I rode out to Billerica today, via the MM and NGRT. This was my first weekend ride on the MM since April, as I generally avoid the crowds.
It was a beautifully crisp fall morning, around 43 when I started out, with an occasionally stiff breeze.
The MM was about as busy as a much warmer weekday.
I think these folks are part of an organized group of senior riders I see quite often:
I was pleasantly surprised at how dry the NGRT was, given the rain we had on Thursday. Here's a typical stretch:
Good thing I'm not afraid of my own shadow - it's really long at this time of year.
So, the NGRT presently ends at Spring Rd in Billerica, across from Astrig Way, as seen here:
Despite the "Resident's Only" sign and the "Private" signs further along (yes, I rode down it a bit), this is in fact the planned route for the Yankee Doodle Bikeway. At the end of Astrig you can just barely see a single track path in the woods that heads north. I believe that's an unmaintained remnant of the old railroad and part of the future bikeway.
I stopped at Fawn Lake on the way back, which rewarded me with a classic New England fall scene:
Back at Depot Park:
I cranked on home to Arlington - the exercise and fresh air having sharpened my appetite for lunch.
Let's hope there are many more days like this before things get messy or too cold. My personal lower limit is about 35. Last winter, due to the mild weather and lack of snow, I think the longest I went without riding was about two weeks. In contrast, more typically I take a cycling break from roughly mid-December to mid-March. We'll see...
Tom