rumrunn6

conditions were excellent. 16 degrees, bright sunshine, forest filtered the wind. up to 4" in some places w lots of crusty ice. wore a knit hat no balaclava but brought it. also brought sunglasses but wound up not wearing any eye protection



the new 40mm studded tires & fenders did their job. they felt like a wide paw




definitely coming back with the 45mm gravel tires. the power line trail has been upgraded from just sand



got in 11 miles. nice cpl of hrs out in the woods. rode from the East entrance 370 Long Pond Rd Plymouth, MA to HQ 194 Cranberry Rd Carver, MA. lunched in the sun & then back. stuck to the paved trails

rumrunn6

someone on a fat bike beat me to it. looked like studded too

rumrunn6

tile printed a paper map & taped the sheets together. so far ea visit is a different color

rumrunn6

Sat, Mar 18, 2017
11:45 AM :arrived Parking lot 39 degrees wind 5-10 mph mostly sunny
1:22 PM :about 5 miles hit bog, explored & ate sandwich
2:32 PM :Back at car 10.6 miles 24.3 mph max 8.7 avrg 1 hr 16 min saddle time
away from car approx 3 hrs

trail started with steep 24mph drops! & slow climbs. had to walk up the 1st 2 hills









then it evened out to miles of undulating gravel & hard pack stone dust covering sand. good work out climbing & fun descending fast stone





loving the 45mm gravel tires

rumrunn6

some side roads were interesting for short distances but I was there to ride the gravel



this section was easy enough but other side rds were softer. wonder if they would be easier during summer droughts








reached an old watery impasse I remember from 4wheeling there. fun that a bike can get around using the narrow dirt trail. but no way was able to climb the sand hills on the other side







ok for dirt bikes & ATVs but not bicycles

rumrunn6

parked by a pond near a cranberry bog in a sunny spot & ate my sandwich



great sunny ride back. w about 1 mile left, I cut off onto the paved trail with some unexpected snow, ice & slush (2" deep in some spots) & downed branches. the wide gravel tires were fun especially over the debris but a little sketchy in the snow, ice & slush (compared to the studs)

rumrunn6

rumrunn6

good puppy?


plenty of climbing, sometimes out of the saddle

Ghazmh

Looks like a fun outing.

2manybikes

Great photos. I miss being there on a dirt bike. I had a lot of good times there. What do you think made that paw print? One thing about motorcycles, you can out run animals. Got chased by a pack of apparently domestic dogs that became wild. Saw a coyote there when lost at night on a road bike (bicycle). Big place to be lost in. Made it home no problem.
The coyote had no interest in me.

rumrunn6

dunno, figure a canine of some kind. it's not from a cat! :-) & maps help. but sometimes it's fun to get a little lost

2manybikes

One time I thought I would skip bringing the huge map and just print map pages on the computer. Only needing 4-5
pages. ...............................................We rode off the edge of the page.

rumrunn6

thanks, a little monotonous & a little boring cuz it's so isolated & straight. but also would like to ride more, once I get there, cuz it's not close to home

rumrunn6

3/9/19 checked the regional snow depth maps & thought I had a shot at this but nope, no cigar! the gravel power line trails were covered w snow that was too deep. even tho the snowmobiles compacted it, it was softening & was un-rideable by bicycle. I doubt even a fat bike would have liked it.



some of the park roads which are not maintained during winter months would have been interesting to ride, but there was no legal parking nearby to access them. I met one woman riding the plowed roads. she seemed quite happy

rumrunn6

7 months later got back for another visit. did a nice 12 mile loop on my 29er. sunny & temps steady at 54-55 degrees







lots of highlights to piece together but got the single track "Frost Loop" to get things started


music CREDIT: Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione

rumrunn6

the soft stuff was rare

rumrunn6

only rare wet patches & some puddles easily avoided. on a wet day, the effects would be more extensive


this was at Fearing Pond. lots of the old run down cabins


lot#2 was a good launching point. I used it for it's proximity to the many dirt trails & roads. it also connects to the network of paved trails


which intersect making for lots of fun options


Frost Loop intersecting w/ Priscilla (the "Frost" trail is labeled various things in several different places. I'm using the word "Loop" for convenience but it's just a single trail as far as I can tell, but a very fun single track, w/ emphasis on "single". in some areas the groove was so eroded I had a hard time keeping my pedals from hitting the edges)


pretty much had the place to myself

rumrunn6

I would go back & run this area again. I would zig zag the in-between roads, Webster, Briggs, Cutter, Halfway & Doctors Pond
I would use the right turn cut away from Doctor's Pond to Halfway to help avoid the prison
Pine Barrens Path probably leads to Doctor's Pond
Gun shots can be heard outside the park area East of East Line Road
some of the hunting signs will need further study
I'd rather blend with my surroundings, but due to the presence of guns hi-viz is a requirement
Note: Circuit Dr. is paved but barricaded & abandoned
Maybe I will explore further East on Three Cornered Pond Rd & take that left North & see where it goes?

found an intriguing crowd sourced map w/ trail suggestions. in particular one 7 miler called "Pine Barrens Path" running North/South

https://www.trailforks.com/trails/pine-barrens-path/

https://www.trailforks.com/region/my...activitytype=1

autonomy

Even with hi-viz, I'd rather not take the chance these days. If you're a weekend warrior, ride these spots on a Sunday.

rumrunn6

why? are hunters late sleeps on Sundays?

autonomy

No hunting in Mass on Sundays.
https://www.mass.gov/guides/common-q...g-prohibited?-

But looks like people are trying to get some exceptions to that bill.
https://www.sportsmensalliance.org/n...unday-hunting/

rumrunn6

I work Sundays so day-glo, I go! only problem was I over dressed & didn't have a hi-viz undershirt. so when I stripped down to my grey Marino Wool base layer all I has showing green/yellow was my helmet, & my long sleeve jersey strapped to my rear rack

2manybikes

Hang some bells off the bike so they ring all the time. From a long way away a non hi-vis thing bounces along like a deer. Better yet, don't do it.

Beer and gunpowder is not a good match. I've seen it in action.

Also there is another wooded area next to Miles Standish with long roads. We could ride so far on dirt bikes (motorcycles) we had to turn around before we found the end to finish before dark. traveling maybe 30-40 mph.

edit - That road under the power cables, I've followed it up underneath 295 Through a huge round drain that we rode through, ( but if one rider comes in each end, one of them has to walk the bike backwards while sitting on the bike to get out) and on up to Boston and all over that place, along next to 295.

I have 2manystories about that place. Real quicksand. Raging bulls chasing us (2)…...etc...

rumrunn6

Saw a group of 4 on horseback and one or more of them wore bells, sounded like reindeer. re other trails oh yeah there was a time 30 yrs ago I was able to 4x4 from the canal all the way up thru MS park

2manybikes

I was there at that time and 10 years earlier. Saw a dog team training with a wheeled sled in the summer.