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Metro Boston: Good ride today?

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Metro Boston: Good ride today?

Old 08-29-21, 12:08 PM
  #9451  
rholland1951
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Saturday, the weather had already changed, and I took the 1987 GT Karakoram and rode East under overcast, drizzly skies. I chose to regard this as a pleasant change from the preceding hot-and-muggies.


While transiting the flats of Medford on Central Avenue, I came across a beautiful old Ford Thunderbird that stopped me in my tracks, and took a photo of what I consider its most memorable feature: the spare tire. They don't make 'em like that any more.


Hills and traffic are the salient features of this route, and I'm usually unwilling to stop the bike to take pictures of either. But every once in awhile I do it anyway, for example:


At the bottom of a long hill, Elisha Converse blows his spout.


Time to point the bike West and pedal home.


rod

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Old 08-29-21, 10:10 PM
  #9452  
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Got out on the GT for a quick spin up to Lexington Center and back before dinner. I found myself ruminating on the change of the demographic and equipment mix on the Minuteman over the years. We're definitely getting a diversity of humans, and of approaches to the trail. The more, the merrier, sez I. Complaints about lane discipline, rights-of-way, electric pedal assist, and headlight aimpoints are reserved for other posts, many of them already up... ;-)


I saw several of the Minuteman evening regulars, people I've been encountering there for years, so there are some invariants under these transformations. Reassuring.

rod
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Old 08-30-21, 12:03 PM
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
Elisha Converse blows his spout.
lol, too funny
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Old 08-31-21, 06:54 PM
  #9454  
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Monday afternoon, I was feeling kind of beat, but took the GT up to Lexington Center in an attempt to clear the cobwebs. The afternoon's glare felt a little oppressive.


Once on the leafy Minuteman, conditions improved.


A little color was showing on the horizon. I rode home.


rod
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Old 09-01-21, 06:17 AM
  #9455  
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Cobbles are fun - right until they aren't. So far, I've never gone down on them, but I suspect if I keep tempting fate on my skinny tires I will regret it one day.

Today, a throwback ride. Over thirty years ago (1983) my spouse while in grad school at Mass Art bought me a Univega for my birthday (knew how much I missed my Schwinn), and that's when I started riding Metro Boston. Back then, not many of us riding out there. Bike lane? ¿Que es eso? Minuteman Commuter Bikeway? About a decade away.

So, taking the longer route I might have taken back then. I'd try to time my arrival to be during a class break, and depending on when I left and how fast I was riding I would swing wide or go more direct. Let's check in with what is the same, and what is different.



-mr. bill
Yesterday’s ride to BIDMC on a Blue Bike.

Finding that I can manage short quiet roads, like Cedar in Somerville with the flex posts and Oxford with the sharrows on steroids. So yesterday rode to Cambridgeport then walked over the BU bridge the rest of the way, while scoping it out for a route I could ride. So long as I suffer the indignity of walking through Davis, walking across Beacon Street, and CX the aptly named Short Street Stairs, I can bike theah from heah.

But honestly, it was the light fixtures below that stopped me in my tracks for this shot:



Took me a while to read:

The useful and elegant arts
minister to the comfort of man
and gladdens his eye with beauty

Horace Man

Massachusetts School of Art

Founded 1873

Then I remembered my spouse had a studio in this building first year of grad school. And Sami’s, the amazing food “truck.” Sami’s is now gone, and both Mass Art buildings are now part of BIDMC.

My spouse has taught at many of the Colleges of the Fenway, in reverse alphabetical:
Wheelock College (now part of BU), Wentworth Institute of Technology, Mass Art (letterhead says Massachusetts College of Art and Design, nobody calls it that), and Emmanuel College.

We met up at Emmanuel as students are beginning move in, and I bummed a ride home.

(Pills and Ills update: got my tattoos yesterday. Radiation starts two weeks from today. By Thanksgiving I’ll be done with my formerly prostate.)

-mr. bill
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Old 09-02-21, 11:04 PM
  #9456  
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The transition from Wednesday night's deluge to Thursday afternoon's benign weather was a little bizarre, but I'll take it. I rode the GT out to Watertown to visit with my son, Sam, and granddaughter, Ida. She's much nicer than that other Ida.


Along the way, I had the benefit of my favorite Belmont traffic sign.


Mugen the cat continues to be the Center of the Universe.


We left the universe in the cat's capable paws, and walked to a playground. Granddaughter Ida is coming along.


rod
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Old 09-03-21, 10:48 PM
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Friday afternoon had the feel of a liminal space between Summer and Autumn, so I took the GT up the Mystic Valley Parkway to see how the transition was going in that place where Summer has been very much in evidence lately.


It was a good day for a ride, and I wasn't alone in rolling in that direction.


The Tufts Sailing Pavillion, which over the last few weeks had been home to kayaks, paddleboards, distance swimmers, dock-dwelling sun-worshippers, casual splashers, and many dogs, most memorably the Giant Schnauzer, was now the preserve of... sailboats, and somewhat uncertain sailors. I watched them coming in to dock, and observed several near-misses. Somehow, it all ended well.


Ida's downpours left a lot of water upstream, that was still finding its way to Boston Harbor. The path for that led from the Aberjona River to the Upper Mystic Lake, through the spill-way of the Mystic Lakes Dam, into the Lower Mystic Lake, and then into the Mystic River itself. Mystic Valley Watershed, hurrah!




The peaceful and quiet end of Summer prevailed at Shannon Beach, where the folks who knew what they wanted from the Lake were getting it, never mind any collateral goose bumps.


rod

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Old 09-05-21, 10:03 AM
  #9458  
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I took an early morning ride today,Sunday, to beat both the weather and the crowds, heading east into Cambridge and then Somerville, to check out the progress of the ongoing path work. First I rode over to Fresh Pond Reservation, via the Minutemen and Alewife. Last time I went that way, the Huron Ave underpass was not yet open. Well, technically it is still not open. The picture below was taken near the Cambridge Water Department building:



The Jersey barrier on the right has a "Road Closed" sign. But it was just too tempting, and I could see folks on the path up ahead, so checked it out. I was able to ride to this point on the Watertown Cambridge Greenway:




I believe that's the back of the Mt Auburn St Star Market on the left. On the right there's a ramp that leads up to the street. I didn't try it, but one could presumably detour that way and pick up the rest of the Greenway.
From there I doubled back to Alewife and rode the Cambridge Linear Park and Somerville Community Paths to Lowell St. No changes there since my last report. One note, except for the new section of the Greenway, the pavement quality on these paths is terrible, not very comfortable on 25mm tires.

Rode back to Alewife, and for good measure did the out-and-back on the Fitchburg Cutoff before heading home to Arlington.

I rolled in to my driveway about 10:30, the drizzle starting a few minutes later. Good timing!

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Old 09-05-21, 10:35 PM
  #9459  
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Saturday was beautiful, and I took the GT East, for the usual round of hills and traffic.


A couple of the hills had newly striped bike lanes, a surprising amenity. Lower Main Street, in Melrose, had new striping to pilot protected bike lanes on that busy thoroughfare. The pavement is a little rough, but this does seem to be an improvement, and if they repave and restripe, it may become a very creditable Complete Streets application. There are rumors of bump-outs, and other pedestrian amenities, as well.


High Street, between West Medford and Winthrop Square, has received repaving and redesign. Each climbing lane is now paired with a bike lane. Descending lanes get "Bicycles may use full lane" signs and sharrows. And the pavement is smooth as a baby's bottom.


Fellsway East has functional bike lanes, here marked as such, there simply appearing to be ample breakdown lanes, but in all cases serviceable for the purpose at least as far South as Salem Street. This isn't new, but saw them with fresh eyes.


My legs have come to crave the hills, and the little pilgrimages to the stupa at the Kurukulla Center cheer me.


Sunday, the weather wasn't exactly sullen, but it wasn't brilliant, either. I had a quick sprint up to Lexington Center on the Minuteman, cranking hard and people-watching, and sometimes just watching out for people.


rod

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Old 09-06-21, 07:02 AM
  #9460  
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kite cam probably got it's 1st white shark photo







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Old 09-06-21, 02:59 PM
  #9461  
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I tool my older Gazelle Champion Mondial out for an easy 28.9 miles today.



I had lunch at Heart Pond, Chelmsford. The beach was closed as per an order from the Board Of Health. Apparently due to a toxic algae bloom
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Old 09-07-21, 03:25 PM
  #9462  
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Word that the Saugus River bridge, a.k.a., Bridge 1, on the Northern Strand Community Trail, a.k.a., Bike To The Sea, was open at last reached me in time to send me haring off East again on Labor Day, with an agenda other than hills, though hills occasionally got in the way on the ride that ensued. So, rode East, because that's where they keep the Sea in these parts.


Shortly thereafter, I left Medford, crossed into Malden, and picked up the Northern Strand. The Malden segment of the Northern Strand has been well paved for quite a few years, but it seems that most of the road crossings there have been dug up preparatory to installing ADA-compliant curb cuts. In their current form, they're somewhat hazardous, as I discovered when WHOOPS! I found myself getting about six inches of air vertically from my saddle. No harm done, and I was more vigilant with the remaining construction.


The Revere segment of the Northern Strand has been transformed from rough gravel to smooth pavement, friendly to road bikes and strollers. Its views of the Rumney Marsh continue to be beautiful, and change with the tides and the weather.


The pillars of the Route 1 overpass are still decorated with handsome graffiti, but a small homeless encampment seems to have established itself there. A very neat arrangements of chairs, with music supplied by a boombox, reminded me of the Mad Tea Party. No photos of that, it was their tea party, after all.

The Saugus segment of the Northern Strand, formerly stone dust, is now well paved. After passing through woods, suburban, residential neighborhoods, and a couple of business districts, it runs through the Saugus River estuary. An observation platform has been installed, and I stopped there to take a photo.


The new bridge across the Saugus River is open at last!


With that bridge open, the way to the newly-built Lynn segment of the Northern Strand is clear, as well. I rode on, eager to see what had become of what was single-track by the railroad tracks, running along a berm across the estuary. I wasn't disappointed.




The two old railroad bridges in the Lynn segment of the Northern Strand have been repaired, with a bit of the old remaining to remind us of what was.


My scheme for this ride was to follow the Northern Strand until I reached a trail closure. I found it deep in Lynn, and turned around. The exercise of detouring on the streets to continue to Nahant was left for another time. And the Bike to the Sea people are intent on finishing the trail, so there's more to come.


Throughout the ride, I was struck by the number and variety of people using the trail, and how happy they seemed being out and on it. I've seen what a vibrant civic commons the Minuteman has become, and I think the latest extensions of the Northern Strand, which used to be a relatively quiet path, have opened the door to something similar. For me, this was embodied by a young juggler who parked his bike against a railing on the Lynn segment, and practiced his juggling to the approval of passers-by.


I'll be back, for sure.

rod

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Old 09-07-21, 09:11 PM
  #9463  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
kite cam probably got it's 1st white shark photo
...
Yikes! Don't feed the fish!

rod
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Old 09-07-21, 09:15 PM
  #9464  
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Originally Posted by jimmuller
I tool my older Gazelle Champion Mondial out for an easy 28.9 miles today.



I had lunch at Heart Pond, Chelmsford. The beach was closed as per an order from the Board Of Health. Apparently due to a toxic algae bloom
Jim, I've often wondered when those granite markers were installed, and by whom. Sounds like a lovely ride. Spy Pond and Upper Mystic Lake have both been closed, off and on, over the last couple of weeks. Everybody's doing it...

rod
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Old 09-07-21, 10:03 PM
  #9465  
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Tuesday, took the GT out before dinner for a quick turn up the Mystic Valley Parkway as far as the Aberjona River. The sunset colors over the lakes seemed premature to me, but I guess those colors are just Summer red-shifting in the rear view mirror, receding fast, like the rest of the universe.






Sunset rides already?

rod

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Old 09-08-21, 03:30 AM
  #9466  
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
Yikes! Don't feed the fish!
hehe I had no idea it was there. I only saw the seals on the sand bar from the shore. the wind was blowing away from the water, so I was in the water (a little, you can see my shadow in the 1st crop) trying to get the kite cam closer to photo the seals. didn't see it until that night, going thru hundreds of time lapse frames. the shadow next to it is from the kite

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Old 09-08-21, 06:24 AM
  #9467  
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Did the full test ride to and from BIDMC streetless-ish.

Inbound Cedar and Oxford are very easy, the newish cut-thru in Harvard Square is awesome, the quiet streets between BU and Longwood are nice enough, and cutting through the park including the cyclocross up the Short Street Steps (easy with my frankndale, would be tough with a Bluebike) to Winsor School which avoids the chaos that is Longwood.

Outbound works well too, but since Cedar is one-way found a cut-thru at Starbucks to Elm then off at Hancock with it’s legal salmon run to Lexington Park in Somerville.


Another snap of the gorgeous former front doors:



Every genuine work of art
has as much reason for being
as the Earth and the Sun

Emerson

Massachusetts School of Art

Erected 1929


I will be commuting here starting a week from today for a couple of months.

-mr. bill

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Old 09-08-21, 06:28 PM
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Wednesday afternoon, rode out to Lexington Center on the Minuteman on the GT. That ought to do it for the preposition stack.


The clouds were on the march...


The clouds were on the march...


The clouds were on the march.


Rain tomorrow.

rod

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Old 09-09-21, 06:19 AM
  #9469  
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Took me a while to read:

My spouse has taught at many of the Colleges of the Fenway, in reverse alphabetical:
Wheelock College (now part of BU), Wentworth Institute of Technology, Mass Art (letterhead says Massachusetts College of Art and Design, nobody calls it that), and Emmanuel College.
Small world.
My wife went to grad school at Mass Art, my elder daughter graduated from Manny, my younger from Simmons.

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Old 09-10-21, 10:53 PM
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Took the GT for another quick sprint up the Mystic Valley Parkway before dinner, poor planning on my part, perhaps, but there's something to be said for go fast and finish quick at times. There was a cool touch of Fall in the air, and I expected peace and quiet up at the Lakes. Sure enough, I found some...


... but I also found this...


Quite the event! I didn't ask what it was, though the pizza and shells suggested a few things. I just got cranking again.

You never know what you're going to find down the road.

rod
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Old 09-11-21, 09:36 PM
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Saturday afternoon, I took the GT and rode East, on my hilly route through Arlington, Medford, Malden, Melrose, and Stoneham.


As always, the point of this ride is lots of hill climbing and descending, with a bit of the fun of riding in some urban traffic thrown in. And people watching, of course.


The weather couldn't have been better.


When I headed West on the return, I realized that the sun was low enough to produce a good deal of solar glare while I transited a couple of final hills. I rode with extra care then.


Good ride, my legs thanked me.

rod
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Old 09-12-21, 05:47 PM
  #9472  
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Took the GT on a quick sprint up the Mystic Valley Parkway, filling a little time before the Pats game. Summer was still in session at Shannon Beach.


Summer was still in session at the Tufts Sailing Pavilion, too, given the lively mix of paddle boarders, kayakers, distance swimmers, sailors, sun bathers, and those who simply sat on the dock and contemplated the lake. A few children and dogs were also in evidence, not shown here.


Power boats of various sizes could be seen at a distance on the Lower Mystic Lake. One of the boats had drummers drumming.


Down by the young Mystic River, a bit of Public Art collided with yet another instance of the recursive Not Art operator. Spin that wheel often enough, and it gets old.


A guy had his beautiful, growly hot rod Ford on the road. I was glad to see it.


rod

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Old 09-13-21, 10:44 PM
  #9473  
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Hopped on the GT and rode up Mass. Ave. past Arlington High School, which was still busy being reborn.


Past the Massachusetts Avenue, Appleton Street, and Appleton Place intersection, notorious for its body count.


Up to Lexington Center and around the Battle Green, with a nod to the Minuteman and the birth of American democracy.


Then back down the hill past Mass. & Appleton again, in the known-to-be-dangerous direction, with glare-blinded drivers coming in the other direction..


That little ride prepared me to go home, fire up Zoom, and attend an Arlington Select Board meeting that had Appleton Street peril remediation on the agenda. They'd like us to know that they care very much about Safety... and Parking.

No joy.

rod
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Old 09-15-21, 04:35 PM
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Tuesday, took the GT for a mid-afternoon ride out the Minuteman to Depot Park and back.


Mass. Ave. and Mystic: they don't really want to kill us, mostly, and some of them can't see us well enough to support such intentional behavior anyway, must have been an accident. But some of them are pretty dumb; and that's not only the drivers. Easy to make up your own reality when trying to make policy, or trying to make time; coherence is in short supply. I'm talking about a different intersection, of course. Repeat "Safety" until you feel Safe.


Cranking along the lovely green corridor of the Minuteman was therapeutic, as it most always is.


Nominee for Best Minuteman User Affordance Installed By An Abutter. I've seen little kids use this, it's a hoot.


Across Arlington's Great Meadows, some of the leaves are already changing colors. Discuss.


Ever wanted to live in that Little House In The Woods that's directly on the Minuteman? Now you can, it's for sale!


No photos from the return leg of Tuesday's ride. I kept my pace up to about my current 10-mile maximum, without much conflict with other trail users. It was interesting. Played a couple of games of Drop The Pursuer along the way. Interesting to stay that focused.

Tuesday fled, and Wednesday morning, bright and early by my standards, I put the GT on the bike rack and took the Prius into Lexingon Toyota for a service appointment. I rode the bike back to East Arlington, a pretty little ride along the Minuteman in one of its friendlier aspects.


While taking the bike out of the garage, I found a wooly bear caterpillar, yet another harbinger of You Know What. Its brown stripe is rather narrow, so maybe the auspices are favorable...


rod

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Old 09-16-21, 06:53 PM
  #9475  
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Took the GT on a utilitarian ride, off to Watertown to read to my granddaughter. This was a hoot, she loves being read to, and there's more to her every time I see her. The ride from East Arlington to Watertown is just hilly enough to please the legs, and the traffic was just thick enough to keep the eye and brain busy. A short ride, but a merry one.


rod
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