Wachusett Dam

A bunch of Rippers met at the Starbucks in Winchester at 6am. We stood around debating routes until 6:12. For me there was no debate; the route was locked in my Garmin, so I rolled out and we were off.

Rich and Zan wanted to go short and fast, so they turned off in Belmont.

JD and Evan disappeared in Sherborn, so I went back to see what was what. Evan had a broken spoke and decided it wasn't wise to go another 75 miles. JD decided to escort him back to Winchester. We didn't realize until later that John's route back was almost the same distance, so they could have stayed with the group. (Thank you, Strava Flybys.)

Bill G suggested a coffee break, which we ignored, until he demanded a coffee break. What a great idea! It was cold (mid-40s) all morning, so walking into the warmth of Jasper Hill Cafe and Bistro in Holliston was a welcome relief. The scones were good; the coffee great; the company even better. Every long ride needs a relaxing stop for food and refreshment.

In Hopkinton, there was a little confusion about where the Marathon starting line was; then John led the remaining crew (Michelle, Bill, Josh) back to Winchester, and I continued solo to Wachusett Reservoir. Thanks for figuring out a route so we could ride together this morning, John. The ride through Needham, Dover, and Sherborn was scenic times ten. As JD said, Farm Street is a bikers' mecca, like Water Row, Strawberry Hill, or Monument Street.

I took a bunch of photos at Wachusett Dam. I found (by accident) a couple of off-road sections. I snuck around a gate because my Garmin told me that I had to go down Apple Blossom Lane in Stow. Oh yes, the sun eventually came out; it warmed up; and I took of my wind jacket and vest.

Fun ride; enjoy the photos!

Once my friends headed home, I put in the ear buds.

Reflecting on the ride.

I went down a few dirt trails, but resisted the urge to explore this section.

Every time we ride Winter St past the Cambridge Reservoir, I wonder where Old County Rd leads to. Now I know.

Nov 15: R2D2 to Assabet River NWR; Nov 16: R2D2 Part 2

Rippers Ride Dirt 2 = R2D2, not to be confused with D2R2.

Saturday, Nov 15

It was cold today, 29F at 6am when I left the house and went to Starbucks for coffee and some reading time (The Hit by David Baldacci). Mark P joined me at 6:30 and we soon hit the road--or, more accurately, hit the trails.

The trails were dry and grippy, though we had to be careful on the frost covered boardwalks and the occasional frozen puddles. In Lincoln, near the Sudbury River, Mark headed north to Concord and then back to his waiting family. I headed south and then out to the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.

It was a beautiful day, and I got some great photos, which I shared below. I didn't finish the entire planned 81 miles. I lost the trail in Elm Brook Conservation Area near Hanscom (at mile 51). The planned route turned right, across an rickety bridge. On the other side the trail just disappeared in a marshy meadow. After floundering around in the tall grass for awhile, I gave up and bailed on the last 30 miles of dirt exploration and headed home via the Minuteman Bikeway.

The Planned Route

The Actual Route

Mark on the stairs to nowhere, somewhere in Whipple Hill.

Pumpkins in a field near Pantry Rd and Deacon Lane in Sudbury.

Plenty of ice.

Assabet River NWR used to be a munitions dump in WW2.

Lots of bunkers.

Assabet River.

Whitman St in Stow rises 130 feet in 1/2 mile, a 5% grade.
Doesn't seem to rate a polka dot jersey to me.

I stopped at Emma's Cafe in Stow.
The cappuccino was delicious; the turkey chili, not so much.

The Old Rifle Range in Concord dates back to WW1.
This berm had machinery to move targets up and back.
Read more here.

Many of the trails on the R2D2 ride were like this one at the Old Rifle Range.

Old North Bridge at the Minuteman National Historical Park. The ranger dressed in colonial garb confirmed that his cape was plenty warm for today's freezing weather.

Hanscom Field hiking trails (NO Motorized Vehicles, NO Camping, NO Fires, No Horseback Riding, No X-Country Skiing) were fun to ride, but I missed many turns and had to do a lot of backtracking.

The bridge to nowhere. According to OSM Cycle, the is a trail on the other side of this bridge in the Elm Brook Conservation Area, but I couldn't find it. The trail is the Meadow Trail and it leads to the Path of Bizarre Objects. I found the meadow, but no trail.  Too bad, because I would like to ride the Path of Bizarre Objects.

After that I headed home on the Minuteman Bikeway so I could shower and make a dump run before closing.  I'll head out tomorrow to ride the last 30 miles of the R2D2 route.

Sunday, Nov 16 - R2D2, Part 2

A new day dawns, so I'm off to ride the 30 miles of R2D2 that I bailed on yesterday.
This is a shot of Little Winter Pond in Winchester.

Picked up some hitchhikers somewhere in Arlington Great Meadows.

This "trail" in Elm Brook Conservation Area, peters out soon after leaving Reformatory Branch Trail.

On Saturday I turned back after the Bridge to Nowhere led to a meadow with no trail through it.
Today I took a second look and found this clearly marked "trail". I stupidly fought through the marsh grass and eventually reached the more passable, but still unrideable trail below.

Better than the trailless meadow, but still unrideable.

Finally a trail I can ride. I used it to escape from Elm Brook Conservation Area to Washington St. I never did find the Path of Bizarre Objects.

But before I started riding again, I spent 10+ minutes picking these burrs off my sleeves, and then even more time picking them off my pants (see below).

One of the many downsides of exploring overgrown meadows.

Finally, a fun trail in Elm Brook Conservation Area.

Another fun trail.

A frozen pond, maybe Buehler Pond along the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail.

Spring Brook Conservation Area.

Who? Me?
I love nature's gate at the exit of Old Page School Trail, which connects Spring Brook Conservation Area to Old Billerica Rd.

Burlington's Landlocked Forest has lots of fun trails that are rideable on a CX bike, or even on a road bike as I proved today on my Roubaix. Of course, a few sections were unrideable, even on an MTB.

Who rides this stuff? More stunts in the Landlocked Forest.

I'm sure they don't mean bikers. This is the southern exit from the Landlocked Forest onto Partridge Rd.

These good neighbors allow the trail to run through their backyards alongside the brook, leading to this substantial bridge.  I think this is the exit from Turning Mill Pond Trail up the stairs to North Emerson Rd.

Willard Woods has some very nice trails. This is the exit to North Street.

Winning Farm is no good for biking. The entrance from Lexington St is no longer a wooded trail; now it is a muddy construction site. When you eventually enter the woods, the trails have lots of blowdowns and often so soft they are unrideable.

Trail rating for CX

Mile markers below refer to original R2D2 route

• Wright-Locke Farm & Whipple Hill - Excellent; mile 4-5
• Arlington Great Meadows - Excellent; mile 6
• The Old Reservoir / Lincoln Fields - OK; mile 9
• Minuteman National Historic Park / Battle Road - Excellent; mile 11-13
• Sandy Pond / Pine Hill / Baker Bridge / Mt Misery - Awesome; mile 14-17
• Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge - Awesome; mile 25-30
• Stow Town Forest - Excellent; mile 32-33
• Pratt's Brook - Good? Can't remember; mile 38
• Old Rifle Range - Excellent; mile 41-42
• Old North Bridge - Pretty; mile 46
• Concord Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge - Good (should have stayed on this and avoided side trips); mile 47-52
• Hanscom Field - Good side trip: easy to lose hiking trail; mile 49
• Elm Brook Conservation Area - Bad side trip: muddy motocross trails, faint forest trails, impassable meadow trails; mile 51
• Hartwell Town Forest - Good; mile 53
• Narrow Gauge Rail Trail - Excellent: paved to wide hardpack to solid single track; mile 54-57
• Middlesex Community College Trail - OK. Fit-Trail; mile 57-58
• Wilderness Park - OK? Can't remember; mile 60
• Springs Brook / Old Page School Trail - OK. Not part of planned route; mile n/a
• Landlocked Forest - Excellent; mile 68-70
• Turning Mill Pond - OK?; mile 72
• Willards Woods - Excellent; mile 73
• North St Sand Pits - Excellent? if part of Across Lexington; mile 74
• Lower Vine Brook - Excellent; mile 75-76
• Shaker Glen - So-so; mile 77
• Winning Farm - awful: muddy construction, soft trails, bushwhack through the woods; mile 78
• Sucker Brook / Hanson Trail - couldn't find entrance off Amberwood Dr so didn't explore, but clearly marked entrance on Hawthorne Rd; mile 79.5

Bedford Trail Maps
Concord Trail Maps
Carlisle Trail Maps