welshTerrier2

Great pictures, Jim!

That Cadillac Mountain climb seems pretty tough. I checked it out with RideWithGPS. It's 3.5 miles at a fairly steady 6% grade. Were you on your brakes for the entire downhill?

welshTerrier2

SP, it looks like they're doing some maintenance at Farm Pond. They're building a new walkway / staircase down to the beach. It looks like they also plan to add new sand to the beach. The bike rack has been temporarily removed as have all the ropes and docks in the swimming area. I was there very late in the day. It wasn't clear the beach was officially open. I wonder if it's been closed for the season.

telkanuru

Rode out from Allston to Bedford and back this morning. Beautiful morning for a ride, though the storms last night brought down a lot of debris on the trail.

In Bedford:

jimmuller 

Thanks, WT2.

Yes, Cadillac is a bit of work but very rewarding. The climb proper beginning with the turnoff from the PLR up to where it flattens out near the top is about 3.3 miles, about 1000ft. It is fairly consistent but according to the profile from DeLorme's Topo N.A. a few sections are steeper, running near 10%.

For this run down I was indeed on the brakes most of the way down, especially since the run down is mostly northward and there as a strong south wind. My hands were tired at the bottom. I have no idea how fast I went because the Masi has no computer, but I'm sure I broke the posted 25mph speed limit more than once. I've done this run three times now, the two previous runs on a Raleigh Gran Sport with a computer. On the first run there was such a strong headwind I couldn't break 20mph! Last year's top speed was probably in the low 30's, but I don't remember.

sherbornpeddler

WT2,
You visited a great spot but don't tell anyone! We are very proud and protective of the water quality. After careful design work and work by the Farm Pond Advisory Committee, Conservation Committee and Board of Selectmen, a new trail is being built to reduce erosion. I'm impressed with the volunteerism and community spirit to protect semi rural Sherborn. Metro West is made up of cool communities.

The docks are pulled in late August and I stick my permit stickered canoe in early May (after carefully washing it to prevent milfoil and other invasives with the town provided hose) and pull it out, well, I better go get it pretty soon.

Not even electric powered boats are allowed although this booklet shows a steam powered craft used to ply the pond. https://sherbornma.org/Pages/Sherborn...%20Booklet.pdf

Work was done to smooth the beach and trail to the parking area for last weekend's popular DS Boosters Triathlon that began with a swim at the pond then bike raced through Sherborn and Dover and foot raced to the finish at the regional high school. About 200 volunteers from both towns put it on each year and line the route. A loud crowd welcomed the 350 racers. Quite a sight.

I haven't heard anything about new sand.

As for me, I rode down to RI via Burnt Swamp Road and Diamond Hill and am liking the cool, pleasant weather.

sherbornpeddler

Carlisle today. 67 miles. Brilliant day, still getting wafts of grape smell. I did eat few but didn't fight over the drops.

jimmuller 

Did somebody say grapes? Well, that's grape! Just grape.

I finally managed to get in a ride, first since coming home from vacation. Just an hour or so, starting at sunset. I rode the UO8 because it has lights. Stopped at Belmont Wheelworks for some BB bearings and the first guy I saw behind the counter said "Nice UO8. We had two PX10's in here this week. This must be Peugeot week. I used to have a red UO8." Then the next guy had to come over and check it out, asked about the brakes, gabbed for a few minutes. It was a fun stop.

From Waverley Sq I thought about heading over to Lexington to pick up the MM out to Bedford, but decided I didn't want to go that far. So I rode into Belmont Center, east on Concord Rd into Cambridge, then looped back toward home. It was fun riding at night. I haven't done much of that lately.

bikinggrrrl

Still running, not cycling. I enjoy hearing of all your travels and adventures. Did get out this morning to cheer on the cyclists participating in the Wounded Warrior Project ride that passed through Carlisle. Could see their smiles light up as our little town stepped out on the walkway to cheer them on and provide a water stop at Ferns.

rholland1951

Got my LHT back from the shop at the end of a long day, took it out for a quick and pleasant sunset ride on the Minuteman, 10 miles. Got listen to AHS football play-by-play, coming and going. Welcome, Autumn.

rod

telkanuru

Some Panoramae from the start line of Hub on Wheels (with some fun graphical artifacts due to the phone).

What an amazing day for this ride! I had a blast, and will totally do it all again! Unfortunately I didn't take anything of the ride; riding is too much of a zen thing for me for that to happen.

rholland1951

Splendid way to capture the gestalt of a complex event! Sounds like a great day.

rod

jimmuller 

Wow, the HOW must have been some event! Telk, thanks for the interesting pic.

We didn't wake up that early. So instead I did 53.9 miles on the tandem with my sweetie. Bedford, Concord, Lincoln, Wayland, Sudbury, Carlisle, Westford, Chelmsford. Not quite in that order. Superb weather, cool and dry. Autumn is here.

Just another small town attraction (it was closed). New England is loaded with this sort of thing.

rholland1951

Another sunset ride on the Minuteman, wedged between domestic obligations and the kick-off for the Pats-Ravens game. Coolish, 63 to start, 57 to finish, wore full gloves for the first time since maybe April, and was glad of it (shorts and short sleeves, though). The Night Chorus was a bit muted and low-pitched tonight; for some reason, I was noticing the sound of runners' foot-steps, as well. Last night's cool air seems to have had an effect, there was a splash of color in Arlington's Great Meadows (actually in Lexington, and not to be confused with the Great Meadows NWR in Sudbury, Concord, and Carlisle) that wasn't there 24 hours ago.


rod

Bishbike

Quick out and back from Belmont to Concord at 8am. Air was a gorgeous 62 degrees. Nice and crisp!

welshTerrier2

I'm planning to do a ride (one-way) tomorrow through Westborough, Northborough, around the Wachusett Reservoir (clockwise) and then up through Lancaster to Devens. I have a ride home from there.

Any tips re: the Wachusett Reservoir? I'm planning to take Route 70 South to Route 140 and then Route 110 coming up the west side. Are the roads decent to ride out there?

After Wachusett, I've picked out some pretty small roads to go through Devens. I'll mostly be on Shirley Rd / Old Shirley Rd and then onto Jackson Rd across Route 2.

Any tips would be great.

Here's a link to my route.

sherbornpeddler

Nice HoW photos Telkanaru. They capture the festival feeling.
Words like "thrilling" and "intense" were used at Saturday's Mayor's Cup racing. Hub on Wheels on Sunday was the color, bustle and sunshine on the starting and finishing riders. The parade start, riding on Storrow and deserved achievement of their ride seemed high on everyone's list. Smiling riders, stories of their rides and seeing it all come together sure did please the 600 volunteers. Having helped with a little with of the signage and a few other tasks, I had a behind the scenes peek of just a few pieces of all that goes into this event. I'm always impressed with the riders themselves, the volunteers, city workers, the sponsors and the planners who all "magically" come together and make events happen.

rholland1951

Suggest you verify the roads you've chosen through Devens are actually open to civilian traffic. Most of it is still used to train reservists, and is off-limits. A bit of it has been turned into an industrial park of sorts, and is passable. Many maps don't differentiate between the two; truth to tell, I don't know of one that does. The off-limits bits are NOISY (think 40mm grenade machine guns). The Lancaster town website publishes a schedule of Devens noise that is enlightening.

rod

sherbornpeddler

Rode an errand to Framingham and later a conversational, back road route through Norfolk and Millis.

Thinking about the Major Taylor Century this Sunday. I rode it a couple of years ago and it was friendly, organized and very hilly. I'm a fan of Major Taylor and efforts to recognize his achievements and a fan of Worcester area cycling. https://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/in...p?a=MTC2012FAQ
Looks like it might be cool and "not overly dry" at the start....

jimmuller 

We managed to take the tandem for about 10 miles today, Lexington to Bedford and back. Life is too short. Work is too long.

welshTerrier2

Thanks, Rod. I checked with a friend who works at Devens and she said my route was fine and that the roads I chose were open to the public. She was wrong. When I turned off Route 117 onto Shirley Rd, after riding a few hundred yards, I was greeted with a "Don't Even Think About It" sign courtesy of good old Uncle Sam. There was lots of verbiage about being prosecuted. I looked to see if there was any "fine print" about allowing well-meaning cyclists to pass but couldn't find any. Go figure. Fortunately, my route planning included a Plan B which took me further West on Route 117 and then North on Route 70. The detour added about 3 or 4 miles to the route.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day to be out riding. Temps were in the low 70's with just a few big, white puffies around. The wind, though, was another story completely. I'm not used to riding in such windy conditions. I think at times it was tougher on the flats than on the uphills because of the wind resistance.

What really made this such a great ride was that, for the most part, I was on roads I had never ridden before. There's just something special about that first time you explore new areas or find new roads. My "regular routes" have become more training than exploration. Kind of sad, that. As the song says:

Crank her over once again
Put your face into the wind
Find another road
Where you've never been

Sing that two-wheel melody
The highway symphony
You know she'll never understand

I stopped for a few Fig Newtons and a variety of energy elixers overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir. Overhead, two large black birds were fighting in mid-air until they landed in perfect harmony atop a telephone pole and all became peaceful. After a brief bit of glucose gluttony, I headed up Route 110 and then branched off onto Chace Hill Road. Some of the scenery looking into the valley to the East was positively Vermont-like. I passed by the Rota Spring Farm (ice cream available) but didn't stop because I was planning an ice cream date at Kimball Farms in Lancaster with my ride home.

Most notable for me was the architecture in the area. Everything seemed much older. More barns, more big front porches, more "circa 18.." signs, more... character.

Changing the subject, I've been hoping to do a ride out to Longmeadow this year but I haven't been able to find a route I like. One route, that goes through Northern Connecticut, may be hillier than my legs can handle... at least for this year. The route is just over 70 miles long with more than 5,000 feet of climbing. I am not worthy, master. I thought I had found a slightly easier route that took me onto Route 131 (a really scenic road) through Southbridge into Sturbridge but Route 20 from Sturbridge to Brimfield (and beyond) has lots of 55+ with no shoulders. I'm just not comfortable "sharing a lane" with 55+ cars and trucks. This one's still on the drawing table.

Tomorrow looks like the last non-rainy day until Monday so... perhaps a run to Carlisle or at least Concord might be in the queue. Stories to follow...

sherbornpeddler

WT2,
Great Report! Great Explorations!

My regular route training report: Beat the rain, lost to the sunset and dodged the chipmunks stocking up on acorns. 42 miles. Cool and damp air but didn't need a jacket. Some very polite car traffic.

rholland1951

WT2, sounds like a lovely ride!

rod

rholland1951

Did a little more research on the question of Devens recreational access. This is NOT gathered neatly in one magic web site, as far as I can tell, but perhaps it's simply well-hidden. The picture that has emerged is this: the former South Post (roughly, that half of the old Fort Devens South of Route 2) is used for Reserve training and is generally off-limits to civilians; there may be useful exceptions to this, but I haven't been able to find any. The former Main Post and North Post have been turned to a variety of other uses, and some of those parcels have roads or trails suitable for cycling or hiking (not necessarily both). The Devens Trail Map can be downloaded from https://www.devensec.com/devserv.html, and seems useful for route planning. A rule of thumb for riding across Devens seems to be: South of Route 2, NO; North of Route 2, MAYBE.

rod

sherbornpeddler

Metric century to Carlisle; re-watered and raisined in Concord and saw a cormorant in Wayland off Rice road. Very nice day.

rholland1951

Night ride on the Minuteman, 10 miles, clear and cool, bikes (mostly) aglow like lanternfish. At one point I thought I was being overtaken, only to realize it was the moon, having a peep at me; only fair, I've peeped at her often enough.

rod