Dear AdventuRiders,
I hope everyone had a wonderful and not too fattening Thanksgiving.
As always I want to thank everyone who rode with us this season. We couldn't do it without you! Everybody contributes their knowledge, jokes, companionship, ... I especially want to thank Eddie for hosting our end of season party. The food was delicious, the beer fantastic, and, as usual, the camaraderie was delightful.
Here are some pictures that Joe took during the season, Thanks Joe!
And finally, Wachusett opened today! I checked it out this afternoon, and the snow was pretty good, but it was mobbed with teenagers. Tomorrow should be much better, I'm planning to be there at 9:00 AM if anybody wants to join me.
BTW, I was going to do our annual trip to the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH tomorrow, but ... I'll plan it for some day I don't feel like skiing.
See you in the Spring, if not on the slopes,
Bill and Carole
Thanks! + Pictures + Wachusett is OPEN!
GO - Cloudy and Chilly
Bring your warm clothes. Party at noon.
Reminder - End Of Season Tomorrow + Pictures
Dear AdventuRiders,
Well I FINALLY got around to putting my pictures up on Picasa. Here is a link.
For party details, check your email.
Bill
GO - A Sparkling Day
Bring your warm clothes.
End of Season PARTY + Reminder - Hudson Tomorrow
Dear AdventuRiders,
We are planning our End of Season Party and we are looking for a volunteer to host a pot luck lunch on Monday 11/22 at noon. Your reward is having a custom bike route designed from your house in the morning and not having to drive home after the party.
The weather for Friday is looking crisp. I hesitate to use the word cold, but the wind chill temperature will be hovering in the 30s all day. Dress warmly and we will have a great ride with Abundant Sunshine.
The morning recreation ride hasn't been finalized yet, but the plan is to explore over toward Northboro and then take the Assebet River Rail Trail from Marlboro back to Hudson. It will be about 14 miles with some hills and all on road.
The afternoon fitness ride will take us to the Assebet River Rail Trail in Stow (unpaved, but civilized) and then the Assebet River National Wildlife Refuge and the new visitors center. Then its backroads along the old Mass Central Rail Line back to Hudson. The route is 16 1/2 miles with about 4 miles of civilized off road and only 250 feet vertical. I am planning to bring my hybrid bike, although a road bike will work as well. Here is a map.
On Friday, November 19th, we will meet at the Horseshoe Pub in Hudson, 80 beers on tap! Here is a map. Its a public parking lot, but park away from the pub anyway.
- At 9:30 AM - The Recreational ride will leave for Northboro.
- At 11:30 AM - We will have lunch at the Horseshoe Pub.
- At 12:15 PM - The Fitness ride will leave for the ARNWR. Here is a map.
- At 2:15 PM - We will be back.
Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole
STOP - The Wednesday Ride Is Postponed.
Reminder - Minuteman Bikeway Tomorrow
Dear AdventuRiders,
The weather forecast for tomorrow is looking very wet. I would slide the ride to Thursday, but I have a Dr. Appt. I will send out email and update the website before 8:00 tomorrow morning.
On Wednesday, November 17th, we will meet in Bedford for a ride on the Minuteman Bike Trail to Somerville. Here is a map. There will be two starting points. From Fawn Lake, we will ride the unpaved narrow gauge rail trail to the start of the Minuteman at Bedford Depot. Its about 27 miles round trip. For a shorter, paved, and very flat ride, you can meet us at Bedford Depot for a 22 mile round trip.
- At 9:45 AM - We will leave from Fawn Lake.
- At 10:00 AM - We will pick up riders from Bedford Depot.
- At 11:30 ish - We will have lunch at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville.
- At 2:15 PM - We should be back to Bedford Depot.
- At 2:30 PM - We should be back to Fawn Pond.
- We can continue on to Billerica and back to get our 30 miles in if desired.
Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole
Wachusett Season Passes - Last Chance To Save $100
Dear AdventuRiders,
For all you downhill skiers I have a Greatest Possible Saving club at Wachusett Mountain again this year. Here is the link to the GPS passes. I would recommend the Bronze or Silver season pass, since weekend days and holidays can be very crowded. The Bronze Pass is $229 and the deadline to buy GPS passes is November 17th. Surprisingly, the group name is ADVENTURIDES.
Bill
This Week - Lunenburg - Dave's Fresh Pasta - Horseshoe Pub
Dear AdventuRiders,
Where did the Fall season go? This is the last official week of AdventuRides this year, although we are planning an end of season party for next Monday.
Well, the weather tomorrow isn't going to be anywhere near as glorious as Friday, but it doesn't look too bad either. Its supposed to be cloudy, near 50 degrees all day, and hardly any wind.
On Monday, we will meet between the Senior Center and the Teen Center in Lunenburg Center. Here is a map.
The morning Fitness Ride will travel to Hickory Hills Lake before climbing Bayberry Hill and then zooming down to Pearl Hill State Park. From there, we will avoid as many hills as we can on the way to Lunenburg. The route is all on road, although there are some areas of broken pavement, quite a few substantial hills, and about 18 miles long. Here is a map.
Lunch (after a moment of silence for the late Trudy's Treats) will be at Village Grill in Lunenburg Center. Here is their menu.
The afternoon Recreation Ride will go south to Lake Shirley and then climb Flat Hill (it isn't flat) for great views and then we will follow Mulpus Brook back to Hickory Hills Lake and then back to Lunenburg. The ride is also all on road with some broken pavement, quite hilly, and about 13 miles long. Here is a map.
On Monday, November 15th, we will meet in Lunenburg Center. Here is a map.
- At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for Pearl Hill State Park. Here is a map.
- At 11:30 AM - Lunch at Village Grill. Here is their menu.
- At 12:15 PM - The Recreation Ride will leave for Lake Shirley. Here is a map.
- At 2:15 PM - We will be back.
On Wednesday, November 17th, we will meet in Bedford for a ride on the Minuteman Bike Trail to Somerville. Here is a map. There will be two starting points. From Fawn Lake, we will ride the unpaved narrow gauge rail trail to the start of the Minuteman at Bedford Depot. Its about 27 miles round trip. For a shorter, paved, and very flat ride, you can meet us at Bedford Depot for a 22 mile round trip. Everyone is welcome.
- At 9:45 AM - We will leave from Fawn Lake.
- At 10:00 AM - We will pick up riders from Bedford Depot.
- At 11:30 ish - We will have lunch at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville.
- At 2:15 PM - We should be back to Bedford Depot.
- At 2:30 PM - We should be back to Fawn Pond.
- We can continue on to Billerica and back to get our 30 miles in if desired.
On Friday, November 19th, we will meet at the Horseshoe Pub in Hudson.
- At 9:30 AM - The Recreational ride will leave.
- At 11:30 AM - We will have lunch at the Horseshoe Pub. 80 beers on tap!
- 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
Reminder - Dunstable Larter Field Tomorrow
I just got back from the Portsmouth ride. It was kind of cold the first couple of miles, so we turned inland to get out of the wind and it felt much warmer. Lunch at the Portsmouth Brewery was fantastic. In the afternoon it was PERFECT biking weather; mid 50s, tailwind, totally sunny, and crashing surf.
Tomorrow should be a bit warmer, less windy, and still totally sunny. Probably not much surf in Dunstable though.
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, November 12th, 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 lunch at The Convenient Man in Dunstable Center. It might be warm enough for a picnic!
- 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 Carole
Reminder - Portsmouth Tomorrow - RSVP
Dear AdventuRiders,
Well tomorrow is looking like a sparkling November day, 0% chance of precipitation, 0% cloud cover. It will be chilly though, with windchill temperatures in the low 40s all day. We may decide to take the inland route to Newcastle to avoid the wind in the morning, and enjoy the coast and a tailwind after lunch.
RSVP so we can plan carpools. If you want to carpool, let's meet at Shaw's at 8:30 AM so we can get to Hampton North Beach by 9:30 and get started for Portsmouth at a reasonable time.
Here is the plan:
There are several restaurants along Bow Street in Portsmouth that have decks overlooking Portsmouth Harbor. The Stockpot Restaurant is no more :-( but the River House Restaurant has taken over the location. If the weather doesn't fully cooperate, Poco's Cantina has an enclosed heated deck. If all else fails, we can always hit the Portsmouth Brewery downtown.
Lest you think that our rides are all about eating and drinking, we will be biking along the beautiful NH seacoast with stops at Rye Harbor, Odiorne Point / Fort Dearborn, Fort Stark, New Castle / Fort Constitution, Portsmouth Naval Prison, Strawbery Banke, and Prescott Park. On the way back, we will be riding along portions of the East Coast Greenway.
Its is almost all on road (perhaps a bit of civilized off road at Odiorne), and I will be bringing my road bike.
BTW, it is important to note that we are starting at Hampton North Beach, NOT North Hampton Beach.
On Thursday November 11th, we will ride from Hampton North Beach to Portsmouth along the coast via New Castle. The route is about 32 miles, but is almost flat. Here is a map.
* At 8:30 AM - We can meet at the Shaw's parking lot in Groton and carpool to Hampton North Beach (Real restrooms!)
* At 9:30 AM - We will meet at Hampton North Beach.
* At Noonish - We will have lunch on one the decks overlooking Portsmouth Harbor along Bow Street.
* At 3:00 PM - We will be back to Hampton North Beach.
Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole
Change of Plans - Portsmouth on Thursday
Dear AdventuRiders,
The weather forecast for Wednesday has been deteriorating all week. Currently, the Portsmouth forecast is calling for "Mostly Cloudy, Windy, and Cold" :-( Thursday, its supposed to have "Abundant Sunshine" :-)
Based on that, I am moving the Portsmouth ride to Thursday, November 11th. Thursday also happens to be Veteran's Day and most kids have the day off from school. If you want to bring your kids along (and have a bunch of old people kick their butts), that would be great.
Since I don't have to drive anyone to school, let's meet Shaw's to carpool at 8:30 AM so we can get to Hampton North Beach by 9:30 and get started for Portsmouth at a reasonable time.
Here is the plan:
There are several restaurants along Bow Street in Portsmouth that have decks overlooking Portsmouth Harbor. The Stockpot Restaurant is no more :-( but the River House Restaurant has taken over the location. If the weather doesn't fully cooperate, Poco's Cantina has an enclosed heated deck. If all else fails, we can always hit the Portsmouth Brewery downtown.
Lest you think that our rides are all about eating and drinking, we will be biking along the beautiful NH seacoast with stops at Rye Harbor, Odiorne Point / Fort Dearborn, Fort Stark, New Castle / Fort Constitution, Portsmouth Naval Prison, Strawbery Banke, and Prescott Park. On the way back, we will be riding along portions of the East Coast Greenway.
Its is almost all on road (perhaps a bit of civilized off road at Odiorne), and I will be bringing my road bike.
BTW, it is important to note that we are starting at Hampton North Beach, NOT North Hampton Beach.
On Thursday November 11th, we will ride from Hampton North Beach to Portsmouth along the coast via New Castle. The route is about 32 miles, but is almost flat. Here is a map.
* At 8:30 AM - We can meet at the Shaw's parking lot in Groton and carpool to Hampton North Beach (Real restrooms!)
* At 9:30 AM - We will meet at Hampton North Beach.
* At Noonish - We will have lunch on one the decks overlooking Portsmouth Harbor along Bow Street.
* At 3:00 PM - We will be back to Hampton North Beach.
Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole
STOP - All Monday Rides Postponed
Let's hope for better weather by Wednesday.
This week - Lunenburg - Portsmouth - Dunstable
Dear AdventuRiders,
The bad news is that the weather isn't looking good for Monday :-( The forecast calls for cloudy, windy, rainy, and cold. The weatherman has been wrong before, so I won't make the call until Monday morning before 8:00 AM.
The good news is that the forecast for Wednesday is looking very nice at this point. So, I am planning a special ride along the seacoast to Portsmouth, NH for lunch. The morning route will feature the beautiful NH seacoast, Newcastle Island, and the fort where the Revolutionary War really began in 1774. In the afternoon, we will cruise some of the scenic inland roads back to Hampton. The route is about 32 miles, all on road and 360 feet vertical (not much). Here is a map. Stay tuned for more details!
On Monday, we will meet between the Senior Center and the Teen Center in Lunenburg Center. Here is a map.
The morning Fitness Ride will travel to Hickory Hills Lake before climbing Bayberry Hill and then zooming down to Pearl Hill State Park. From there, we will avoid as many hills as we can on the way to Lunenburg. The route is all on road, although there are some areas of broken pavement, quite a few substantial hills, and about 18 miles long. Here is a map.
Lunch (after a moment of silence for the late Trudy's Treats) will be at Village Grill in Lunenburg Center. Here is their menu.
The afternoon Recreation Ride will go south to Lake Shirley and then climb Flat Hill (it isn't flat) for great views and then we will follow Mulpus Brook back to Hickory Hills Lake and then back to Lunenburg. The ride is also all on road with some broken pavement, quite hilly, and about 13 miles long. Here is a map.
On Monday, November 8th, we will meet in Lunenburg Center. Here is a map.
- At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for Pearl Hill State Park. Here is a map.
- At 11:30 AM - Lunch at Village Grill. Here is their menu.
- At 12:15 PM - The Recreation Ride will leave for Lake Shirley. Here is a map.
- At 2:15 PM - We will be back.
On Wednesday, November 10th - We will meet at Hampton North Beach. Here is a map.
- At 10:00 AM - We will leave Hampton North Beach for Portsmouth. Here is a map.
- Noonish - Lunch in Portsmouth.
- At 3:00 PM - We will be back to Hampton North Beach.
On Friday, November 12th, 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 lunch at The Convenient Man in Dunstable Center.
- 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 Carole
STOP - All Friday Rides Postponed
It's very wet out there.
Reminder - Dunstable Larter Field Tomorrow
Well, the weather is looking pretty grim for biking tomorrow :-( The chance of rain is 60%, but the weatherman has been wrong before. I'll make the call tomorrow morning before 8:00 AM.
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, November 5th, 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 lunch at The Convenient Man in Dunstable Center.
- 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 Carole
Wachusett Ski Passes
On my wanderings after the ride today I happened by Wachusett Mountain and found that they were making SNOW! Check out the picture.
That reminded me to remind all of you to get your season passes before November 17th when the price goes up $100. You can get a weekday season pass for just $229. After just 5 trips to the mountain, you will be ahead and you never have to wait in the ticket line either. Check out all the passes here. Just use the group name ADVENTURIDES to save $110.
Think SNOW (after biking season anyhow).
Bill
PS. We had a very nice ride to Barre today. It was a bit cold this morning, but after a good lunch at Kozy Kabin, it turned into a wonderfully bright and sunny day!
Reminder - VOTE - Jefferson Tomorrow
Dear AdventuRiders,
I hope everyone got out and voted today. Democracy needs you!
Tomorrow's weather is looking very nice. It should be a bit "warmer" than Monday and much less wind. When we leave Jefferson, it should be Mostly Sunny and mid 30s and it will get up to near 50 degrees by the time we get back.
Tomorrow morning we will ride past Eagle Lake on our way UP to Rutland and Pine Hill Reservoir. We then join the Mass Central Rail Trail just before Rutland State Park. From there we will explore the brand new section in Oakham before riding on the road along the Ware River to Barre.
We will have lunch at the Kozy Kabin Restaurant in Barre. I hope its good, since its the only choice for miles around.
After lunch we will retrace our path on the Mass Central back to Rutland State Park and then continue on the Mass Central to the beautiful views on Muschopauge Road. "Its all downhill from there!"
The route is about 28 miles and almost 900 feet vertical, but much of the vertical is on the gentle slope of the rail trail. We have one category 5 (easiest) hill to warm us up in the morning, and about 1/2 the route will be on gravel / dirt / crushed rock. Its certainly doable on a road bike, but I will be bringing my hybrid bike for more comfort off the pavement. Here is a map.
On Wednesday, November 3rd - We will meet in Jefferson, MA. Here is a map. It is about 45 minutes from Groton. Please park across the street from the church.
- At 9:45 AM SHARP - We will leave for Rutland and the Mass Central Rail Trail. Here is a map.
- At Noonish - We will have lunch at the Kozy Kabin Restaurant in Barre.
- At 2:15 PM - We will be back to Jefferson.
Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole
PS. The weather for Friday is looking better at this point.
GO - Beautiful Sunshine, But Chilly
See you at the Pepperell ROTARY.