Today's ride, like many another, started with a bit of staring at Google Maps, and getting a peachy keen idea therefrom. Today's ride, like many another, also started a few hours later than was absolutely desirable. Here's the story...
I had some time on my hands this afternoon and evening. Could have started a bit earlier, but talked myself into various errands, etc. Where to go? I thought, Southwest, Water Row maybe. While gawking at Google Maps in Bicycling view, an unpaved path I hadn't noticed before jumped out at me: the Weston Aqueduct! My understanding was that the aqueduct system was being opened up for passive recreational use, perhaps this longish brown squiggle on Google Maps was a manifestation of that.
Nothing for it but to go find out. Since I didn't feel particularly like starting the ride by climbing Belmont Hill, I opted for a long, leafy, arcing trajectory, out the Minuteman and the Reformatory Branch Trails to Concord Center, then down Walden Street, Concord, to Route 126 past Walden Pond and on through Lincoln and Wayland, then picking up Plain Road, Wayland, East almost to the Weston line, then crossing Route 20 on a Southwest diagonal to pick up Old Connecticut Path; the Weston Aqueduct crosses that a few blocks later. Simple! Except some of the segments (e.g. Plain Road), were a bit longer than I remembered them. And I started at 5pm...
The Arlington High School athletic field had been taken over by some sort of organized merriment, with a rock'n'roll band wailing away--free, and I've heard worse for free--and a group of boys playing with a giant tire at mid-field.
Further on, I noted with pleasure that
Nick Benedict is making
Curious Velo's presence known on the Minuteman, with a new sign and an intriguing display of great old bikes. Everybody should go see Nick (and buy a great old bike, as good as new!).
Stopped for a quick break at Depot Park, Bedford, then had a pleasant ride on the Reformatory Branch, which was in fine shape. The folks in Concord have definitely been working on the two sucking mires, and they didn't so much as pucker today. What little mud was visible, was easily avoided. Some care must be taken to avoid the several trees growing in the middle of one section of the trail, however: bear left, or bear right, straight ahead just won't do it.
A bucolic bit of Concord:
The site of the former Walden Breezes trailer park, now getting a sewer system. Hello, developers...
A bucolic bit of Lincoln (note the position of the sun):
The Weston Aqueduct, at last! Google Maps, trust but verify.
To be continued...