Took the Surly Trucker DeLuxe out on another blustery day, this time with a frank headwind outbound on the Minuteman, and a hospitable tailwind inbound on Mass. Ave.
The weather was great for riding if you were dressed for it, and didn't begrudge the wind its due. There were relatively few people out riding, but those seemed invigorated; these three, for example.
I had given myself a task for each leg of the ride. Outbound, my task was to take photos of the yellow leaves and the bark on the trees noticed on yesterday's ride, with enough detail to permit identification.
A bit of googling to find comparison images strongly suggests that these are Norway Maples, a non-native species introduced in North America as a shade tree in the middle 18th Century, and regarded as an invasive species by the state of New York; the Town of Arlington isn't so keen on it either, and Norway Maples have been removed from public land on several occasions, and replaced by native trees. We have plenty on the Minuteman, though, and I doubt they're going anywhere any time soon.
The ride back on Mass. Ave. was jolly, and the big, supple Rat Trap Pass Extralights gave a creditable demonstration of pneumatic suspension on the occasional runs of rough pavement there. I did notice that the car exhaust was often smelling nasty, a sort of food/not-food smell that nagged at me to recognize it, and which finally resolved itself to really bad gin. I imagine it had to do with the temperature, and perhaps with some sort of additives in the fuel, ethanol or what you will. Pew!
My task for the inbound leg was to ride the new bike lane at the notorious intersection at Mass. & Appleton, in Arlington, and observe how it and the various other measures that have been installed there are working out in use.
Looks pretty good, from one small sample at a busy hour with a low sun. This isn't the long-term solution: that will require a more robust traffic signal. But it's got the drivers' attention, and seems a little more likely to help cyclists transit the intersection intact. One caution: there is a large bump in the bike lane on the inbound side, more or less right in the middle of the intersection; it doesn't look as big on the approach as it feels when you bump into it, so be prepared. It occasioned the Rat Trap Passes' best performance of the day.
rod