Took the Rawland Nordavinden out for a
31 mile ride through Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, Waltham, Lincoln, and Concord, with 2762' of climbing over Belmont Hill and lesser lumps. Chose the route for the hills, and learned that the Norda's low trail means less wheel flop in climbing, but is more responsive to steering inputs, so a light touch does it. Zipping down in descents the bike is speedy and stable, and it holds its track admirably during encounters with occasional potholes.
Belmont Hill on Concord Avenue: up up up...
Down, down, down... Hit 36 mph here, technically speeding.
Beyond Belmont Hill, Concord Ave brings one to the Kingdom of Cattails and Willows.
After that flat, wet bit come more hills, up and down and up and down. I took a little historical detour on Barberry Road, Lexington, to admire the lovely Modern houses
built there by the Architects Collaborative, and those like-minded folks who came later. Many of the best of these houses
blend so subtly with the surrounding landscape that they're hard to photograph, a carefully achieved effect that has matured over the years, but here's a reasonable exemplar of the style.
Continued out Concord Ave. to Spring Street Lexington/Smith Street Waltham, and bombed down Trapelo Road over the Cambridge Reservoir causeway and into Lincoln, then chugged up the hill past the Peace Barn.
Continued on to the DeCordova Museum, where I took a little cultural break, nibbled on a Cliff Bar, and thought good thoughts about Bishbike. Took my bike into a sort of latter-day fun house titled "
Crazy Spheroid-Two Entrances"
When my kids were little they used to love
The Musical Fence, and I was charmed to see a young child running along beside it today, playing glissandos with one of the sticks provided for the purpose. That piece is an enduring success.
I also spent time with "
ence pence" which for me evoked the monumental sculptures of
Bayon temple, in the Angkor ruins.
Rode past the
1938 Gropius House on Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, a little closer to the well-spring of Bauhaus inspiration that those Architects Collaborative guys were sipping from.
Rolled past Walden Pond and crossed
Route 2, reminiscent of a wildebeest migration, taking a short-cut to pick up
Lexington Road, Concord, followed the familiar path of Old Bedford Road with its corn fields shivering in the breeze, Virginia Road, Mill Street, past the N end of the
somewhat-thirsty-looking Cambridge Reservoir,
and so on home, picking up a little bit of the Minuteman at
Maple Street, and
getting a dose of population pressure that I had managed to avoid on early stages of the ride. I don't blame them, it was a great day to be out and about.
rod