Bike Ride from Revolution Hall - November 23, 2022

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 23 November 2022, A Bike Ride from Revolution Hall

Ride Leader:  Gene Ho

35.4 miles, 10:00 am start from Lexington, MA

Riders (11):  Gene, Barry Nelson, Craig Tulig, Everett Briggs, Gerry Sheetoo, Maria Noya, Melissa Norton, Robin Frain, Stan Kay, and first-timers Jeffrey Wallen and Molly Schaeffer. 

"Big tree down on Reformatory trail between Hartwell Rd and Railroad Ave in Bedford".  Since the Reformatory trail was the first leg on the WW ride, Barbara Jacobs' text message to me, after her Tuesday AM walk there, was a concern.  Things that impede car traffic raise immediate complaints and are typically cleared quickly.  Obstructions to recreational foot traffic, not so much.  Best to check it out, which I did on my bike, Tuesday afternoon.  Not to worry.  All chain sawed and hauled off to the side very professionally.

Eight of us started in Bedford with 4 or 5 others intending to join us in Concord.  At the Concord end of the Reformatory trail Stan and Barry were waiting for us.  Ken and Dom, who were also to join at that point, were waylaid by bike problems not amenable to quick fixes.  Shortly thereafter we picked up Maria who, thinking she was late, had started on her own.  Normally a fast rider, the hills slowed her down due to a maladjusted rear derailleur which wouldn't shift into the lower gears.  Luckily, this was a quick fix.  Splitting into faster and slower groups, we all re-grouped at Fern's in Carlisle for their much needed rest room and eagerly anticipated home baked cookies.  With the noon sun in a cloudless sky and almost no wind, the temps rose, extending our planned quick stop into a very leisurely lunch.

But, no luck with the cookies.  School in Carlisle let out early, before lunch, and the students descended on Fern's.  With the line for cookies zig zagging around the food isles and the supply of cookies rapidly diminishing, even the math challenged could see that supply and demand were not going resolve in our favor. 

Our return leg included a run down Monument St back to Concord.  In car racing, the saying is "there is no replacement for displacement".  The car with the bigger engine usually wins.  On bikes going downhill, big guys go fast and tandems go even faster.  Well, we had both.  Guess which one is the big guy.

And here's the tandem.

The tandem led the way.  The big guy tucked in behind and I took the rear.  Easiest ride down Monument St ever.  When I uploaded the ride to RWPS, I recorded a PB.  I now hold the 1108th best time on that segment.  big whoop.  

With lots to do before the holiday, some couldn't make the start.  As I left the parking lot, Rich V and Marie K rolled in on their bikes after doing the unpaved portions of the route.  It's amazing how many very experienced riders haven't been on either the Reformatory trail or Battle Rd on their bikes.  They found it fascinating, taking in many of the historical exhibits that line the route.  

Eugene Ho

Mystic River Cruise - November 9, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 9 November 2022, Mystic River Cruise

Ride Leader:  Joe Tavilla

30 miles, 10:00 am start from Somerville, MA

Riders (9):  Joe, Bill Widnall, Craig Tulig, Elsa Lawrence, Gerry Sheetoo, Joanne Samuels, Selig Saltzman, Sue Amsel, and Susan Sabin.

Present at lunch stop:  Helen Greitzer.

Sunny skies, calm winds, and bike friendly temperatures embraced nine lucky cyclists who enjoyed exploring both sides of the Mystic River from Somerville to Winchester.  

Geese-clogged bike paths were all part of a fun day which included an impromptu birthday celebration for the WW ride coordinator during the lunch stop in Winchester Center - ice cream cake for all!

An additional highlight of the ride included a visit to the Encore Casino.  The nature of the route included lots and lots of turns which were no problem due to the good nature of all who arrowed.

A big thank you to Elsa Lawrence who was sweep for the entire ride, and EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to Elsa for quickly planning the birthday celebration which added so much to our day.

Report by Joe Tavilla.

Sharon Cruise - November 2, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 2 November 2022, Sharon Cruise

Ride Leader:  Ellen Dirgins

34.5 miles, 10:00 am start from Sharon, MA

Riders (19):  Ellen, Ann Whaley-Tobin, Craig Tulig, Dave Balaban, Elsa Lawrence, Everett Briggs, Frank Aronson, Frank Scibilia, Gary Williams, Gene Ho, Gerry Sheetoo, Joan Fenster, Joel Bauman, John Ho, Rich Taylor, Rochelle Holman, Sue Amsel, and first-timers Matt Osber and Peg Primak.

Present at lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

The Sharon Cruise was a very successful ride.  I am happy to report that there were no issues. There were nineteen of us who rode the route, and I had ordered the prefect weather for the occasion!

There were a few new faces and a few familiar faces.  I was so happy to have Rich Taylor join us for the ride.  Some of us stopped to have lunch in the center of Sharon, at Angel’s Cafe, which did not disappoint.  We were blessed to have Helen join us for lunch.

Thank you to all who attended - it was a pleasure to ride with you.  And special thanks to Gene Ho for sweeping and to all who arrowed.

Until next time, peace!

Report by Ellen Dirgins.

P.S. - for those of you (Everett) interested in the history of the Ames family, check out this link:

Ames Mansion (U.S. National Park Service)  nps.gov

Blanche Ames was a very interesting women in her day!

Annual Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride - October 19, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 19 October 2022, Annual Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride

Ride Leaders:  Richard Vignoni and Judith McMichael

63-mile Remote Start ride, 8:50 am start from Bolton, MA

39-mile Core ride, 10:00 am start from Sterling, MA

Riders – 63 mi (4):  Marc Baskin, Wing Chow, George ???, and a mystery rider.

Riders – 39 mi (17):  Richard, Judith, Bill Lane, Celia Donatio, Ellen Gugel, Elizabeth Wicks, Gene Ho, Herb Kavet, Joanne Samuels, Judith McMichael, Julie Dodd, Ken Weber, Lindy King, Marie Keutmann, Renee Rees, Robin Frain, Sue Amsel, and Zach Woods.

Two sets of two remote start riders arrived at the core ride start, bringing the total number of riders to twenty-one.  The group included four long-time WWs (Bill, Joanne, Marc, and Richard), five e-bikes (up from two last year), and several first-time Circling Wachusett riders.

The hilly nature of the ride tends to spread-out the riders.  Consequently, we decided on having a faster group which was led by Judith, and a slower group led by Richard, and we did not use human arrows.  We also decided to move the lunch stop from the ski area to the visitor center and re-route onto Pine Hill to rejoin the original route.  The change of lunch venue and the associated re-routing tweak will become a permanent part of the route.

After the somewhat lengthy ride orientation talk, the faster group headed out, followed by the slower group.  The route lived up to its billing as being very beautiful, very hilly, and having little car traffic.  The foliage with fallen leaves on the sides of some of the less travelled roads added to the beauty.  Some of the riders biked the extra, hilly miles to the summit, then re-joined the others at the visitor center.   As the ride progressed, the temperature moderated and, with bright blue skies and the foliage, it made for a great day of biking.

Report by Richard Vignoni.

Doug's Annual Bonsai Ride - October 12, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 12 October 2022, Doug's Annual Bonsai Ride

Ride Leader:  Clyde Kessel

34 miles, 10:00 am start from Littleton, MA

Riders (21):  Clyde, Barry Nelson, Butch Pemstein, Cynthia Zabin, Dave Balaban, David Wean, Dmitry Gorenburg, Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Herb Kavet, Hugh Folsom, Joel Bauman, Marc Baskin, Marie Keutmann, Renee Rees, Ron Beland, Roy Westerberg, Sue Amsel, and first-timers Craig Tulig and Dan Ginsburg.

Present at Lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

What a day for a ride!  It was chilly when Hugh and I started out in the Carlisle/Chelmsford area to ride to the start, but by the time 10:00 showed up, it was warm enough to shed everything not needed for common decency and safety.  I was supposed to drive to the start with the beverages (for lunch), however, I hit a skunk with my car last night and really didn’t think my car would be welcome at Bonsai West.  So, Helen (bless her soul), added the beverages to her list of sandwiches and brownies and brought 15/16 of the entire lunch order single handed. (Well, she did get help carrying it from her car to the picnic area.)  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

After a short safety talk which no one could hear because of all the traffic on Rte 2A, we twenty cyclists launched from Bonsai West, pretty close to 10:00 am.  Our plan was to be back at 1:00 pm.  We were missing two riders, but, as the mantra goes:  “Arrive on time or ride alone.”  As a result, Marc rode alone and didn’t catch up until 1:02 pm!  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The actual ride went very smoothly:  no one got lost, no arrows left their posts, we got spread out enough for safety (but not so much that the arrows got sunburned), no one crashed going down Island Pond Road, we saw goats at the goat farm on Martins Pond Road (also a real estate appraiser), but didn’t see the pigs at the pig farm on Davis Road.  We finally got to the playing field on Nutting Road with 2 porta-johns.  Ahhhh . . . . . just in time.  Strangely, one had been serviced that very day and the other hadn’t - mystery.  In any event, we made it all the way with no wrong turns (a first!!).  The lead riders pulled into the Bonsai West parking lot at 1:00 pm, exactly on time.  Marc, who had been chasing the group for 2 1/2 hours finally caught up to us a couple of minutes later.

Helen, the heroine of the day, showed up within five minutes with 15/16 of the sandwich order, her famous brownies, and cider and water (she did get help carrying it from her car to the picnic area).  The gate to the garden area was chained and padlocked shut, but we soon found the secret passage into what could surely be called the Garden of Eden - we enjoyed 15/16 of a luncheon, surrounded by bonsai trees.  A couple of us searched and found a 75-year old tree.  Later on, a different couple of us found a 200-year old tree.  Impressive!

Kudos to Marc for remoting all the way from home!!

Thanks to the many arrows, to Butch for sweeping, and to Helen for bringing her famous brownies and 15/16 of the lunch (well, she did get help carrying it from her car).  Also, thanks to the cyclist who took our trash away, leaving the area just as we had found it.

Report by Clyde Kessel.

To the End of the World and Back - September 28, 2022

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 28 September 2022, To the End of the World and Back

Ride Leader:  David Wean

27 miles, 10:00 am start from Hingham, MA

Riders (16):  David, Adam Walpert, Bob Apsler, Butch Pemstein, Cynthia Zabin, Don Buchholtz, Francie Sparks, Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, Gene Ho, Joe Tavilla, Marie Keutmann, Richard Vignoni, Ron Beland, and first-timers Amelia Bye and Susan DiMatteo.

After the first few miles on the road, we began our tour de parks. After starting with Weymouth's Osprey Overlook Park, we climbed through Great ("more than just pretty good") Esker Park and meandered through Hingham's Bare Cove Park.  These three parks frame the Back River estuary which divides Hingham from Weymouth.

Continuing by road into and out of downtown Hingham, we made our way to World's End (admission fee, but fortunately we had enough Trustees memberships between us*), where we enjoyed water views while riding the Olmsted-designed dirt and gravel carriage paths.  Some rode this on gravel bikes, and at least one on a road bike with 23mm tires.  From there we had smooth pavement to the lunch stop, cruising Jerusalem Road and Atlantic Avenue in Cohasset, passing "some okay houses," and enjoying lunch and snacks from the several choices in Cohasset center.

After a couple more road miles, and one last hill, we rolled along the stone-dust Whitney Spur Bikeway, which led us back into Wompatuck State Park to finish the ride.  Low average speed, but high average enjoyment.

* For some reason they cannot explain to me, the Trustees of Reservations will allow a member to drive a carload of nonmembers in for no additional charge, but when the same member brings the same number of nonmembers along on bicycles, the nonmembers are each charged the $6 entrance fee.  The ever-vigilant ranger at the gate had us pass by her as we showed our member cards of various levels, allowing the appropriate number of guests in with each of us.  For two years now, they've ignored my requests for a fairer policy.

Thanks to Butch for sweeping until the lunch stop, and to Ron for sweeping the last five mies back to the ride start.

Report by David Wean.

ABS (Acton, Boxboro, Stow) ride - September 21, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 21 September 2022, ABS (Acton, Boxboro, Stow) ride

Ride Leader:  Ken Hablow

37 miles, 10:00 am start from Wayland, MA

Riders - 37 mi - (18):  Ken, Annemarie Altman, Bill Umphrey, Bob Wolf, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dale Ferguson, David Cooper, Dom Jorge,  Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, Gene Ho, John Aslanian, John Ho, Rick Lawrence, Rochelle Holman, Sue Amsel, Wing Chow, and first-timer Bill Furman.

Present at ride start:  Helen Greitzer.

On the last day of summer, and the International Day of Peace (who knew?) fifteen of us started out on a 37-mile rolling ride, mostly on quiet back roads through Concord, Acton Stow, and touching into Boxboro.  We met Curt and David in West Concord, and Rick in South Acton, to make a group of eighteen.

I offered a faster group to try to split the riders, but everyone was more comfortable staying together.  Several of the faster riders went ahead, but always stopped to arrow for the rest of us.  We pretty much stayed together, mostly within eyesight of the leader.  We had two planned “personal hygiene” stops - our favorite fire station in South Acton and the tennis courts on Elm Street in West Acton.  It was interesting to see how many times cars stopped at major intersections to let our whole group go through.

Riding back through Concord, several WWs, who either rode to the start or met us en route, left the group to head home.  Four riders stopped at the Twisted Tree Café in Lincoln center for lunch.  The rest of us took a scenic route back along Old Sudbury Road in Lincoln, past the infamous Ponyhenge, the extensive farm fields of Drumlin Farm, and a flock of free-range turkeys being fattened up for Thanksgiving at Codman Farm.

The day was enjoyable, cloudy with temperatures in the mid-50s.  We even had a Kaz sighting at the top of Strawberry Hill Road.  Thanks to Gene for sweeping and to all those who arrowed.

It was nice seeing Helen at the ride start.

Report by Ken Hablow.