rholland1951

Took the Rawland up to Lexington Center on the Minuteman this evening, in what may have been the last of the heat. Kept a good pace and enjoyed the self-generated headwind. Encountered a new character on the Minuteman, an apparent lunatic dressed in long pants and long sleeves, with one of those full-face helmets that down-hill bikers wear. While this suggested lunacy, his interaction with the other trail users--a rapid monologue laden with F-bombs, commenting on everyone he met--seemed dispositive.

The vine sculptures, Egg and Pyramid, are long gone, but there's a found object now, formally untitled, of course, but which I think of as "Uh-oh"...


rod

rholland1951

15 miles on the Minuteman before dinner, the heat broken, a gentler face of Summer. The Rawland spun along.


rod

Archwhorides 

For those who commute the Minuteman through Arlington Center, have you found a good sounding city board for the state of the roads? In my mind, the State's investment in Mass Ave in East Arlington has revealed how impoverished a caretaker the City of Arlington is of their own urban infrastructure.

rholland1951

You'll be wanting to talk to the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee. They have monthly open meetings, and welcome new participants. But before you go in with guns blazing, you should inform yourself about the Arlington Center Safe Travel Project, the town's state-funded response to the problems of that very busy intersection. It's been several years in planning, and is being executed this year. The thing about road improvements is that while they're underway, they actually make the road rougher. That's what we're seeing now.

rod

rholland1951

Spent an hour fiddling with the replacement seat on the LHT, and got it dialed in. Had a couple of hours at the end of the day after that, and spent them on a ride along the Charles, upstream of Harvard Square, 19 miles through Arlington, Cambridge, Allston, Newton, Watertown, and Belmont, with a turnaround on Bridge Street. Good day for it.

















Saw an otter about 50 yards upstream of this location. It submerged before I could take its picture. Happy-looking critter...




rod

sherbornpeddler

Longest ride in two years. I met up with an old biking buddy in Wellesley and we went up to Concord and back for 51 miles. Last time either of us biked there was over 2 years ago. We started making that ride about 17 years ago. This time we went slow, stopped a few times and had a sandwich in Concord Center. Ceremonially and hydra tingly filled water bottles at the rotary. We headed south of Concord Center and stopped at a coffee shop next to the train station. We went in and I had just said all I wanted was a banana when patron a few spots in line in front of me picked up the last one. Another customer chatted with me about our ride and then, on my behalf, asked the counter help to find more bananas then added one to his order and gave it to me. It turned out his name is Hasan and is a fan of cycling and runs the ATA Bicycle Shop across the street. Nice guy. Nice day.

jimmuller 

Sbp,nice report. I'll have to look up tbat shop.

We met some friends visiting from Florida. They have their own tandem but didn't bring it with them. So they rented a tandem for Bike Stop in Arlington. We started from in Waltham, met them, and had lunch at the North Bridge, rode back through CCenter. By the time we got back home Sharon and I had ridden 53.5 miles.

sbp, you might have seen us in Concord.

I tpyed this om my smaffone so i taje no refposivility for the errots.

Archwhorides 

Thanks for the link to the ABAC and their meetings. I'm pretty familiar with the current plans in the Center, it is nice to see that the city is collaborating with MassDOT in making progressive choices, unlike the East Arlington project, which was stalled for years by a small and vocal group of opponents.

rholland1951

The point about the East Arlington project is that the Town, along with a coalition of progressive citizen groups, prevailed, in spite of that narrowly-based opposition. What that was really about was changing demographics, and those trends are favorable. Arlington is a town, not a city, btw. Representative Town Meeting, Selectmen, Town Manager. No Mayor, Aldermen, etc. The structural distinctions matter.

rod

Archwhorides 

Good distinction about Arlington being a town, not a city with a Mayor, it does matter. I'm working as a consultant with a city on the south side of Boston, and it rankles them any time an outsider refers to them as a "Town".

cheers

anx

Got out yesterday morning before the heat, the first time in ages with the GoPro. I tried to vary by usual route around the Middlesex Fells but ended up needing a Plan B after the trail was blocked by falling trees. Had a lot of fun on my new Cannondale Trail 2 27.5

Winthrop St, Medford heading to the Fells


Whitmore Brook trail to the Fells


Need a Plan B with Whitmore Brook trail to the Fells being blocked


Eventually find the Mountain Bike trail


And pass a troop of joggers


And eventually get to enjoy the downhills


A quick stop for a selfie and a carb reload


Eventually find my way to Sheepfold


And the ride back home across the Mystic River in Medford

sherbornpeddler

Jim, I looked for you kids but didn't see you. I've taken to wearing bright safety yellow jersey and helmet and until, I can find a safety yellow expression, I'm still wearing the same goofy old one. I'm guessing I was filling the water bottles at about 12:30 PM. At the water fountain I did meet a mountain biker from Beacon Hill who asked for directions to the Minuteman and it took me a while to realize he was asking about the trail, not the statue. Sounds like you had another fun ride. TTFN

jdotconnor

Haven't visited this site in a while but these two pictures looked familiar.

rholland1951

10 miles on the Minuteman this evening, enjoying the relatively cool temperatures, gray clouds, and lush vegetation. The Night Chorus was getting tuned up, the frogs and bugs seemed to like the episodes of wet weather we've had over the last few days after all that dry stuff.


Took the LHT out agan tonight, enjoying the fact that it's finally more or less right for the first time since I changed the cockpit by swapping out the stock bars for 48 cm Noodles. There may still be a stem swap in its future, but that can wait. Meanwhile, the new saddle (same as the old saddle, but without 11k miles of wear and tear) really does seem to be set up right, finally. The bike is a pleasure to ride, in a way at once familiar and a little novel.


Serene ride.


rod

rholland1951

Took the Rawland out on the Minuteman to Lexington Center and back this evening, 10 miles. Time was short, so I made time, fastest pace for that route this year, a bit more of a cardio workout than usual. Noticed families occupying the full width of the trail and staring dumbly at on-coming cyclists a little more than I usually do. There's a lesson or two there, no doubt, starting with the unremarkable one that good weather draws crowds. No photos, no time. Wheeee!

rod

rholland1951

Took the LHT out after work, spinning up to Lexington and sprinting back on a beautiful Summer evening, enjoying the light while it lasts.


rod

rholland1951

Yet another ride to Lexington Center before dinner, this time on the Trucker DeLuxe with its big, supple 52mm RTP EL tires. Floated over the rough pavement between Arlington Center and Water Street.


rod

sherbornpeddler

Leisurely cruise to Dover to trace the route of the Dover Time Trial. I picked up my pace for the 7.7 mile loop and estimate I did it in just over 24 min. proving I ain't what I used to be and probably never was. Back in cruise mode I rode over to Pegan Hill and didn't unclip until I made it up to the top to enjoy the view.

Jim from Boston

I've been delinquent on the Metro Boston thread, but your note prompted a brief reply. Where is Pegan Hill?

Also, after passing Wilsondale St off of Westfield St in Westwood for decades, I finally rode Strawberry Hill St off of Dedham St to Wilsondale back to to Westfield St. You have written about it before...What a treat!

In particular though, I’m going to an afternoon barbecue in Sherborn tomorrow, intending to ride my bike. What’s notable though, is that rain is forecast, and I never ride my pristine carbon fiber bike in the rain, nor do I ride my heavy beater mountain bike on a long(er) pleasant/training ride. However, tomorrow AM, I’m going to pick up my new aluminum road bike, that I just bought to be my rain beater from about March until December, when the studded tires go on the mountain bike.

It'll be just my luck that tomorrow will be a beautiful day, and I'll succumb to the lure of carbon fiber.


PS: and what's the route of the Dover Time Trial?

sherbornpeddler

Jim, Bike debates! Tire attributes! All these things are important and I consider them carefully and congratulate myself on which ever I decide. Rarely does it effect my pleasure in the ride. Good luck.

Pegan Hill is what you run into if you come off of Strawberry Hill and head west (on Dedham St) into Dover Center, continue west past the Dover Market on Springdale then don't turn left (south) aka Farm or right (north) aka Main. Nice view just remember when you descend back down Pegan Lane to slow before getting back to Farm/Main. You don't want to fly out into the intersection. You can approach Pegan Lane from Natick but that is disconnected and doesn't go to the top.

sherbornpeddler

Nice ride today. Rode w good friend Bill and rode south through Millis, Norfolk and Wrentham into Rhode Island on Burnt Swamp Rd. to Reservoir Rd between Diamond Hill and Arnold Mill reservoirs then headed back north through Franklin. Water level is down quite a bit. It is still 39 miles but the last time I rode here was two years ago and there is a lot of new pavement otherwise it would have seemed longer.

rholland1951

After squandering the cool, cloudy, damp morning on chores and errands, I got out for a ride in the sultry afternoon, 26 miles on the LHT through Arlington, Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, Newton, Watertown, Waltham, and Belmont, following the Charles River Greenway as far as Mount Feake Cemetery, over pavement, dirt, gravel, and a surprising amount of boardwalk. Saw some new-to-me things, so I have the tingle of novelty. I'm impressed by the variety of aspects this river shows over a relatively short run. Will probably keep pushing up the Charles as time allows, to see what else it can show me. Some of that I've already seen, of course, but things look different on a bike.




















rod

jimmuller 

I got to do a solo ride instead of our usual tandem ride. So I took the Gazelle out. Ended up with 67.5miles, so I did my age (but missed on the fractional part).

Today's destination:

otg 

Reporting from very Southern Metro Boston (Connecticut). I left home pretty early, about 6:45. Got in around 38 miles on the 81 Trek 710. Very nice morning.

jimmuller 

OTG, it was nice, wuzznit? Nice pic. FWIW, all of New England is a suburb of Boston, izznit?