GO - Its A Beautiful Day!

Bike this morning, PARTY this afternoon.

Reminder - Groton and PARTY Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well, this is it, the GRAND FINALE of our Spring 2010 season! The weather looks like it will cooperate as well. The forecast is for Sunny and decreasing humidity with low 70s in the morning and low 80s in the afternoon. Perfect! Don't forget your sunscreen.

We will meet at Alex's house on Lost Lake (Thanks Alex!). Here is a map. Be sure to look at the map, a picture is worth a thousand words in this case.


The morning Recreation Ride will take us to Baddacook Pond, Burnt Meadow, and possibly the Stone Arch Bridge in Westford if we have time. Here is a map. The route is about 14 1/2 miles with 250 feet vertical. The is some gravel / off road so I plan to bring my hybrid bike.

The afternoon End of Season PARTY begins when we get back from the ride. This is a BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) event. I think we have all the essentials covered for the party. Bring your favorite dish to share and we'll have a lovely lunch / chat / swim / kayak / ...


On Friday, June 25th, we will meet at Alex's house. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM - The Recreation Ride will leave for Baddacook Pond. Here is a map.
• At Noonish - Potluck PARTY!!!

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

STOP - Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Reminder - Boxboro Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRides,

Well, the weather isn't looking particularly good tomorrow. Morning rain is forecast to be followed by partly cloudy, warm and humid. I'll send email and update the website before 8:00 AM tomorrow with the ride status.


On Wednesday, June 23rd, since many of you couldn't ride last week, and because this is such a nice route, I am repeating the Boxboro - Hudson - Horseshoe Pub ride again. We will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM, we will leave for Harvard. Here is a map.
• At Noonish, we will have lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson.
• At 2:15 PM, we will be back.

We will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. From there we will go past the old Littleton train depot and climb Oak Hill to Harvard. After checking out the new solar panels at Carlson's Orchards, we will enjoy a 2 mile downhill cruise to Delaney Pond.

Then its off to lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson (80 beers on tap).

After lunch we will return by way of the Assebet River Rail Trail, Stow golf courses, Boxboro Center and the aptly named Hill Road. The route is about 28 miles and hilly with about 800 feet vertical (mostly in the morning). It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a GPSies map or a MapMyRide map.

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Sunny and Warm

This Week - Westford - Boxboro - PARTY!!!

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well, this is it, the last week of Adventurides Spring 2010. To celebrate, we are having an End of Season Party at Alex's house (Thanks Alex!) on Friday, June 25th. The plan is to do a morning ride around Groton and have a potluck lunch and beach blowout at Alex's house on Lost Lake. RSVP to me and I will try to arrange that we don't end up with all salads. I will supply beer, wine, seltzer water, and cups.


The weather for Monday is looking sunny and warm, much like today. In order to be prepared for anything, I have prepared two routes that are very beach intensive. Bring some swimwear if you want, or just plunge in like I tend to do. We will meet at Forge Pond Beach in Westford. Here is a map.

The morning Fitness Ride will explore some pretty backroads of Westford on our way to Heart Pond in South Chelmsford. After a dip / snack / swing (and new PortaPotty) we will ride a bit of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on the way back to Forge Pond. The route is a little over 17 miles and 350 feet vertical. Here is a map. There is a bit of gravel, and I plan to bring my hybrid bike.

We will have a picnic lunch at Forge Pond and we can get food at Pizzaria Presti.

The afternoon Recreation Ride will feature the old East Boston Camps in Westford and we will visit the beach at unspoiled Burgess Pond. From there we will go to Nabnassett Pond (with new PortaPotty) for a dip / snack / swing. The route is about 13 1/2 miles with a little less than 200 feet vertical. Here is a map. There will be some civilized off road around Burgess Pond. I plan to bring my hybrid bike.


On Monday, June 21st, we will meet at Forge Pond Beach in Westford. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for Heart Pond. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - We will have a picnic lunch at Forge Pond Beach.
• At 12:15 PM - The Recreation Ride will leave for Burgess Pond. Here is a map.
• At 2:15 PM - We will be back.

On Wednesday, June 23rd, since many of you couldn't ride last week, and because this is such a nice route, I am repeating the Boxboro - Hudson - Horseshoe Pub ride again. We will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM, we will leave for Harvard. Here is a map.
• At Noonish, we will have lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson.
• At 2:15 PM, we will be back.

We will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. From there we will go past the old Littleton train depot and climb Oak Hill to Harvard. After checking out the new solar panels at Carlson's Orchards, we will enjoy a 2 mile downhill cruise to Delaney Pond.

Then its off to lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson (80 beers on tap).

After lunch we will return by way of the Assebet River Rail Trail, Stow golf courses, Boxboro Center and the aptly named Hill Road. The route is about 28 miles and hilly with about 800 feet vertical (mostly in the morning). It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a GPSies map or a MapMyRide map.


On Friday, June 25th, we will meet at Alex's house in Groton. More info to come.

• At 9:30 AM - The Recreational Ride will leave.
• At Noonish - We will have an End of Season PARTY!

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Sunny and Warm.

Reminder - No Afternoon Ride.

Reminder - East Pepperell Tomorrow - NO AFTERNOON RIDE

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well, the good news is that the forecast is for sunny skies and upper 70s tomorrow morning. The not so good news it that it is supposed to be near 90 degrees in the afternoon. Since I am a heat wimp, TOMORROW AFTERNOON'S RIDE IS POSTPONED.

Here is some video from yesterday's ride. Thanks, Alex!


Since there is no afternoon ride, the morning Recreation Ride will be a bit longer, and more scenic than usual. We can take our time and enjoy the views on our way to Hollis. Our first stop will be the new covered bridge in Pepperell. It is open to pedestrians and bicycles now. Then its off to rolling farms and the Nissitissit River before we climb up to the Beaver Brook Association conservation land. There are some nice views from the ridge before we stop in quaint Hollis, NH. From there, its mostly downhill to the Nashua River and the rail trail back to Pepperell. We may not get back until noon depending on how fun we are having :-)

The route is almost 15 miles with about 300 feet vertical. There is some smooth dirt / gravel roads on the way, and the rest is paved. Here is a map. I plan to bring my road bike.

Lunch at the Pepperell Spa is still on.


On Friday, June 18th, we will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel rail trail parking lot. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM - The Recreation Ride will leave for Hollis. Here is a map.
• At Noonish - We will be back for lunch at the Pepperell Spa.
• NO AFTERNOON RIDE

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Increasing Clouds and Cool.

Boxboro Exploration Ride Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

It doesn't look like this beautiful weather will continue into tomorrow :-( The forecast calls for cloudy in the morning with showers in the afternoon and highs in the upper 60s.


We will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. Here is a map. From there we will go past the old Littleton train depot and climb Oak Hill to Harvard. After checking out the new solar panels at Carlson's Orchards, we will enjoy a 2 mile downhill cruise to Delaney Pond.

Then its off to lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson (80 beers on tap).

After lunch we will return by way of the Stow golf courses, Boxboro Center and the aptly named Hill Road. The route is about 28 miles and hilly with about 800 feet vertical (mostly in the morning). It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a GPSies map or a MapMyRide map.


On Wednesday, June 16th, we will meet at the soccer fields in Boxboro on Liberty Square Road. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM, we will leave for Harvard. Here is a map.
• At Noonish, we will have lunch at The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson.
• At 2:15 PM, we will be back.

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Mostly Cloudy and Warm

This Week - Lancaster - TBD - East Pepperell Center

Dear AdventuRiders,

We only have 2 weeks left in our Spring 2010 season. Many of our riders, including Carole, are going to be away this week, so I am counting on everyone to get out and enjoy our last few Spring rides.

The Monday forecast is looking mostly cloudy and low 70s. Not the most scenic, but very comfortable riding weather. We will meet in South Lancaster at Atlantic Union College (NOT the baseball field in Lancaster that we used last time). Here is a map.

The morning Fitness Ride will feature up close views of Wachusett Mountain, a short ride on the Mass Central Rail Trail, and scenic views of the Nashoba River Valley. The route is a little over 18 miles and very hilly with almost 700 feet vertical. It is all on road except the extremely civilized MCRT. I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a map.

The afternoon Recreation Ride will feature the beautiful farms on George Hill and Davis' Farmland on our way to the Wachusett Reservoir. We will ride along the reservoir on a civilized gravel / dirt path and visit the impressive Wachusett Dam (largest hand built dam in the world) and enjoy the fountain. The route is 14 1/2 miles with one significant hill and a little over 400 feet vertical. I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a map.


On Monday, June 14th, we will meet at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for Sterling. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - Lunch will be BYOL, or at Trolley Stop Pizzaria (a couple blocks away).
• At 12:15 PM - The Recreation Ride will leave for the Wachusett Dam. Here is a map.
• At 2:15 PM - We will be back.

On Wednesday, June 16th, the weather forecast is looking SPECTACULAR and I am still devising a deserving route.

• At 9:30 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave.
  
• At Noonish - We will have lunch.
  
• At 2:15 PM - We will be back.

On Friday, June 18th, we will meet in East Pepperell Center. Here is a map.

• At 9:30 AM - The Recreation Ride will leave.
  
• At 11:30 AM - Lunch will at good ole Pepperell Spa.
  
• At 12:15 PM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
  
• At 2:15 PM - We will be back.

Hope to see you there,
Bill and (Carole - vicariously from Italy)

GO - Becoming Partly Cloudy.

Reminder - Dunstable Larter Field Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Tomorrow is looking mostly cloudy and mid 60s. It might not be the most scenic sort of weather, but it is good riding weather!

Here are a couple of videos from recent rides. Thanks Alex!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fitXtPyATiY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N_Ai5zyOqE


The morning Recreational Ride will enjoy the views from High Street and then we will go over to Nashua and ride some paved nature trails. From there we will ride a bit of the Nashua River Rail Trail and wind our way back to Dunstable along scenic backroads. The route is about 13 1/2 miles and the first half is a bit hilly. It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a map.

The afternoon Fitness Ride will visit the "field of dreams" in Dunstable and some pretty back roads in Tyngsboro. The route is about 16 miles and quite hilly. It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a map.


On Friday, June 11th, we will meet at Larter Field in Dunstable. The nearest intersection is Groton Street and Dogwood Lane.

At 9:30 AM - The Recreational ride will leave for High Street. Here is a map.

At 11:30 AM - We will have a BYOL picnic lunch at Larter Field.

At 12:15 PM - The Fitness ride will leave for "The Field of Dreams". Here is a map.

• At 2:15 PM - We will be back.

Hope to see you there,
Bill and (off to Italy) Carole

GO - Partly Cloudy and Cool.

Reminder - Brookline NH Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

OK, here's an AdventuQuiz(tm) for you. What do the following things have in common?

• Mostly Sunny
• 65 Degrees
• Lake Potanipo Lighthouse
• Nissitissit River Covered Bridge
• John Weideman Art
  
• Rocky Pond
• Silver Lake
  
• Monson Center Ghost Town
• Mountain Views from Federal Hill
• Amigos Mexican Cantina

1. PULLED PORK WRAP
   Our own Mexican pulled pork stuffed in a flour tortilla with red and green bell peppers and melted Jack and cheddar cheese.
2. BIKE SHOP MARGARITA
   After your ride, sit back and relax with Herradura Reposado Tequila, Cointreau and Jamaican Lime Juice.
   

• 1889 Suspension Bridge
• Souhegan River
• Brookline Rail Trail

The answer is tomorrow's Exploration Ride starting in Brookline, NH!

The route is only 23 miles, but there are plenty of hills and relatively smooth gravel roads. Here is a map. On the way back we will ride on the freshly paved, wide shouldered, Route 13. The last few miles we will ride on the civilized part of the old Brookline Rail Trail. The surface is not as nice as the Mass Central Rail Trail, but the scenery is just as nice!

Even though a hybrid / mountain bike would be more appropriate, I plan to bring my road bike.


On Wednesday, June 9th, we will meet at the parking lot just off Route 13 and Mason Road in Brookline, NH. Here is a map. Google claims its only 21 minutes from Groton Center.

• At 9:30 AM, we will leave for Milford, NH. Here is a map.
• Noonish, we will stop for lunch at Amigos Mexican Cantina.
• At 2:15 PM, we will be back.

Hope you can make it,
Bill and Carole

GO - Its A Sterling Day!

This Week - Sterling - Brookline - Dunstable

Dear AdventuRiders,

Monday is looking like a truly Sterling day! Mostly sunny and mid 60s in the morning with low humidity and light breezes. After lunch, it should be low 70s with a few more puffy clouds.

To take advantage of the near perfect weather, and to try something new, I thought we would meet in Sterling, MA. Google claims its 35 minutes from Groton and 25 minutes from Harvard. Here is a map.

My son, Keaton, and I made this video last summer that covers much of the area we will be riding.


The morning Fitness Ride will explore the Mass Central Rail Trail from Sterling to Holden. We will also stop at the Old Stone Church on the Wachusett Reservoir. Its an out and back sort of trip, so we will be spending quite a bit of time off road on a beautiful crushed rock surface. The route is 17 miles with about 750 feet vertical and 8 miles off road. I am planning to bring my road bike anyway. Here is a map.

Lunch will be at Bambi's Corner Cafe in Sterling Center.

"A little slice of the American pie, the Corner Café, in Sterling Center, offers basic diner fare at very low prices. Informal and chatty servers make for a nice experience, as do reliably prepared comfort foods."

The afternoon Recreation Ride will go up the hill to Davis' Farmland before swooping down to historic Clinton. After visiting the Wachusett Dam and riding along the reservoir, we will enjoy the rolling orchards and views of the Nashoba valley from Chase Hill Road. From there, its down to Waushacum Pond and a short stretch of the Mass Central Rail Trail back to Sterling. The route is about 15 miles and 800 feet vertical with a couple miles of very civilized off road. I am planning to bring my road bike. Here is a map.


On Monday, June 7th, we will meet at the Rail Trail parking in Sterling Center. Here is a map.

* At 9:30 AM, the Fitness Ride will leave for Holden. Here is a map.
* At 11:30 AM, we will have lunch at Bambi's Corner Cafe.
* At 12:15 PM, the Recreation Ride will leave for the Wachusett Dam. Here is a map.
* At 2:15 PM, we will be back.


On Wednesday, June 9th, we will meet at the parking lot just off Route 13 and Mason Road in Brookline, NH. Here is a map. Google claims its only 21 minutes from Groton Center.

* At 9:30 AM, we will leave for Milford, NH. Here is a map.
* Noon-ish, we will stop for lunch / margeritas at Amigos Mexican Cantina.
* At 2:15 PM, we will be back.


On Friday, June 11th, we will meet at Larter Field in Dunstable.

* At 9:30 AM, the recreational ride will leave.
* At 11:30 AM, we will have lunch from the Convenient Mann or BYOL.
* At 12:15 PM, the fitness ride will leave.
* At 2:15 PM, we will be back.


Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Partly Cloudy and Warm

Reminder - Harvard - Depot Road Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,


The morning Recreation Ride will feature:

1. Mid 70 degrees and partly cloudy.
2. Fruitlands Museum.
3. Tree People.
4. Mountain Views.
5. GOATS!
6. Bare Hill Pond.
7. A bit of gravel / dirt road.
   
8. Thurston's Beach.
9. Town Beach (hopefully).
   
10. About 13 Miles and hilly. Here is a map.
    
11. I'm bringing my road bike.

There really isn't any place close by for lunch, so I am bring my lunch.


The afternoon Fitness Ride will feature:

1. 80 degrees and partly cloudy.
2. Oak Hill <-- Yes, its a hill :-)
3. Apple Orchards.
4. Rolling Farmland.
5. Delaney Pond.
6. Horses.
7. West Bare Hill Road (going down though).
   
8. Bare Hill Pond Beach (hopefully).
9. Flower Gardens.
10. About 15 miles and very hilly. Here is a map.
11. I'm bringing my road bike.
    

On Friday, June 4th, we will meet at the soccer fields in Harvard on Depot Road. Here is a map.

* At 9:30 AM - The Recreational ride will leave for Bare Hill Pond. Here is a map.
* At 11:30 AM - We will have a BYOL picnic at the soccer field.
* At 12:15 PM - The Fitness ride will leave for Bolton. Here is a map.
* At 2:15 PM - We will be back.


Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Another Beauty!