Trocadile

I checked the path out too on Saturday and did just this, coming back on the Boston side. Just a few blocks of street riding to connect the two made for a nice loop from my Watertown starting point. Not a very scenic ride into Boston but connects the river and the Science Museum area to a lot of the westerly trails.

EVlove

Gorgeous afternoon for a ride today. I went track racing again yesterday so the original plan was for an easy "recovery" ride on the BFRT. But my legs felt good and the trail was not overly busy so I decided to just keep going past NARA Park. But first, another instalment in what has become an occasional series: A Passing Interest--What's That Growing along the Trail?

I had been noticing occasional stands of these little yellow wildflowers. Some online research suggested that they were probably yet another introduced species, and today I finally remembered to pull over for a definitive look-see, in one of the bends just north of NARA.



It's birdsfoot trefoil, or Lotus corniculatus--fittingly, as I was riding the Lotus again today. Not at all related to the sacred lotus plant, though. It's another legume that was introduced for grazing livestock. It doesn't seem to be spreading out of control in our area, but it can.

But I am already out of chronological order here. First, in another encounter with trailside nature, I was there just in time to help a good-sized painted turtle cross Route 225! The poor thing had evidently just fallen off the curb, onto its back, and was frantically trying to right itself. Which it did, moments after I noticed the situation, dropped the bike and hit the button for the pedestrian signal. I managed to grab it before it could march on into the 5 pm traffic. Wouldn't like those odds, even on a holiday, the traffic was actually fairly normal. I placed the reptile into some grass well past the curb on the other side, and by the time I had fetched my bike, he or she had disappeared into the vegetation. So no photo.

Another north-of-NARA observation of note, the crossing lights have finally been reinstalled at Main St/Route 27.



Anyway, at NARA, I was feeling nice and loose and just kept going at an adequate pace, considerate of trail users that included every wheeled, mostly muscle-driven vehicle I could have thought of, and some more. From a little girl evidently on her first attempt without training wheels, to a roller-skier, to a pair of ski-goggled riders on strangely upright pedelecs with "ape hanger" handlebars.

I challenged myself not to shift out of 52x19 for the two bridges and finally came to the parking lot at the state prison. On my earlier excursion this far south, I had noticed what looked like a new park under construction, and today decided to explore a little more. No entrance signage to be found but apparently this is Warner's Pond. Not clear to me why, and from what, it needs to be saved. A waterside gravel path was already open and in use, and the area around the structures only nominally blocked off. In fact, I saw a jogger try if the bathrooms were open yet. I had a similar need but, unlike her, was mounted on a conveyance that would take me back to an operational bathroom at NARA in short order.






This accomplished, the rest of the return ride was once again enjoyable. I left the BFRT at Heart Pond and returned home via Hunt Rd. 24.1 miles and 668 vertical feet. (Coincidentally, 668 has been my race number up in Londonderry.)

rholland1951

The last two rides I took on the Rambouillet, it evinced a failure mode with the inelegant name of "chain suck". So I left it at Battle Road Bikes. Jim let me know it was ready over the weekend, and I picked it up on Monday. Natually, I had to take it for a shakedown ride, on the Minuteman, why not?. It was just wonderful: speedy and nimble and non-sucking. It wanted to go faster than conditions indicated, so I exercised discretion about just when and where and how fast it was permitted to run. But I was happy.


Well into the return, at the Brattle Street overpass, I came upon several APD and AFD first responders helping an injured cyclist.


People walked or rode by. Eventually I walked my bike past the group, and heard the cyclist say, "What happened?" Words to live by.


I rode on. There's a particular spot, just before Water Street, where I stop to turn on any lights I intend to use on the road. As I was busy with that, a friendly voice said, "Are you involved with Bicycle Forums?" It was mr_bill !!! We chatted for perhaps a half hour, catching up. With luck, it sounds like he may resume posting here, which would be a welcome development, indeed. I rode home in a happier state of mind than I had been in a few minutes before...

So happy, in fact, that I put the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler back in the rotation for the first time since February. Given the time I felt I didn't have, I rode the Rambler up the Mystic Valley Parkway, as far as the Aberjona River, checking out the scene along the E shore of the Mystic Lakes. Shannon Beach has been restored, and should be a happening place when the first heat wave of the summer rolls through.


The docks at the Tufts Bacow Sailing Pavillion were showing the ad hoc signs of life that they so often seem to foster off hours: sun bathing, swimming, micro watercraft, young love. All in a No Drone Zone.


I rolled on home, pleased with the feel of the Rambler.

rod

mr_bill

Brief Pill&Ills update:

Still on my drugs for my Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. It remains "castration sensitive," which is great news.

Next oncology appointment is not until August, and no scans in the current plans.
Scan stress sucks sucks. The scans are easy for me. Waiting for the results is hard for me. This is called "Scanxiety."

Now, bike update.

Continue to get out and about, and my world just got MUCH larger.

My first trip on the GLX bikepath extension was last Thursday.
Video below is 4x, so in real time it's just under a fifteen minute trip.

Some of the ride reminds me of the "See America and Sea Level" tagline from Amtrak. (A lot of trains, like these, run in depressed below grade rights of way, so instead you get to "See America from Wall to Wall."

Not caught in the video though are the nice views of Somerville and Boston from nice vantage points.



-mr. bill

EVlove

^^Yikes, that's narrow, even considering the video is sped up.

Best wishes for your continued treatment and recovery.

rumrunn6

good luck! rooting for ya!

EVlove

Another sunny afternoon but a look at the extended forecast showed it may well be the last one for a week, so time to get out there. Once again the Lotus was to be my ride. I picked a route that would take me out of Chelmsford center on Route 4, then south to Carlisle, over to Westford on 225, and finally to the BFRT. This meant dealing with quite a bit of traffic, so the dress code was hi-viz shirt and socks. I had swapped out the aging chain for an almost new SRAM 8-speed but didn't get to enjoy a silent drivetrain for very long at all, because now the BB once again, and more urgently than before, was clamoring to be retired. I decided to keep going, for one last outing, and make use of the expected stretch of unfavorable weather to replace it.

Leaving the center was unpleasant--the new 4 foot clearance law has not made much difference at all in my experience--but traffic was much quieter on Concord Rd. In fact, I think it wasn't until Great Brook that a car eventually passed by me. Undulating terrain but not too demanding, and it was an enjoyable ride to Carlisle center. There I availed myself of a bike rack in front of the Ferns country store (recommended, although I didn't purchase anything this time). Deli, bakery, café--well, I was certainly beginning to get baked in the full sun, and soon decided to continue my break on the shady side of the road instead.



From there, I observed that the rotary looked about as busy as it gets.



Little did I know that I would soon catch up with many of those cars! From Carlisle to the 225 and 27 intersection in Westford, where I was planning to pick up the BFRT, is about 2.6 miles, with a 5.5% maximum grade that is still a bit of a challenge for me. I had seemingly just conquered that foe when this sight stretched out in front of me:



A school bus up ahead? No, it's summer, and too late in the day, anyway. An accident? Well, as it turned out, this was just rush hour in Carlisle/Westford, backed up all the way from the intersection, easily a mile.

I slowly made my way to the front whenever there was room to squeeze by, trying to be annoyed that this surely ruined a new personal best--but in reality I wasn't timing myself at all; I rarely do.

The BFRT crossing was a welcome sight and I rested for a moment before continuing on to Heart Pond. (By the way, I still side with those older Chelmsfordians that insist it should be Hart Pond, named for an early settler I presume, as evidenced by the nearby Hart Farm and Hart Rd, but the signage reads Heart. Baptist Pond is another old name, but I suspect the Harts settled before that church was built.)

The, now lifeguarded, beach was not too crowded, but at any rate this picture is only a stand-in for another I wish I could show. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a young family of six resting in the shade, parents and two boys of maybe 5 and 7 on bikes, and two smaller siblings sharing a trailer. All happy and enjoying their afternoon, a nice little vignette to behold, but it got even better when the mom asked me if I would take their picture! Which I was very happy to do. Their first family outing on bikes, she said. I didn't ask how far they had come but the older boy's shirt read PAWTUCKETVILLE so possibly all the way from Lowell. Neat.



Now all that remained was to pick a route home. I decided to stay on the trail a little longer and then take High St. 16 miles and about 540 vertical feet.

bike_tom

I got out before lunch today for a ride up the MM to Depot Park Bedford.
It was uneventful in a pleasant way. The MM was pretty quiet, though I saw several parent/child groups. Not surprising given that most schools are out for the summer now.

The temps were great, though there was a bit more moisture in the air than I prefer.

On the way back I stopped at Peeper's Pond, which now looks like pea soup. Saw these two swans which are regular residents there:



At first I thought the one with its head on its body was dead, then I recalled that is something that swans do. Just a few feet away were some other waterfowl:



I was half expecting to see some turkeys too, which have become prevalent in the area, including my backyard.

Tom

rholland1951

Took a much-needed microvacation, a couple of days visiting with friends in Brewster. While it wasn't exactly a bicycle-centric trip, it did provide the opportunity to do a few hours of exploring the Cape Cod Rail Trail and Old Colony Rail Trail in a very preliminary fashion. I rolled out on the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler, and probably violated the posted speed limit from time to time.


Trail trees are where you find them.


Not so crowded on the trail, people came and went, generally with smiles on their faces.




For some, the trail was the thing. For others, it was an adjunct to whatever the thing was: this pond, for instance.


The Rambler acquitted itself well, and picked up a few compliments. Low trail, steel frame, and wide, supple tires, hurrah!


Took a side-trip on the Old Colony Rail Trail: rode all but the last (or first) mile, depending on how you reckon it. My temporal discipline is better than it used to be...


Lobster traps piled up in the woods. What's that about? Fishery collapse?


Pylon trail: if I ride the bike on gravel, is it a gravel bike?


Eastern painted turtle rescue. Also saw a doe on the trail, but she rescued herself.


Nice place, good trail, good people, I look forward to returning. I'm late to the party.

rod

EVlove

The rain today seemed to be staying south of us for quite some time, or at least the heavy stuff did. All we had in the first half of the day was very light, not even reaching the ground under the trees. So after watching this for a while, cooking up a quick wax bath for my track chain, having lunch, and assorted thises and thats, the radar still seemed to indicate nothing worse than a few warm weather drops. I decided I could fit in a ride to NARA Park in Acton and back, albeit on the Zizzo folder, as the BFRT would certainly be wet; none of my other bikes are equipped with fenders.

The weather held for pretty exactly half the ride Leaving Chelmsford, under the dense canopy on that section, the trail was really just damp, with frequent dry spots under the heaviest cover. Not too many other users, and almost none past Heart Pond. Further south, it was beginning to get wetter and wetter under the wheels, from the earlier rain, and it started again just as I was arriving at the park. At least three separate picnics/parties were scrambling to get under the various shelters, and gather reluctant kids off the beach. I stayed at the snack bar for a few minutes but when the rain seemed to settle in, went in search of a bench to wait it out. The playground! Sure enough, it was deserted now.



What I didn't realize was that these are shade structures, with open weave fabric, presumably to keep the wind loads manageable. OK as long as the rain remained light but once it got to downpour strength, this wouldn't do and I rushed over to a nearby open storage shelter where some of the park's boats are kept, along with a small fleet of adult trikes. Another lull in the rain allowed getting back to the pavilion to use the restroom, and join the now much reduced crowd under the eaves of the pavilion. Among them a senior couple with a tandem, apparently the only other people stranded a ways from home. Everyone else was just waiting for the right time to dash to their cars, including a young dad with two small but patient children, whose weather app assured him that the rain would stop in 4 minutes. Ah, progress. It probably took a couple more minutes, during which it intensified to a grand finale, but then we were free to go our separate ways. I knew from my own phone that there wasn't much of a gap until the next rain clouds, and so set off at a good clip. The rain had stopped completely and the sun came out presently, but under the trees I was treated to plenty of delayed drops. I didn't mind, it was warm, the trail nearly empty, and the fenders were reliably keeping puddles and muck off. I even saw some birds taking advantage of deeper puddles here and there to bathe.

I came to Heart Pond and turned for the shortest way home, as clouds were now closing in again, and I was just thinking "looks like I'll make it" when my rear went completely flat within just a few revolutions, barely more than a mile from home. A quick inspection found the offending bit of metal deeply embedded, no hope of a quick fix. I carry tools and patches but one mile from home, with weather looming, walking the rest of the way was the best option. Naturally, as a result I did not beat that shower, after all!

In all this, taking pictures was not a priority; in fact, I barely managed to text my wife that I was fine, the wet screen was acting up. I got home, toweled myself and the bike off, and sat down to a peach and white cherry cobbler my wife had made. Ah, summer.

16.1 miles and 520 vertical feet, and another mile walked.

rholland1951

I took the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler and rode East, another round of the hills-and-traffic drill through the convenient highlands of Medford, Malden, Melrose, and Stoneham.


Occasional pleasant, cooling drizzle, but for the most part dry as a bone. The Rambler did its low-trail thing with customary aplomb, and the Soma C Line tires rolled the way wide, supple tires should.

rod

hose

Too damn humid yesterday but I still did my 12+ mile loop out in the hills. here is 3/5ths of my rides

rholland1951

Welcome!

rod

rholland1951

After the rain petered out, I took the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler out on the Minuteman for a mid-afternoon spin.


Somebody apparently took the park bench for a spin. It is perhaps surprising that we don't see more of that sort of thing on the Minuteman (not a complaint).


The big catalpa was in its glory.


A green mirage decorates such puddles as remain.


It was a brief, intense ride, pretty much my stock in trade these days. Felt good.

rod

rholland1951

Took the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler out Friday and rode East.


This was the weekly hills-and-traffic drill through Arlington, Medford, Malden, Melrose, and Stoneham. There were, indeed, hills...


There was, indeed, traffic...


By the end of the afternoon, the air was starting to smell like Quebec, with reportedly more to follow on Saturday.


That didn't seem to slow the West Medford basketball players down much.


Nor the kids in the spray park.


After several days of letting well enough alone, I paused to adjust the saddle height on the Rambler, and it feels like an improvement. That could be said of the bike itself, of course. I should send Rob Perks a thank you note.

rod

rholland1951

Took the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler up the Mystic Valley Parkway for a quick ride before dinner. The photo shows the dam, seen from the Upper Mystic Lake; those with sharp eyes may notice a pair of middle schoolers having fun by standing on the boom, fishing. "Warning", the sign says.


rod

rumrunn6

here's a brief public service announcement. apply sunscreen to your feet. there are many things you won't be able to to do, w/o socks & shoes, while you heal ...

harrier6

I'll keep that in mind as I've taken to riding this Peugeot in Birkenstocks recently. Today was a bit wet for that, but I enjoyed ripping through the minuteman and Concord in sneakers anyways.


px-10 in Lincoln

rholland1951

Took the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler up the Mystic Valley Parkway again before dinner, for the ride, of course, but also to check what the scene there was like in unexpectedly fine weather on the 4th of July weekend. I rode N as far as the Aberjona River, the turnaround point for today's little ride.


Shannon Beach, on the Upper Mystic Lake, was surprisingly quiet, but those few who were there seemed to be enjoying themselves.


A single sailboat puttered around on the Upper Mystic Lake; it seemed to me that there wasn't much breeze for it to work with. A bird made use of what breeze there was to look for lunch.


A paddleboarder launched from the ramp near the Tufts Bacow Sailing Pavillion; a swimmer kept him company for a while.


On the docks of the Bacow Pavillion, serious sun worship was in progress: Summer had arrived, at least to stay the afternoon.


rod

rholland1951

Don't know what the sunbathers did with their time on Tuesday, but I spent mine chanting "Rain, rain, go away!" And it seemed to have worked: the storm blew out to sea around 5:30 pm. It seems quite a few of us were waiting for a sign of that felicitous development, because we all headed to the Minuteman (or similar). This dog walker, for instance, is definitely on a mission..


Not currently having a dog to walk, I rolled out on the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler, my current idea of a good idea, low trail, 38mm tires on 700C wheels, sunflower paint job, and all. Everything was freshly washed. Puddles were ubiquitous.


The Mile 4.0 Cairn Builders have erected a miniature kayaker (or perhaps something else). Warning: rocks sink.


The Mile 4.0 Abutters are NOT Cairn Builders (I checked), but they appreciate them, and are in the spirit They added a couple of bicycle totems lately.


rod

Mike sgonre

I started my ride at the foot of an amazing Mount Galibier mountain range. Mountain peaks stand majestically, and the peaks pierce the void. With a burst of excitement, I pedaled up the challenging hill, feeling the virtual wind blow through my digital hair. When I reached the top, the majestic scenery unfolded in front of me, revealing endless waterfalls, lush green valleys and vibrant forests.

rholland1951

Welcome.

rod

bike_tom

It was hot today, but I wasn't going to waste the precious combination of dry weather and free time. So, I headed out to Depot Park at midday.

The MM was moderately busy -some folks taking the week off I am sure. To be honest though, it was mostly like the usual weekday retired crowd,

PSA: the exterior restrooms at the Lexington Visitor's Center are closed:



Wasn't in need of one at the time, so I didn't check if the interior ones were available.

Not surprisingly, with all the rain, it was very lush at Depot Park:



Need sunblock? The dispenser at the back of the Depot has been restored for the season:



I didn't venture onto the Reformatory Branch, expecting it would not yet have recovered from the recent soakings. With this heat though it won't take long to dry out.

A good hot ride - the usual 19 mile roundtrip..

Tom

rholland1951

Rolled out in the heat of the day on the Ocean Air Cycles Rambler, seeking a quick glimpse of the scene at the Mystic Lakes on an exemplary beach day.


Ra was holding court over the Upper Mystic Lake, at the mouth of the Aberjona River.


The joint was jumping at Shannon Beach. Looks like money well spent on the improvements.


A chatty scene at the docks of the Tufts Bacow Sailing Pavillion, lots of little groups.


A swimmer in the foreground, a mixed squadron of small craft in the distance.


Preparing the inflatable raft for action.


A solitary young fisherman takes his time.


rod

rumrunn6

got out yesterday for a short ride. found out today that the air quality was not ideal. not from Canadian wild fires, just the heat & humidity. yeah yesterday the forest smelled & felt like a botanical garden. it's definitely bug season. the head net would have been handy. it's been a while & it felt great to get the lungs & legs working again. even if by the end I felt kinda exhausted. maybe it was all the stopping & running back & forth to take ride-bys

love the summer heat, being out in the open, feeling the overwhelming warmth, like a familiar seasonal blanket, with moderation. by the end, I was soaked & happy to get a shower

what is it about riding a bike, that brings out the inner child?