Saturday, I rode East.
Lately, these rides have become about riding up and down the numerous hills in Medford, Malden, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester, all part of the Fells Escarpment. The first and last of the hills traversed today was High Street in Medford, which runs from West Medford to Medford Center. In addition to the grade (the basic fun), the wind (auxiliary fun), and the road surface (bears watching), along with the two-handed shifting, judicious braking, and posting on the pedals as needed, the traffic was kind of special. Outbound, because road work had made it very slow and thick. Here I spent enough time wedged behind a bus to get a good view of one of its considerately placed warning labels.
Inbound traffic moved freely, but I was tailgated by an Armstrong ambulance, which was a little too close to being pursued by the Angel of Death for comfort (thanks to
Laurence Sterne for the use of this metaphor, which I first encountered reading "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy" while riding in a convoy through Southern Iraq, where it was certainly apposite).
Had better luck on other hills, catching a series of green lights while climbing Main Street in Malden and while descending on Fellsway East. Ran out of time before I ran out of hills. It was a pleasant, energetic ride, with a Summer feel to the air, however transitory.
rod