Through the Woods and Over the River - Blue Hills and Neponset - April 19, 2023

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 19 April 2023, Through the Woods and Over the River - Blue Hills and Neponset

Ride Leaders:  David Wean & Ron Beland

25 or 27 miles, 10:00 am start from Canton, MA

Bikers (14):  David, Ron, Betsy Kimball, Craig Tulig, Dan Nelson, Don Mannes, Frank Aronson, Gerry Sheetoo, Jim Whinfield, John Kitchen, Susan Sabin, Veronica Vedensky, Zach Woods, and first-timer David Chastain.

We had a nice, but cool and windy, romp through Milton, Quincy, Dorchester, Mattapan, Milton (again) and Canton.

We warmed up with a climb to the overlook on Chickatawbut Road, speeding down the back side into Quincy.  We rode through Quincy and cruised Wollaston Beach, stopping at Marina Bay for a water view and restroom stop.  We crossed to Dorchester on the Neponset Bridge walkway and viewed the estuary from the paths around Pope John Paul II Park.  The Neponset Trail took us back along the "high speed trolley" line to Mattapan Square, from which we found our way back to the Blue Hills Reservation.  Four of the riders chose to climb the access road to the top of Great Blue Hill (0.9 miles, 400 feet of climbing), and nine of the group enjoyed a tasty lunch at Trillium Brewery, a mile and a half from the parking lot.

No mechanical mishaps, other than that the sole of one rider's bike shoe separated from the rest of his shoe.  However, he valiantly pedaled on (including to the top of Great Blue Hill).

Report by David Wean.