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Assabet River Rail Trail Corridor

Old 12-02-18, 10:31 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Greenhil
What are you packing on the back rack?
the usual cycling mumbo jumbo with an emphasis on overkill and redundancy for example two different patch kits and two large tubes in their boxes a hand pump plus a co2 inflator and 2 or 4 cartridges first aid stuff nitrile gloves extra riding gloves thinner that what I had on and a balaclava in case I underdressed my head on long rides I’ll pack lunch and maybe a rain jacket you know stuff like that
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Old 12-29-18, 07:52 PM
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nice day to get out








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Old 01-05-19, 09:55 PM
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water crossings were deeper today in the rain





nope didn't ride thru this one!





so glad these bridges aren't slippery when just wet!



not all the water crossings were passable. & the cpl that were passable were pretty deep. glad I kept the studded tires on cuz I got surprised by breaking thru ice under water! wonder how bad that could have ended w/o studs. maybe a fall into the water?


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Old 01-12-19, 09:55 PM
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still no snow & ice was rare









Last edited by rumrunn6; 01-13-19 at 04:35 AM.
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Old 01-13-19, 08:31 AM
  #30  
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I want to take my bike out there at some point. How long is the trail? I've looked it up, but it seems it is in different sections that are not connected?
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Old 01-13-19, 09:01 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
I want to take my bike out there at some point. How long is the trail? I've looked it up, but it seems it is in different sections that are not connected?
there’s a magic spot a kind of vortex where several opportunities connect paved and unpaved let me get back to you cuz I’m at a job w/o resources

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Old 01-13-19, 12:25 PM
  #32  
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Thanks. There's no hurry. I'm still deciding on the right bike to buy. I could take the old one though. But I took the bike rack off my car for the winter so when it is warm enough for me, I ride locally.
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Old 01-13-19, 06:02 PM
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Great pics and videos rumrunn6 really enjoyed this posting, looks like I will have to plan a field trip.
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Old 01-13-19, 06:44 PM
  #34  
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this is the vortex

4 Riverside Park, Maynard, MA 01754



I got in 13 miles riding around the preserve, but you can also ride west on dirt or east on the new paved trail & it's not hard ti connect to the paved Bruce Freeman Rail Trail to Lowell

there's parking at the visitors' center. see link in post #1

the preserve & dirt trail west is best done on an off road bike. the trails get icy in the winter & due to the shade, the ice lingers even when it melts off the roads

also, if you follow arrow south to dirt you'll find preserve parking here on white pond rd (technically, open sunrise to sunset)

these are the trails I usually ride, after riding here from my house



hope that helps!

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Old 01-13-19, 07:05 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by ZIPP2001
Great pics and videos rumrunn6 really enjoyed this posting, looks like I will have to plan a field trip.
it's definitely ZIPP2001 kinda territory! you got a car bike rack for the fatbike?
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Old 01-13-19, 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
it's definitely ZIPP2001 kinda territory! you got a car bike rack for the fatbike?
The bike fits in my winter car or wife regular car, never used a car bike rack. I've always made sure I had a car that the bike could ride in. Even my Smart car when I had it would fit my road bike in it when I went to events to ride.
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Old 01-13-19, 08:36 PM
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Old 01-14-19, 09:05 AM
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Thank you! That's definitely helpful.
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Old 01-17-19, 04:57 AM
  #39  
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got out for an hour last night before we lose sight of the ground for a while. snow expected in a cpl days then very cold temps. the water crossings were not frozen over. crashed thru some ice in one area & stopped before trying this one



saw an enormous muskrat that surfaced where my light was shining near a clear area w/o ice. too bad I took this pic after scaring it back under water



getting around at night is pretty fun but not without hazards

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Old 01-17-19, 10:40 AM
  #40  
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@ZIPP2001

my camera & light aren't as good as ZIPP's but there was a cool sound that I barely captured. at one of the what I call "water crossings", there's a part of the park road that floods. there's some ice now, but it's not complete. so one has to ride thru some water. as I climbed onto the ice on the other side, I must have cracked it. this ice must be connected (due to the flooding) to the rest of the ice covering the estuary. this in turn, caused some kind of sound radiation, echo or low roar. it was fairly loud & spooky, at the moment. a weird deep, hollow moan. I can barely make it out at the :30 sec mark but I have to turn the volume up

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Old 01-19-19, 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
@ZIPP2001

my camera & light aren't as good as ZIPP's but there was a cool sound that I barely captured. at one of the what I call "water crossings", there's a part of the park road that floods. there's some ice now, but it's not complete. so one has to ride thru some water. as I climbed onto the ice on the other side, I must have cracked it. this ice must be connected (due to the flooding) to the rest of the ice covering the estuary. this in turn, caused some kind of sound radiation, echo or low roar. it was fairly loud & spooky, at the moment. a weird deep, hollow moan. I can barely make it out at the :30 sec mark but I have to turn the volume up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAs6TlwwBuE
That is a familiar noise I've heard over the last couple weeks. I was eaten by one a while back when I broke thru a larger than expected ice trap during the day. Now riding at night and hearing that can be a little scary that's is for sure. Hopefully with the expected freeze coming after the snow those sounds will be gone for awhile.
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Old 02-04-19, 02:39 PM
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could not complete my usual route around the preserve perimeter trails due to snow conditions exceeding the capabilities on my current bike. need a bit more melting. resorted to the compacted river road














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Old 02-10-19, 05:47 PM
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Saturday was cold & windy but another nice day to ride









the big "crossing" was still flooded but shallow. funny to have flowing water, not ice, but hard frozen ground.



this one was bone dry!



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Old 03-20-19, 07:47 PM
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temps were in the 40s & 50s? during the day. the perimeter trails still had a thick few inches of melty semi supportive mush at night. interspersed with harder more supportive ice. but even that ice was melty & soft. not a great ride. in fact, after the 1st leg, I bailed onto 117 to get back home



but there was a pretty moment before it got dark


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Old 11-16-19, 08:02 PM
  #45  
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29 degrees, sunny & windy today. saw only a handful of hikers & one biker (road bike?). this place remains a well kept secret







light layer of ice forming


the wind help keep the "feels like" temp quite low


first ice


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Old 11-23-19, 08:34 PM
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got introduced to the Rice Tavern over by the MEMA bunker today





old crushed stove pipe


well?


WWII munition bunker

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Old 11-30-19, 10:00 AM
  #47  
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chilly 38 degree ride yesterday, windy too! diverged from my usual route exploring outside the park & found the abandoned office bldgs on top of the hill south of the river. found my way out of that area & wound up finding the end of the Assabet again where the bridge is out. such a pretty section, I hope they continue the trail & rebuild that bridge. met a kayaker who was surprised to meet me in that remote area. was interesting riding back thru the woods as he paddled the waterway





I should explore further South to Railroad Ave!
https://goo.gl/maps/CZDw28Yc83r3anv88


across the road from Magazu's Landing (Sudbury Rd, Stow, MA)





guess someone crashed their quad copter drone?


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Old 12-29-19, 04:01 AM
  #48  
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Otter Alley was dry yesterday, I guess because they cleared out the beaver dam around the culvert


heard a cpl gunshots, saw a cpl riflemen off trail & this bow hunter on trail



it was a pretty, sunny day



persistent snow & ice but it was granular & actually provided good traction. just a little slip felt riding the water covered ice





seems like a cpl new trees have come down


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Old 01-18-20, 06:21 PM
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stark 19 degree January day. no snow pack so the going was easy except for going down on some ice. can't put off the studs forever







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Old 01-22-20, 04:18 PM
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You're right about this place being less known. I've been out there multiple times (my wife REALLY dislikes the bunkers, thinks they're creepy) and it's always like being there by yourself. I believe this was mentioned previously, but not all trails are open to bikes (technically, only Taylor, Harry's, and White Pond) and the west part of the refuge is completely closed off. Taylor Way was actually quite a bit of a slog even on my all-terrain bike with 40mm tires. That's the most flooded I've ever seen it and kudos for tackling this kind of terrain on studded tires and not a fatbike. Give it a few more days and I bet the snow will clear out.

https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Re...etBrochure.pdf
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