that, but everybody knows what stupid looks like.
Burma Shave signs frolic in the park.
Outbound, the detour at Fottler Ave. was in effect. The netting said "go away".
Lexington is using the detour striping to pilot a protected bike lane.
This little burying ground reminds me of the old-time country music lyric, "Started me a graveyard of my own." I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.
Theoretically, the detour ended at the Seasons Four driveway. Nope...
Rejoined the Minuteman in Lexington Center.
Somewhere, an anti-e-bike zealot's head just exploded.
Late afternoon light lends a glow to the LHT and the Buddliner.
An arboreal Burma Shave sign admonishes a cyclist to slow down.
Detour? What detour?
rod
Burma Shave signs frolic in the park.
Outbound, the detour at Fottler Ave. was in effect. The netting said "go away".
Lexington is using the detour striping to pilot a protected bike lane.
This little burying ground reminds me of the old-time country music lyric, "Started me a graveyard of my own." I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.
Theoretically, the detour ended at the Seasons Four driveway. Nope...
Rejoined the Minuteman in Lexington Center.
Somewhere, an anti-e-bike zealot's head just exploded.
Late afternoon light lends a glow to the LHT and the Buddliner.
An arboreal Burma Shave sign admonishes a cyclist to slow down.
Detour? What detour?
rod
Last edited by rholland1951; 08-27-19 at 12:33 PM.
08-27-19, 11:33 AM
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Took the LHT for a late-afternoon ride out to Depot Park. Somebody had given the drivers in Arlington Center Stupid Pills: there was a line of them idling on the bike lane on Mass. Ave. westbound (I remonstrated with one), and the ones in the back were honking for the one in the front to turn right, while the bike and pedestrian crossing signal was showing green, and the signal for that auto right-turn lane was showing red, in spite of the TWO signs that say NO TURN ON RED. No pictures of that, but everybody knows what stupid looks like.
rod
rod
Took the LHT for a late-afternoon ride out to Depot Park. Somebody had given the drivers in Arlington Center Stupid Pills: there was a line of them idling on the bike lane on Mass. Ave. westbound (I remonstrated with one), and the ones in the back were honking for the one in the front to turn right, while the bike and pedestrian crossing signal was showing green, and the signal for that auto right-turn lane was showing red, in spite of the TWO signs that say NO TURN ON RED. No pictures of that, but everybody knows what stupid looks like.
Outbound, the detour at Fottler Ave. was in effect. The netting said "go away".
rod
Outbound, the detour at Fottler Ave. was in effect. The netting said "go away".
rod
Netting: "Yes, really, completely closed!!!"
08-27-19, 01:28 PM
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Is there a way to get across 95 on the MCRT near 117?
https://www.tkmaps.com/MCRT/
It still shows red here, but i'm not sure how up to date this is.
https://www.tkmaps.com/MCRT/
It still shows red here, but i'm not sure how up to date this is.
08-29-19, 06:46 PM
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Took the Trucker DeLuxe for a quick sprint up to Lexington Center and back, then mowed the lawn. The most interesting thing about this ride was the dog that didn't bark: despite the downpours we had last night, NONE of the usual puddles in Lexington were present. It may (or may not) have taken a ghost bike to motivate it, but those long-running hazards to navigation seem finally to be gone. No more Lake Fottler, no more Puddle Slaloms, etc. This should pay dividends come Winter, since those things were skating rinks. Kudos to the Lexington DPW, the Lexington Bike Committee, Friends of the Lexington Bikeways, and anyone else who had a hand in this.
rod
rod
08-30-19, 06:59 AM
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Took the Trucker DeLuxe for a quick sprint up to Lexington Center and back, then mowed the lawn. The most interesting thing about this ride was the dog that didn't bark: despite the downpours we had last night, NONE of the usual puddles in Lexington were present. It may (or may not) have taken a ghost bike to motivate it, but those long-running hazards to navigation seem finally to be gone. No more Lake Fottler, no more Puddle Slaloms, etc. This should pay dividends come Winter, since those things were skating rinks. Kudos to the Lexington DPW, the Lexington Bike Committee, Friends of the Lexington Bikeways, and anyone else who had a hand in this.
rod
rod
Puddle and Pills & Ills report from February (seems like forever ago):
Arlington to Alewife clear, occasional small puddles. But lots of Brady's and Gonkowski's and Edelman's on their way to Alewife yesterday morning for some reason.
(During my morning teleconference walked over one of Somerville's seven, Spring Hill, 10K. A bit of a challenge. Six more to climb.)
Déjà vu PT redoux, back to biking to physical therapy.
Yesterday afternoon Arlington to Lexington border mostly clear, but from Season's Four to Hartwell repeated very large puddles. One particularly bad water hazard with sunk ice at Depot Square (Lexington Historical Society).
(Didn't make it to Bedford, my physical therapy is on Bedford Street.)
My left leg and I are getting to know one another again, still very much learning how to walk again.
But they say you never forget how to ride a bike? My left leg hasn't forgotten how to ride a bike.
20K roundtrip on a glorious warm February afternoon, plus a brief side diversion to pick up a microbrew.
Still laugh at my shadow though. My trekking poles stick out of my bike messenger bag rather awkwardly. Maybe I need a quiver?
-mr. bill
(During my morning teleconference walked over one of Somerville's seven, Spring Hill, 10K. A bit of a challenge. Six more to climb.)
Déjà vu PT redoux, back to biking to physical therapy.
Yesterday afternoon Arlington to Lexington border mostly clear, but from Season's Four to Hartwell repeated very large puddles. One particularly bad water hazard with sunk ice at Depot Square (Lexington Historical Society).
(Didn't make it to Bedford, my physical therapy is on Bedford Street.)
My left leg and I are getting to know one another again, still very much learning how to walk again.
But they say you never forget how to ride a bike? My left leg hasn't forgotten how to ride a bike.
20K roundtrip on a glorious warm February afternoon, plus a brief side diversion to pick up a microbrew.
Still laugh at my shadow though. My trekking poles stick out of my bike messenger bag rather awkwardly. Maybe I need a quiver?
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 08-30-19 at 07:02 AM.
