This is a
story of the bad, the good, and the ugly.
First the bad:
the condition of the surface of this trail. Lots of root heaves. Many miles of
this trail is surfaced with a combination of melted (recycled) tires and
crushed (recycled) glass. What no one thought about was that the rubber would
erode leaving the glass. I leave the result to your imagination.
Then the good:
I was told that next year “they” were going to start ripping up the offending surface
in order to re-do it with a better material and make it wider in some sections.
Lastly, the
ugly: At the eastern end in Belchertown, there is a chain link fence with
openings on either end to allow users to go through, yet prevent banned
vehicles from accessing the trail. I (being a determined genius) thought I
could ride through the opening. Let it be known…I cannot. My handlebar caught
one of the posts and tossed me, and my bike, to the pavement. Luckily I landed
on the…shall I say padded…upper thigh. I’m sure the black and blue will be magnificent,
in spite of the arnica gel I generously applied after my shower. More arnica
will follow later this evening.
I made two new
friends at the site of my magnificent flop. I didn’t get their names, but their
concern for my well-being was appreciated.
I made two
more new friends on the way back. I stopped at the swamp where the blue heron
was. Phyllis and Karen (ladies I hope I remembered your names correctly) were a
delight to talk to.
I stopped at the little restaurant hoping to get a dish of frozen yogurt, but there were about a dozen noisy people in there and I couldn't concentrate on the menu on the wall. I had to leave without my yogurt.
The ride was
just over 20 miles total. I hadn’t ridden that many miles in quite a while. I
will be taking ibuprofen and a muscle relaxer at bedtime to ensure I can get
out of bed tomorrow.
Enjoy the photos that follow (click on photos to enlarge).
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| The welcome sign at the beginning of the trail in Northampton, MA |
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| Bridge over the CT River heading east |
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| Tunnel of trees makes for a cool ride even in warm temps |
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| This is not graffiti! This is how the bumps are marked so riders can use caution |
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| A detour because of work being done on a bridge |
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| This was the detour...I hate hills! :) |
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| Blue Heron. I think it was working for the Chamber of Commerce the way it was attracting onlookers. |
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| Location! Location! Location! A small eatery right on the path about 2 miles east of the trail head. |
2 comments:
Hi Bev,
It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday on the Rail trail, but I am so sorry to hear that you are so bruised up from your fall. I hate that particular spot on the trail and always pass through very, very slowly.
And yes, our bike trail is in bad shape, and it will be glorious when it is made new and improved next summer, but still, I am ever so grateful to have it available in my backyard, so to speak. It was first put it in 1992, and the plan to refurbish it has been in the works for several years now and I'm thrilled that the work will finally be getting done.
So, again, a pleasure to meet you, hope you recover soon from the fall and maybe we can get together for a ride sometime, you, me and Phyll.
One more thing, you are an incredible role model for me. I'm 64 and looking at you at 76, knowing what you are doing in your life, gives me great hope that I will be able to do that too.
Karen Gardner
Karen (and Phyll)...thanks for your comment. I look forward to the improved trail and doing a ride with both of you. If you decide to ride the trail at Lock 12 in Cheshire, I'd love to do that with you. It's been a while since I rode it, but it's one of my favorites.
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