The MInuteman trail

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Today I had some pent up frustration and had been running around all day, so around 4:30pm I decided to hop on my bike for a ride. Last weekend I was going to go do the Minuteman trail, which starts at Alewife (Cambridge) and ends in Bedford some 11 miles later, but instead rode around on the North Shore. So I headed off to do it today. I had to stop for some chain lube at Back Bay Bicycles as my derailleur was starting to chirp every time I shifted gears.

After a quick lube I hit the Charles, headed west along the river and wound my way up to Alewife. From there it was pretty straight shot -- albeit with lots of stop signs and some traffic lights. At one traffic light in Lexington a girl in front of me just about got killed when a car did not stop for her in the crosswalk (after the car coming from the left had made a full stop).

I pushed myself reasonably hard, it took me altogether 2:05 of riding time (1:05 out and 1:00 back) for the full 33 or so miles. Given all the stops and intersections along the way that does not seem too bad.

North shore

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This was a weekend of great exertion. After yesterday's ride, this morning I played soccer, then drove up to Beverly with my bike in the trunk, dropped off the car with Pietro at Endicott and headed off for some riding. I decided to go visit Maryellen for lunch in Essex but she was not available until 1:30pm, so I headed north on 127 and wound my way through Manchester, Magnolia and Gloucester, before heading west on 133 to Essex. It was a gorgeous day and I enjoyed stopping by Magnolia Beach to sit on a bench while chomping down on a power bar washed down with Gatorade.

After lunch I headed home. This time I thought I would try to follow 107 South all the way into the city, but that was a mistake. With the exception of a few portions, much of the road is not very friendly to bikes, especially when you get down into Everett/Revere. I have to say that generally coming down into the city from the North Shore is not fun. I also have to say that by the time I got home I was pretty beat -- all told I rode 80 miles this weekend (55 on Sunday and 25 on Saturday) and played a soccer game. All on about 2-3 hours of sleep... But it feels good to be able to do that!

Brookline to Milton and the Observatory again

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Today Pietro was playing soccer at Curry College in Milton, and I had to drop off my car at the dealership in Brookline for a 5,000mi service check. So I threw my bike in the trunk of the car, and rode from Brookline down to Milton. I made a quick stop at the home of a friend who lives very close to Curry before the game. The game itself was good, but once again the Endicott College Gulls lost - though it was a close game.

The weather was surprisingly chilly and windy, at half time I laid down on the astroturf insude the batting cages behind the stands, where the was no wind and the sun was quite toasty. The picture on the left is the view looking up.

After the game I was pretty hungry (1pm) and not feeling on top of my game, but I decided that being all the way down there I should try the Blue Hill Observatory road again. My brain tried to make all sorts of excuses for why I would not make it: wearing a backpack, tired, hungry, muscles not warm... but I would have felt like a wimp if I hadn't tried, so I went for it. This climb is definitely a reach for me. The last 100 yards or so are just brutal! But I did make it to the top without dismounting. If all goes wall tomorrow I will go on another ride, though it should be easier.

Beverly for soccer

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Pietro's team was playing a home game at Endicott College in Beverly, so I decided to ride up there to kill two birds with one stone. The ride was pretty easy (except some of the usual urban aspects of the ride, including really rough roads in a couple of places) and not very long at exactly 25 miles. Not much to report along the way, I found myself going through some parts of Saugus I had never seen before.

On the way home it was getting too dark to ride back so I threw my bike in the back of Karen and Rick's car. Along the way we enjoyed one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen in a long time (well, at least in Massachusetts -- I did see some amazing sunsets during my recent trip to New Mexico). What made the sunset particularly amazing was a long band of clouds aligned east-west: at one point the western part had bright yellow colors, while the eastern part was bright pink, with a nearly full moon next to the pink clouds.

Blue Hill Observatory - and then some

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Last night I spent a lot more time than I had anticipated messing around with my front derailleur, even watched a couple of YouTube videos, and still did not get it quite right. But at least I was able to get the bike to shift with some reliability into the smallest front chainwheel, which made me feel comfortable for attacking the Blue Hill Observatory hill. I left my house shortly after 8am. The ride down to Milton (through JP, Roxbury and Dorchester) is quite nice. At first I missed the entrance to the Observatory Rd. and had to double back. Once I found the road, I dropped into my lowest gear and off I went.

That hill without question is the toughest thing I have tried to date. I made it to the top, but a couple of times I really started to wonder if I'd make it. It is really steep in a couple of places, and even where it is not as steep it never really lets up. There is one last kicker not far from the top, it was my second or third time up on my pedals and I did not think I was going to make it. But I did make it, and it felt great to be up on top. The view is pretty, although you can't look back toward the city because of trees. I am sure there is a trail to get to the north-facing side of the hill.

Back at the bottom, I went slightly farther south on 138, then took Hillside St., which winds around the reservation. The area near Houghtons Pond is really pretty. This would be a nice place to come for a hike or to hang out by water. I followed Hillside to Randolph Ave. (Rt. 28). Next time I am here I should remember to stay right on Chickatawbut Rd. to hook into Randolph Ave., Hillside after it veers off of the Reservation is very bumpy. Anyhow, I then followed Randolph Ave. through Milton Center, then hooked into Adams Ave., and right on Dorchester Ave.

At this point I gave serious thought to following Dorchester Ave. to Mass Ave. and home, but instead I decided to hang a right at Savin Hill Ave., went to Morrissey Blvd., rode around the UMass campus and the JFK Library (there is an annoying stretch of the path that is unpaved - not fun. From there, I followed Morrissey Blvd. again up to Broadway, then followed Broadway back into town, going over the bridge onto E. Berkeley St., then through the South End and on home.

Once I got home I ran to Whole Foods for some bread, and indulged in a delicious lunch consisting of a nice piece of Wild Coho Salmon (grilled with a bit of olive oil, lemon, lemon zest, rosemary and salt), a nice green salad, some fresh bread. Topped it all off with a bit of chocolate and an espresso that really hit the spot.

In the mood for some hills

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Today was moving day for Elena. 7 hours of going up and down the stairs to her fifth floor apartment put me in the mood for some hills. That and the fact that we went to pick up her boyfriend, who lives on Parker Hill Road, and he mentioned that "you can get about half way up before you have to dismount and walk your bike." In all fairness to him, he has a clunky and probably very heavy mountain bike. Since I had already done this particular hill, and since by the time I was ready to go it was already getting pretty late, I decided I'd do a short but hilly ride.

First, I did Parker Hill Road three times, and in between I went up Lawn St. and Esty St., a short but rather nasty hill. Then I rode down Rt. 9 and went up High Street Hill. From there I rode across Rt. 9 on Cypress and wound my way up to Aspinwall Hill. As I wound my way down Winthrop Rd. toward Beacon St., I had to stop as a flock of wild turkeys was meandering across the road. Not something you see everyday, at least not in Brookline. I took a picture with my phone, but when I got home it was gone - not sure what I did wrong.

Finally, as I wound my way North through Brookline, I suddenly made a right turn from Corey Rd. onto Summit Ave, only to find myself staring at a nasty steep hill climbing up the back side of Corey Hill. Now, that was a test of my remaining strength, especially since my front derailleur is misbehaving and I can't get the chain to go down to the lowest ratios. That hill is a bitch, and the road is so pockmarked with potholes and patches as to be a real uncomfortable ride, even at the rather low speeds I was able to attain on the climb.

From there it was mostly downhill. I went north through Brookline into Brighton and Allston, up Harvard Ave. right on Cambridge St. and then hit the bike path along Storrow Drive and on home. All told the ride was shy of 14 miles, but I was more tired at the end of that ride than I had been in a while. Walking down the street to meet some friends for dinner I thought my quads might just cramp up.

Now it's time to go see if I can figure out how to adjust my front derailleur because on Monday morning I want to try the hill up to the Blue Hill Observatory...