Jim from Boston

So this past Saturday, I did a 62 mile extended commute from Kenmore Square to Norwood, to include some new segments linking old routes. I started at 6:00 AM and rode Comm Ave into Newton. Instead of turning directly onto Route 16, I went through Auburndale and rode about a mile on beautiful Victorian Woodland Road.

Woodland Road does cross the Mass Pike, and is not too far from Waltham. While Newton is known as the “Garden City,” someone on Woodland and did set up a beach volleyball court.



I linked up to Route 16 and took that through Wellesley to Holliston by way of route 27 and a different but nonetheless enchanted, Woodland St. to Mill to Fiske in Sherborn. I did do a side trip on Nason Rd to pass by a colleague's house. On Nason a well organized, tight paceline of about 10 riders (but not wearing uniform team kits) passed by.

My first rest stop was on Rte 27 just before Woodland St. One of the myriad joys of a New England ride is that a shaded stone wall is an excellent rest stop.



I know how other riders who travel with " sweeties,” eat well on the road; my “bachelor biker” picnic is pretty sparse.



Then onto Route 126 down to Medway. I was feeling sluggish and did another stop at the Fatima shrine on 126, which had opened restrooms. From Medway I did a loop in Franklin down Pond which was residential suburban; across treeless, heavy commercial suburban Route 140 for about a mile, then up Union to Lincoln.

That last segment looked really easy to find on the map, but even at the corner of Main Street which apparently became Lincoln, I had to ask directions. The man pointed about a block down the road and said just stay to the right of that red brick schoolhouse, and indeed that's what it was, built in 1833. Lincoln was pleasantly almost rural back to Medway, but with a patched up road surface.



On a different thread this weekend about the utility of rearview mirrors, I described an episode on Lincoln St:

Then I took familiar Village St to Forest to the enchanted Causeway St in particular to ride by another colleague's house, who wasn't home but I did chat with his mother-in-law. Another less well organized paceline rode by on Causeway Street. Finally, I tried another new, also enchanted back route through Walpole, High St, which was fortunately also a long, rapid downhill because I was tired, and then on to Norwood.

That night, I made up for the lonely, sparse rations en route: