Wednesday, I got enough chores and errands cleared away that I was able to talk myself out of talking myself out of a bike ride for a third day running, and rolled out in the late afternoon on the GT and its studded Nokians to see how the Minuteman was faring.
The Minuteman between Arlington Center and Lexington Center was in pretty good shape, with the pavement largely clean and dry. In a few spots, plowing errors created unnecessary problems. This photo shows the segment that runs alongside Russell Terrace, in Arlington. This particular snafu happens every year, and there's probably a story about how it came to be that way, but since I don't know what it is, I won't speculate. In any event, in this and a few other spots, the available pavement necks down, and trail users have the choice of riding/walking/running in the mud, or contending for narrower than usual strips of pavement.
Farther along, and especially in Lexington, there were some areas (e.g., near the Maple Street underpass) that had slush fields of various consistencies. The studs and aggressive tread of the Nokians helped with some of that, and the fenders helped with the rest.
The sun set at 5 o'clock, which was cause for at least quiet celebration in itself. I thought that perhaps there would be no sunset colors, but the day pleasantly surprised me with a subtle display. Depending on the color gamut of your screen, you may be able to see it here.
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