mprelaw

I'm thinking that a good ride today would be on the trainer. All of Boston and the surrounding 'burbs are on lockdown status until the remaining bomber is caught.

sherbornpeddler

April 16th I went for a ride to add a little perspective and a three speed on the Upper Charles was just what the doctor ordered.

jimmuller 

That's all the exercise I'm likely to get today. Can't go anywhere. I suspect the WPD wouldn't take to kindly to me pedaling anywhere, let alone driving.

sherbornpeddler

Have a nice ride today!

jimmuller 

Seein' as how today is today, not yesterday, but the thread is named "Good Ride Today?" which would have been today yesterday but not today, I did ride yesterday. Just not yet today. Just my 25.75 mile commute. I rode this one on the Masi, which makes all 5 different bikes over the last 5 commute days. Definitely the best for last. Beautiful weather, light traffic. A joy to behold.

rholland1951

First ride in over a week, at sunset to Lexington on the Minuteman, 10 miles. Temperature falling through the 50s, clear sky and a sunset that was just a bright band on the Western horizon, with flowering trees and shrubs glowing in the twilight.


The froggies were a-courtin', making a lively din, a sort of amphibian flash mob ("Hey guys, let's all distend our throat sacks, maybe we'll get laid!"). At the turn-around, I was greeted by the full moon, just rising. Rode home with Old Lady Moon.



rod

antimonysarah

Today was just about a perfect day for riding; I did the NE Randonneurs 107K ride from Lexington to Sterling (via Bolton) and back (via Harvard), plus the little jaunt (mostly on Mass Ave) out to the start from Medford (and back) and it was just beautiful. Sunny, 60 degrees, not much wind. Plus a really well-run ride.

If you haven't been out today, get out there; it's just glorious out.

jimmuller 

It was indeed lovely today. We decided (a few days ago) to be adventurous today. So we rode from Hamilton to Newburyport following the NSCyclists route downloaded from their website. We took a small detour through Newburyport and a few detours elsewhere, ending up with 52.1 miles. And of course there was absolutely no MetroWestcentricity in this ride! Traffic was light in spots, a bit heavy in others, but tolerable. Some evidence from today's ride...

Crossing a salt marsh:




Lunch in Newburyport:


Georgetown, on the return:


Topsfield town hall:

rholland1951

Only got an hour in on the Minuteman today, towards the end of the afternoon, the bright sun and the newly-leafed trees making dappled shade. Listened to the mockingbird rather than the frogs; he said, "Spring is here."


rod

jimmuller 

The weather was so nice today that Sharon insisted we go out again today. So off we went. Some of the ride was on roads we'd ridden before but today we explored more the "I don't go anywhere in particular" roads between rts 27 and 4. Plus a full run south on Dudley, always a treat. 36.5 miles.

ZIPP2001

It's been awhile since rides, so I figured I would make the legs suffer a little. Did a nice 35 mile ride filled with climbing throughout (14 miles). I had two hills that were thigh burners at 17% and 22% grades, man is it fun being out of shape.

rholland1951

Ten miles on the Minuteman at sunset, the sunset subtle rather than gaudy. Coyotes were calling near the Waldorf School, very educational.


rod

sherbornpeddler

In the home stretch of recovery from a tweaked back, I'm doing dishes, yard work, repairing a lawnmower, fixing a mouse infested rototiller and if I don't get out soon, threatening a "71 Sturmey-Archer hub. Today I biked to the mailbox and saw the same beautiful cardinal who struts his freedom and poops on my car.
Your posts are magnificent and medicinal. Next week I plan to show the cardinal a thing or two.

rholland1951

Caught a bad case of Spring Fever today, and treated it with a ride out to Depot Park, Bedford, in the last of the daylight, 20 miles.

The weeping cherry in front of the Freight House was in bloom.


The Shawsheen River flowed brown and phlegmatic, and there was more mud than water in evidence at Tophet Swamp. Guess we need some rain, but these blue skies are hard to give up. A fine crop is skunk cabbage is coming in in the low places in Bedford and Lexington.


rod

godshammgod

Jim, sorry I missed the ride on Saturday, looks great. I do have a North Shore ride planned next month and I'm very excited.

I've been riding a lot recently with the Crack O' Dawn folks. Great group of riders with a variety of paces. Love the 5:45 a.m. start as well. Always good to ride on empty roads while the air is still a little brisk.

I made the mistake of joining the A group last week, and was treated to a hammerfest led by every Master's racer in the area. I was dropped, but it was fun.

jimmuller 

Gsg, no problem about not making the ride. It was fun but it sounds like you have your work cut out for you anyway! Crack O' Dawn doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

Yesterday I did my usual 25+ mile round trip commute. Today I worked from home but got out for an hour and a half, including a stop at the gym. Then I rode over to the polls, which is a form of political statement, I guess.

jimmuller 

From today's commute:

kenji666

Glad to see you Bostonians are getting back to normal. God bless.

rholland1951

Ten miles on the Minuteman to Lexington at sunset. Of all the things I've seen many times over on this default after-work ride, a few remain enigmatic. One such enigma is The Mysterious Tourist: a very fit man making very good time on a touring bike heavily loaded, fore and aft, headed East at sunset. I've seen him a few times a month over the last couple of years, and entertained a variety of conjectures about who he is, where he's been, and where he's going, but until I ask him, I'm just talking to myself.

rod

godshammgod

It can be a spirited group at times, indeed. But, everyone generally rides really safely which is very important.

My North Shore ride is actually happening this weekend if anyone wants to join.

I think a friend and I are going to do a 65 mile loop starting at my parent's house in Marblehead. It will take us up the coast via 127 into Gloucester, Rockport, Annisquam before looping back through Ipswich and Essex and heading back towards Beverly and Salem again.

Start time is TBA-- might be 9:00 a.m. If you'll be in the area, come join for all or part of the ride!

jimmuller 

It sounds great! Unfortunately this is the one weekend in May when we are committed.

jimmuller 

I got out for an hour or so, including a run over to the gym. Part of the ride was just exploring parts of Waltham. In the middle of seeming nowhere on the top of a hill I found an abandoned stately-looking building with the name over the columns in front "Dr. William F. McLaughlin Building". Part of the brickwork over the 1928 cornerstone had been knocked away. A quick Google of the name revealed this:

https://blogs.wickedlocal.com/brandnewwatch/2011/03/04/former-metropolitan-state-hospital-buildings-cornerstone-broken-into-contents-stolen/#axzz2SAWAF0FA

Wonders can show up on your doorstep in the most unexpected ways.

godshammgod

Is that the same site as the old Fernald school?

I drove around there for the first time last spring, and it is a VERY creepy place. But, also cool at the same time.

jimmuller 

I found that building by following a bike route up from Concord Rd into what I thought would be just a condo complex. The bike route kept going and dumped onto the end of a seemingly deserted road called Metropolitan Parkway or something similar, with that building at the end. So I rode the M.P. southward for 1/4 mile or so where it hit Trapelo and was blocked off at that end too. It so happened that Trapelo was under some construction with a detour and a policewoman watching traffic go by. So I asked her about it.

She said it was part of an old hospital or school for children with mental development problems (I forget her exact words). I asked was it part of Fernald maybe, and she said no, it was a state site (I think it had a DCR sign), that Fernald was "over that way" a bit more eastward. IIRC from past reading about the area, the place was controversial.

Yes, it was creepy.

godshammgod

Interesting. I'll have to try and find it some day. I'm fascinated by decaying architecture...