Continued...
This left me with a conundrum. I couldn't ride the aqueduct (not without some bolt cutters and a riding lawnmower, anyway). Sunset was going to commence in about half an hour. I could contrive to be on Water Row when that happened, but that involved going further West, and adding time on the road after dark: seemed more aesthetic than clever, and I had no particular desire to see how some of those fancy cars that had been passing me would be driven with the help of a few drinks (Saturday night and all). So, I rode East on Route 20 (never my first choice, but I sometimes do it anyway) as far as Weston Center. I stopped for a fuel and water break by an old burying ground, and admired a fine old pine that watches over the hallowed residents.
I continued through Weston Center, and picked up Conant Road, riding past the
sculpture garden full of extraterrestrial manifestations at Joseph Ferguson's studio. Got scolded by a pair of red squirrels. Kept climbing and got into the Modernist architectural enclave further up the hill on Conant and Old Conant Roads. Here, sunset found me.
Reaching the end of Old Conant Road, I circumvented a corporate gate and picked up the traditional right-of-way connecting Old Conant Road with Old County Road. Every ride needs a little singletrack (the Reformatory Branch doesn't count), and this was mine today. Some of the vines WANTED me...
This brought me to Old County Road, and back to Lincoln; I crossed Winter Street (can you ride the one-way part the wrong way on a bicycle? and not get killed, I mean?) and was soon riding along the banks of the Cambridge Reservoir, beautiful in the sunset light.
Got on Trapelo Road, and had an even nicer view from the causeway.
Dropped into the granny gear on my Sugino touring triple, and winched myself up the hill and into Waltham. I crossed Route 2 on Spring Street.
Enjoyed the rolling hills of Spring Street, picked up Marrett Road and had fun with that, admired Dunback Meadow glowing faintly in the darkness, rolled down to Mass. Ave. and negotiated the Maple Street rotary without incident. Used the Maple Street ramp to roll onto the Minuteman in full dark, ringing like an old-time fire engine as I merged. How many of those old bicycle-saddle bollards are left? I can think of two...
Rode home in the darkness, didn't quite have the thing to myself, but was part of the illuminated minority. Lots of invisible pedestrians, some with invisible (but not inaudible) dogs, and, I'm sorry to have to report, several invisible cyclists as well. Some things glowed in the dark, as usual.
The AHS athletic field was positively jumping: a dj, and lots of diffuse athletic activity, along with various sorts of gaiety. I asked a Minuteman pedestrian who had paused to watch with me at the fence about what was going on, and she said it was about cancer survivors and caregivers.
Found it on the Web when I got home.
All told, this one was
40 miles through Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, Concord, Lincoln, Wayland, Weston, and Waltham, with 3473' of climbing and a ~20degF temperature drop: a cooling ride on a Saturday evening.
rod