We took the tandem out for 20 miles yesterday. Very strong winds! And wet roads, mmm, you better believe it. Big puddles every so often. Still, it was great.

http://users.rcn.com/jimmuller/pics/sand.jpg

My touring partner took her first ride on her new bike. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=359611 esterday we rode the Minuteman for soup at the Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington. Balmy weather and very pleasant.

Silly question, I think I know the answer, but wanted to see what other more knowledgable folks would say. I live in Malden and wanted to see if there was a way to seamlessly ride from here to the Minuteman path with minimal to no on-street riding. I normally ride the Northern Strand trail, so I know I can take that down and with some effort get over to the Wellington path, and I believe across to the Mystic River path, but didn't know if the Mystic River path in Medford connects directly to the Minuteman path. The Alewife Brook Greenway, according to what I read, seems to do that, but it seems that the Mystic pathway is somewhat segmented.

Anyhow, just wanted to see what others have experienced, since I haven't gone out and tried it yet myself.

I may be wrong, but believe you'll have to do a little on-street riding between trails. Question: how do you connect the Northern Strand Community Path with the Wellington?

rod

Connecting from northern strand to wellington would require on-street riding via Commercial St Malden/Rivers Edge Dr Medford (probably the easiest way)

This is pretty much the way I'd go, if you wanted to stick to paths as much as possible: http://goo.gl/maps/e1EMR

The time I rode as far as Wellington (starting from Arlington), it wasn't clear to me how to connect to the Rivers Edge Dr. There was a spaghetti bowl of auto ramps between Wellington and Rivers Edge Dr.

rod

How long ago was that? I think the Wellington Greenway has only actually connected Station Landing to the Wellington Station parking lot for about a year or so. Basically, the path has its entrance in the corner of the T station's parking lot, and you just exit the parking lot by way of the exit that passes under Rt. 16.

This past September. I may have simply missed it. Come Spring (or the next thaw), I'll go back and take another look...

rod

- Just curious if the 'private road' signs are enforced in Weston? I had planned on riding around and exploring but ended up confused and trying to pick my way around the nest of private ways.

- Are there any dirt trail condition threads...any place? I checked NEMBA and did not see any current trail listings for MA. The ground doesn't really appear to freeze around here so I am concerned around riding and damaging trail. However, my feeling is that things aren't as strict here because the soil is different than the midwest (we were super strict about keeping trails closed during rainy weather and freeze/thaw season).

You could try posting to the NE Unpaved group. https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=...rum/ne-unpaved

rod

Check out the Google Maps link I posted above, it shows how to do that.

The least-sucidal route out of the Wellington parking lot wasn't immediately obvious at the time... Assume your route is reversible...

rod

Thank you! Just what I am looking for.

Yep. For reference, here's my typical route between home and work (you'll note that I go slightly different ways in each direction)

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=N...&z=13&lci=bike

You probably know the Medford/West Medford routes better than I do, but if you come into Arlington at West Medford (Harvard/River Street) it's all multi-user bikepath from there. You can pick up the Mystic River path (mid-block off the left right after the bridge, more of a jogging segment than bike segment) or take the left at Mystic River Parkway and bear right immediately on to Decatur. Either will lead you to the new Alewife Brook Greenway (a mix of boardwalk, stone dust and pavement) to Minuteman.

If you want to come in through Somerville, instead of going through Powder House Square to Davis you can also pick up Somerville Community Path (starting at Cedar St between Morrisson and Lexington Ave), that will take you to Davis where you can pick up the continuation of the Somerville Community Park/Alewife Linear Park (changes at the Cambridge Border). BTW, Somerville Community Path entrance is being extended to Lowell St, currently under construction (work started last year). In the long run, it will be probably be extended to Northpoint in Cambridge with the green line extension project. Surface on all these is asphalt.

There are a very short breaks and crossings that are a bit awkward (especially in Davis Square), but less awkward than some of the breaks in the Northern Strand.

-mr. bill

Thanks, that lays it out!

rod

It's worth mentioning, because Google Maps doesn't seem to recognize this - the best way into the Wellington parking lot from the Malden side, is to go through the gates on the right side, and go under the skywalk thing. Same way a car would get into the parking lot, I guess. Google makes it look like they're suggesting going around the bus loops.

Google Maps: trust, but verify.

rod

10 miles on the Minuteman tonight, at the end of a busy and occasionally daunting week. Temperatures in the mid-30s, a comfortable sort of cold. The fat moon wore a veil of clouds. The night settled my brains.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N...117_203157.jpg

rod

Good for you. At least one of us is getting some miles down. I could use a ride to settle my brains.

The plan was to wait for the rain to stop and the snow to start, then go for a ride: Dashing Through the Snow. However, a chain of unlikely domestic contingencies delayed me until after the snow stopped falling, and at 4 pm I went Mushing Through the Slush. Took the old GT with the 47mm studded Nokian W240s (inflated to 40 psi) and was glad of that choice. The main streets had been plowed in a cursory manner, but were narrowed, and taking the lane was mandatory. The Arlington section of the Minuteman had already been plowed by the time I reached it, but in many places a thin slush layer remained; that'll make for a pretty good bobsled run when the freeze hits tonight. The same domestic contingencies also gave me a hard stop at 5, so I turned around at Bow Street, Lexington, noting as I did that the Lexington section of the Minuteman hadn't been plowed yet. Had about 20 milliseconds of excitement turning into Raleigh Street, Arlington, a minor cross street full of unplowed slush; was able to regain steering, and returned home in time to run a few errands. Seven slushy miles.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y...118_162051.jpg

rod

Ten miles on the Minuteman this afternoon, Lexington Center and back on the icebike, temperatures on either side of the freezing point at various times. Conditions varied from bare pavement in sunny stretches near Arlington Center to ice fields in the shadows to long icy stretches in Arlington Heights to ice with a dusting of snow in Lexington; a good day for studded tires. Twice encountered large groups of sparrows in conclave, their high clear chirping vivid in the cold air.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h...119_145157.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y...119_144944.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A...119_150427.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8...119_150408.jpg

rod

FYI: Just found out this morning, via email from the director of Malden's Department of Public Works, that the mayor has requested the Northern Strand path be plowed after future snow storms! :thumb:

Query: What would be the best bike commute route (if there is one) from Alewife to the Medford commuter train station? Or Winchester station?

Or from, say Arlington to the northern end of Woburn?

Of course no one I know will be doing any of this in weather like this.