bikebob@crocker.com

Sunday 5/2: My morning road ride at 9:00 consisted of Jack and Nancy Spanbauer plus Paul Cyr-Mutty and myself. We rode north to Bernardston and then out to Gill and back to the shop via Poets Seat and High St. It was a really nice pace with Nancy and Paul leading, there was time for me to help Jack and Paul with their technique. We rode a total of 20 miles at an average of 14.5 mph on a beautiful sunny spring morning.
    The afternoon event could be dubbed "The Girls of Channing Bete" ride, as Donna Golec and Lynn Black came out to show their rather considerable skills on the Montague Plains. ( The "Boys of Bete" failed to show up, apparently Bob, Kevin and Ken didn't want to get a shellacking) The above mentioned duo along with their husbands met the rest of the ride in the center of town at 5:00. Also along for the trip was Mick, Nate "Doggie Dog", Jeff Roberts, Patrick, Tommy and Ken Heider, CTD and Maxine and me. We formed two groups before we left town to spare Kurt and Kris the embarrassment of getting dropped by their wives. I took Pat and Jeff as well as the husbands of the "Fearless Females from Bete" and we set out for Willis Hill. We rode to the top of the Telephone Pole trail, and when I looked back I could see Lynn helping Kris up the trail after he slid on the off camber turn on the hill. I rode back and rescued him and soon we were on our way. We made our way across the trails to Craggy Hill where Kurt and Patrick showed the "old man" how it is done. We rode from there to Willis Hill where I redeemed myself with a clean climb to the top. After a brief rest we headed for the trails on the other side of the hill and then we continued on toward our planned rendezvous with CTD and his bunch at Red Rock. We arrived at the rock and we only found CTD and Nate "Doggie Dog" to be waiting for us. After questioning CTD about the whereabouts of the remainder of his group, we discovered that the "Girls of Bete" had requested a more hilly ride and they were coming up behind us, having done basically the same route as we did. Fearful of being dubbed slackers by the girls, we headed back to find them. Along the way Kurt and Pat once again put the hurt on me as they both made the climb to the ridge and I did not. As soon as we got through that foolishness, Ken and Lynn came into view and we headed back out to CTD on the rock. After everyone was together we headed for the Brook Trail and eventually to the pond. It was Nate that instigated the pond crossing and after some considerable prodding we managed to get both Lynn and Donna to complete their initiation by riding across the pond as well. After considerable hooting, hollering and other juvenile behaviors, we finished the ride by retracing our route back to the vehicles. We all enjoyed refreshments provided by CTD and we were warmed by the roasting of Kris and Kurt. Yet another great ride!!

   Here is photographic proof that Lynn did ride into the pond. The people here are just waiting for her to surface.

Wednesday 5/5: Cinco de Mayo or something like that was on my mind all day as the rain came down. I have no idea what it means but is sounds like a cool excuse to have a party. I had a few people come in from their rides and report that the trails were not even wet. This is probably why most people stayed home tonight. But at 6:00 myself and three others headed out for the Coke Plant. Along for the ride was Jim Williams, Mick, and Alex. We were joined at the turnaround by Gary and soon we were on the trails headed for the water tower. We rode at a steady pace and after regrouping at the tank we headed for the power lines and then the "Messed up Trail". We rode over to the Hill of Doom and I almost made it to the top but my bar end came loose and I stopped just short of the top. We then headed for Double Death along the mud road and then we rode up the dry brook. I got up the first half of Double Death but I slipped on a rock at the dip in the trail and did not make it to the top of that either. Oh well, I guess I have to accept a little humble pie once in a while. After a rest we headed up the Secret Trail and down the streambed to Five Points. We decided to head out through the swamp and then over to the RT. 2 crossing and back to the shop. It was a great ride and the trails were in good shape.

Thursday 5/6: At 5:30 riders started to show up at the shop for tonight's road ride. The weather was cooperating, in as much as it wasn't raining, so we got ready to go under mostly cloudy skies. The threat of rain didn't deter many people as we had 31 riders sign up. We were scheduled to do 18.1 miles and the "fast group" would do about 10 more miles. MaryEllen's group was planning to do 12.5 miles as well. I led the group as we left the shop and headed for Bernardston Rd. in a long single file line. I rode up the hill at about 16 mph and the group soon sorted itself out as Joe, Matt, Putt Putt, and Dave M. took off as soon as I pulled overto let them through. I waited for Marty and John P. to catch up and I rode with them all the way to Mt. Hermon, where I turned around to ride back to the other group coming up. I saw a few people riding between my group and the following group and I waved as I passed. As I saw the main field approch I turned to get in with them. I rode for a while with Doug Dale (former owner of Peleton Sports) and we chatted as we cruised to the turn at Main Rd., where we marshaled the corner for the riders making the turn. We rode from there all the way down Main Rd. to the Gill-Montague bridge. By this time the group had strung out along the whole road and although I could see a bunch of people, most of them were out of sight. I rode across the bridge with Julie and then up the hill and back to the shop. I had a good ride and I was glad to see everyone made it back safely. We finished the night with refreshments provide by CTD, and soon everyone was headed for home.

Sunday 5/9: My Sunday morning road ride group picked up a couple of new members today as I was joined by Joe Porier and Doug Stephens as well as Jack Spanbauer. We left the shop at 9:00 for the Hillside Road 20 miler. It was a cloudy but dry ride as we rode the loop at 17 mph. We got to do some hill climbing drills as well as work on some ride positions as we made our way back to the shop. It was a real nice ride.
Our 5:00 ride on the Montague Plains was again dominated by the "Girls of Bete". It seems that they have so thorually intimidated Bob, Kevin, Steve and Ken that they once again "forgot" to show up. We decided not to wait and we headed out for the Telephone Pole trail in two groups. My bunch included Billy, Matt, Vinnie, Curt, Kris, and Scott. Behind me was CTD, Lynn, Donna, and Mick who decided to let us go ahead so that we would not be embarrassed by their skill and daring do. My group split up as Kris again slipped on the off camber part of the Telephone Pole trail and he and Scott and I decided to let the others go on. We then got to the top of the hill and headed for the Toilet Bowl trail and we were just about to take a left onto the Lost Trail when CTD and his crew caught us. At this point we decided to join them rather than waiting for them to catch us on the hill and face even worse humiliation. We decided to head over to Willis Hill and maybe put some hurt on the other riders, should they be foolish enough to let us find them. On the way over to Willis Hill, I directed the group onto the Sand Trail, where we practiced riding in soft soils. As we approached Red Rock, Lynn demonstrated her new climbing skills as she cleaned the three hills on the trail, to the cheers of the crowd at the top. After that, we continued all the way to the base of Willis Hill without incident, even though we almost got to see CTD take a dive in the mud puddle. He made a great save just before hitting the water and thus avoided a stinky walk home. (He rode over with me in the van, but he rides home on his bike if he dumps in the stinkwater.) We looked for Curt and his bunch, but they hid really well. Since we were unable to flush Curt out of his hiding spot, we then rode off toward the Red Rock. As we headed down the hill towards the rock I heard an "outta my way", and I ducked just in time, as Lynn took off at warp speed, knocking down anything or anyone in her way. It seems she had been holding back and since we were heading for the cars, she decided to let loose. I got to the Rock and after a minutes rest it was Donna who took over as trail boss. She took off down the trail behind me and rode straight across the small pond and then up the rock on the other side. From there on it was the Lynn and Donna tag team beating on the rest of us as we headed for the Brook Trail. After riding down the brook, Scott got his initiation at the pond, but he biffed near the end and he got to go swimming outdoors for the first time this year. After the swimming lesson we all headed back to the vehicles, where we enjoyed the usuall refreshments, as we awaited the return of Curt and his crew. In the end it was probably a good thing that the "Boys of Bete" stayed home, as they are all getting on in years and they might not be able to handle the pace that the girls set.

Tuesday 5/11: Along for the ride tonight was Matt Fuller, Miss May, Billy C., Pat Heider, Matt C., Gary, Jeff Roberts, Dave Fleming and me. We headed out for the ridge at a pretty good clip and soon we were out on the White Dot Trail which we followed to the parking lot at the base of Poet's Seat Tower. I had been able to stay with the group to this point and had made all the climbs without difficulty. After re-grouping we then crossed the street and began the trip down the ridge trail at a even higher pace. After chasing Matt C. and Patrick for a while I decided to back off the pace. When i got to the switchback turn the group was waiting for me, but May and Gary hadn't arrived so I sent the rest of the crew on ahead and I stayed back with May and Gary. We rode at a moderate pace over to Joe's Rock, all the while keeping some of the lead group in sight. As we began the climb to Joe's Rock, Gary headed for home, and May and I headed up the hill. We rode to the hill and walked to the top. We rode down to the road where everyone was waiting. From there we made the loop through the lower trails and then back up to the road. We then headed back to the shop on the Red Dot Trail. I rode at the back of the pack with Billy and May as we made our way along the lower trails. I sent most of the crew for a longer ride down the trails behind Stop&Shop, while May, Jeff and I took the left on the steep trail and back to the shop.

Wednesday 5/12: I did not get out to ride with Jay bird today as the shop was too busy, so I was looking forward to tonight's ride as a break from the hectic pace of the day. I was surprised to see Ken Heider, as he is usually not home during the week, and he Patrick, Jim Williams, Alex, Joe, Putt Putt, joined me for a trip over to the Coke Plant. We rode in a group on the trails behind Stop&Shop and over to the Industrial Park, but soon Ken, Jim and I dropped back as the rest of the crew climbed Luke Skywalker. We all met at the water tank and soon we headed off towards the Hill of Doom. I led the charge down the Chute and over to the hill, where I dropped behind Jim, and witnessed his first successful climb on the hill. We re-grouped at the top and soon we were headed off for Double Death. As we crossed the trail at Jacks Pond we encountered Kris Black and "Rapid Rod" Perez. We have not seen Rod out on the trails since the terrible accident last year left him with a shoulder injury and a couple of surgeries. Rod and Kris soon were cajoled into joining us and we all made the trip to Double Death together. I rode up to the top without difficulty and after everyone was there we headed up the Secret Trail to the water tank. We made the turn at the top and headed down Luke Skywalker. At the bottom of the trail we met Putt Putt who was fixing a flat. He was all set and said he would join us at Five Points. We said goodbye to Rod and Kris at Five Points and the rest of us headed back to the shop.

Thursday 5/13: Tonight was the largest group we have ever had come out for an event. Forty one people arrived for our Sunderland Sweep 25 mile ride. We left the shop at a moderate pace and soon my group was down to 6 riders as we crested the hill in Turners Falls. I led the bunch That included Joe, Matt, "Star" Walker and Brian Bucala and Marty as we headed out towards Millers Falls at about 19 mph. We turned onto RT. 63 and the speed went up to 25 mph and our number dropped to four as we cruised all the way to Bull Hill Rd in Sunderland. We rode along in a pace line and I only had to push the "Star" Dave Walker up one hill. When we got to Bull Hill, I led a 30 mph chase of a rider out in front of us. It turns out that the rider was a friend of Jumpin Jay McDonald. I asked him if the slacker was afraid of getting spanked by the "old man" and he mumbled something about Jay needing his rest. We rode down the hill and onto RT. 116 and then rode past RT. 47 where we bid adieu to our new riding companion. We headed across the Sunderland bridge and turned onto River Rd. At this point Matt and Joe got a gap on me and "Star", and soon they were out of sight. Dave and I continued on and soon we came upon some of the riders in the second group. We said hello to the riders as we passed, but we continued in our chase of Matt and Joe. At the Pine Nook Hill, Dave came off the back and I continued the chase on my own. I rode all the way down River Rd and turned north on RT.5&10 and then turned onto Washington St.   where I began my cool down by riding at 10 mph. I was joined by a rider whom I passed on River Rd., and we rode back to the shop together. My group rode 32 miles at an average of 22 mph. It was a great ride on a beautiful spring evening.

Saturday 5/15: I did not have a scheduled ride for today, but when Steve Daby showed up to get some sunglasses, he mentioned that he and Lori we heading out for a ride. Since I wanted to ride, I decided to join them for a MTB jaunt. I hitched a ride with them over to the Plains and we were met there by Dave Minor and soon we were on our way. I wanted to ride easy for an hour or so and Lori insisted that she was going to pace herself as well. Well after we got onto the Plains, Steve and Lori, opened a can of whup _ _ _  and I spent the next two hours chasing that duo around, getting totally beat in the process. After we got back Steve drove me to So. Deerfield where MaryEllen was waiting to revive me.

Sunday 5/16:Along for the road ride this morning at 9:00   was CTD, Jack, Nancy and myself. We rode at a steady 16 mph pace as we headed for Whately. We were treated to another beautiful day, with temperatures in the sixties. We made our way up Stillwater Road and then down to RT. 116. After we turned onto So. Mill Village Rd.  we rode  over to Reservoir Rd. and then to Whately center. We turned down Christian Lane and rode all the way to River Rd. and turned left. As we started to ride towards So. Deerfield Nancy and I got out ahead and we had to wait for CTD to catch up. It was just one of his ploys to get me to slow so that he could hammer me. Sure enough, as soon as he caught up, he and Nancy took off, and Jack and I spent the rest of the ride chasing them. We never caught them and once again I got snookered by the master.
    The "Family" ride tonight was the largest off-road event of this year. There was twenty-nine people ready to ride on the Montague Plains at 5:00. I loaded the van with about 15 bikes and enlisted the help of several people to get some of the kids over to Montague Center. We all met at the usual spot and I split the group into three. I sent Billy, Matt S. and eight of the kids off to do Willis Hill, while Ken and I took 15 riders and headed for our ultimate goal of Red Rock. I left CTD and Cathy to ride with the beginners and they were going to do as smaller loop out towards Red Rock. My bunch left right after Billy's group and soon we were all at the top of the Telephone Pole trail, with CTD's group following right behind. After a brief discussion the two Karen's decided to go with CTD, and the rest of us headed out for Willis Hill. Ken was leading as we made our way down the Toilet Bowl Trail and out to the power lines. It was "Rapid Rod" Perez and Kris that led our group past the "mixing bowl" and down the steep hill, through the stream and then up the hill to the field. I stayed back and rode with Lynn and Donna as we rode up the hill and across the field and toward the climb up Willis Hill. As we were about to enter the climb we saw Matt, Billy and their crew coming down, and we decided to let them pass. Just as we were about to start, Donna's husband Curt came flying by and said "hi hon" to Donna. Well, that really did it! The next thing I knew Donna was on the ground, writhing in pain. It seems that she fell on the sharp corner going up the hill, obviously distracted from her task by Curt. She got up and shook it off and soon we made our way to the top of the hill. We then rode down the other side of Willis Hill with "Donna the Hon" in the lead. She was on fire all the way down the hill. She showed Curt how to ride down a rocky trail as she flew over the trail effortlessly. From the bottom of the hill we rode the trails over to Craggy Hill where some of the group made several attempts to climb the hill. After much cheering and applause all of the crew made it to the top one way or the other and we continued on. We re-grouped at Red Rock and everyone decided to head back to the cars. Now during all this time that we were out riding, we did not see CTD or any tracks from his riders, so we assumed that he must have gone back earlier. Not! We waited and drank the refreshments CTD provided and ate the cookies made by Maxine. After all the soda and cookies were gone, someone noticed that CTD's group wasn't back yet and so Billy, Ken and I drove off in our trucks, to look for them. As we made the turn onto Main St. I saw CTD coming down the road and we turned around and went back to the center. It seems that CTD and his bunch had been out riding the whole time and just decided to take their time getting back. What are you going to do, I just can't keep him down!
hey Bob,
Thanks for another nice ride. We should have a prep crew sprinkle the Plains course with water prior to rides in order to keep the dust down! We had a good group today with Rocodile Matt definitely setting the pace. The younger kids were in over their heads though (except the little rocket Matt)--they were wobbling a lot and clogging the pack. Probably there was more potential for injury with them trying to keep up beyond their limits with the skilled and strong riders of that group. The big Matt did a nice job of leading the ride and was good about waiting for the kids. He endoed coming down one of the short,steep, and rocky downhills--probably a result of distraction, as he was yelling out for us to be careful. Rocodile Matt biffed coming off of a drop-off that required a sharp downhill turn in loose silt immediately after. Alex was his usual slow way the hell down on a climb or stop without warning self. Rocodile Matt and little Matt were attempting to climb a short, but almost unclimable little bluff--they each made several attempts; it would be interesting to see anyone be able to climb this particular section. Little Matt claimed the high water mark, getting pretty far up the bluff before stalling out. Yours truly spun out on several hills that I should easily have topped--trying to save energy rather than just burning it in the loose sections where the extra effort would have saved a dab. The younger kids were red-faced and working hard to stay up--without any whining. We had multiple encounters with crank deep mud bogs that sucked bikes and shoes into its depths--lots of brake pad and rim replacement business in the making.
(the above was submitted by Jeff Roberts)

Tuesday 5/18: I could not get out of the shop in time to make tonight's ride, so 9 people took off for a trip over to the Coke Plant. If I get a report of that ride I will post it.

Thursday 5/20: Tonight I was on my own as I did not have the capable services of Steve, Becky, Bob and Deb to help out. I selected the Main Rd. route that we did earlier this spring, because many people were familiar with it and I was confident that I could keep track of everyone. We had 36 people show up for this ride on yet another beautiful spring evening. We left the shop in small groups and made our way over to Bernardston Rd and began the climb up the hill. After a few minutes I was left in a group that included Miss May, Jack S. Nancy, Steve and Lori. We rode at an even pace into a very stiff wind all the way to Bernardston Rd, where we turned and go a tail wind to help us. By this time Steve, Lori and Dave Minor had hooked up and they pulled away from us. I rode with my little group as we made the turn onto Main Road and we started to catch some of the riders who had started earlier than I did. I left my group and rode up to Marsha and "inspired" her to catch Irene McDonald, which she did just before the hill at the Renaissance Center. I continued on and soon I happened onto CTD and the Daby's who were just starting up the last hill in Gill. Steve said that he was feeling sick so I stopped at the fire house and got him the use of the facilities. At that point I headed back down Main Rd to do a sweep. I rode back to the center and turned around, having not found any stragglers. I rode by myself back to the shop where everyone was accounted for. After some refreshments I closed the shop and headed home, another great ride. Come to think of it, aren't all rides great?

Friday 5/21: Today was my date to ride with the "Boys of Bete". This is the famous Friday "half day" ride, which none of the girls showed up for. I will have to find out how come later. Along for this epic was Ken, Kevin, Bob, Mark, Steve as well as Ken Burdick, Ed Jarvis, and Herb Forgey. I was elected to lead this ride and I told the riders to expect to do some climbing, but I think there are a couple of riders who will refine their understanding of the meaning of the word some after today. We left the parking lot at Bete in So. De and headed up RT. 116 to the forestry. We rode up the hill and re-grouped at the top of the hill where Kevin showed us how well he can touch his toes. ( Debbie will find this useful when she asks him to pick up his clothes on the floor.)  From there we rode up to Roaring Brook Rd. and then we re-grouped at the bottom of Antes Hill. Before we left I gave everyone the "bull" story so that when we got to the top of the hill there would not be any gripping about the "field sprint".  Well, everyone made it across the field and since the bull was elsewhere, we only got to sprint with the heifers. (Sounds like fun doesn't it?) We soon were at the fence on the other side and preparing to go over to the Conway Forrest. We rode down the "trail" to the bottom of Old Cricket Hill Rd. and re-grouped again. It was there that I reminded everyone that the climbing was about to begin. We rode up Old Cricket Hill and everyone got to feel what a really steep hill does to you. We got to the top of the first climb and we waited for Ed, Herb and Ken to arrive. At this point I mentioned to Herbie and Ken that things were going to get tougher from here, and if they wanted to turn around, now was the time. There was no turning back for anyone, so off we went with Kevin and Steve in the lead and I was following with Mark. About a half a mile into the forest, I mentioned to Mark that there might be a swamp ahead. Well, we arrived at the bottom of a small hill and I found Kevin looking across a small lake, so I asked him if there was a problem, and he said that he didn't need a bath. I gave him a shove and off we went to ride the first thirty feet and swim the rest of the quarter of a mile to the other side. Most of the other riders opted to walk across, and after we all dripped dry for a few minuets, soon we were on our way down a washed out jeep trail that was part road and part brook. It was here that I started to hear the inevitable "how many more hills are there?" from the group. We also got an introduction to the largest mesquitos on the east coast. Every time we stopped we got to feed them some more, and I swear that those suckers were as big as robins when we left. We finally made our way out to the Reservoir Rd after nearly four hours of riding. We then rode down to Whately Rd. where we had to stop and fix a flat on Steve's bike. After that we headed back to RT.116 and then back to Bete. Some of the riders stopped at Bob Underhill's house, but I had to take a rain check and get back to the shop. A good ride for all and with only one flat a very good showing for the equipment and the skill of the riders. Hopefully I will be invited back for another ride.

Sunday 5/23: I awoke to a cloudy morning with a prediction for rain, so I was unsure if we would get to ride today, but the sun came out at 8:30 and I was off to the shop to get ready. I got sidelined by a neighbor and I actually didn't get to the shop until 9:00, where I was greeted by Julie, Doug Stephens, Jack and Nancy. I got my new bike out and just as we were about to leave, Will Sigular came riding up on his new Cannondale and he turned to join us. Julie led the bunch as we made our way south on RT. 5&10 and then into the turn onto River Rd. As soon as we got onto the first hill Will sprinted to the top followed by Doug, Jack and Nancy. I stayed behind with Julie as that foursome pulled away from us and were not seen again until we got to the turn at RT. 116. After a brief rest we headed for Sunderland center where we turned left and headed north on RT. 47. This is where Julie and I lost contact with the others again. Julie and I turned onto River Rd. and rode north until we got to the washed out bridge, where we turned right onto Meadow Rd and rode to the intersection of Greenfield Rd where the others were waiting for us. We headed to Turners Falls Rd and from there we turned left onto Third St. After crossing the traffic lights we rode up Greenfield Rd and back to the shop. Since my new bike did not have a computer on it I did not get an average for the ride, but my guess is it would be something like 14 mph.

Tuesday 5/25: I was surprised by the number of people that showed up tonight, because of the cool temps and the recent rains that have left the trails somewhat mushy. Along for the ride was J.B.C., Miss May, Matt S., Matt C., Patrick, MPM, Dave M., Jeff R., Mick, Mike Clapp and myself. We rode from the shop to Gill Rd and across RT. 2 and then to the turn out at the Coke Plant. It was there that Matt and MPM showed everyone how to ride over a four foot diameter log. I know that I was impressed and certainly they made it look easy. After the show we headed to the trails. We rode up Luke Skywalker to the water tower and then we rode to Red Rock where we re-grouped. After a brief stop we rode down the chute and then to the Hill of Doom. I rode up it twice without any trouble. From there we rode down to the Mud Road and then out to the power lines and then over to the trails behind Stop&Shop. After that we rode up to the ridge trails, where I made it to the top and then blew it on the easy part of the slope. I was mad because I was so careless that I did not pay attention to the final part of the hill. We re-grouped at the turn and decided to ride the blue trail to the tower. Everyone did well on the way up to the tower, but several riders decided to try to to ride up the rock, and it was Miss May who came up short in her effort. She fell pretty hard and got banged up in the process. I, however, rode down to the Yellow Trail on the regular trail. We intended to finish up on the White Trail and then the Red Trail, but several of the riders took a wrong turn and when MPM, Pat, Miss May, Mick and I got to the Red Dot Trail we found no one else was there. Even though Miss May was hurting she decide to ride on with the rest of us as we searched for the other riders. We rode all the way down to the parking lot at Poet's Seat and waited to see if any of the others would show. While we were there we noticed the damage that the idiots from IMBA have done to the Red Dot Trail near the parking area. It seems that these morons cannot accept nature and they feel that by hacking new "trails" they have the answer to our needs. They do not!! Hopefully the organization will eventually go away and we will not have to deal with them any more. After some time, we headed down the Blue Trail and back to the shop where the rest of the group was waiting.

Wednesday 5/26: Tonight I decided to take another ride out to the Coke Plant. Along for the ride was Dave Minor, Alex, Matt C., Jeff Roberts, Patrick, Mick,  and myself. We rode out to the Trails at a leisurely pace and then we rode around the race course a a slightly higher tempo. We spent a hour and a half doing some hill work and generally riding the trails. We ran into Kris, Lynn and "Hot" Rod, as they were finishing up their ride. We rode with them for a while and then we headed back up to Double Death and then down Luke Skywalker to Five Points. We decide against riding through the swamp and instead we headed out across RT. 2 and then back to the shop.

Thursday 5/27: Tonight was the largest ride we have ever had. Forty six people showed up for the longest ride event we have ever done. Our plan was to ride down to Whately on some of the back roads and then return to the shop on RT. 5&10. We managed to keep a large group together as we made our way to Old Deerfield. As we rode down Mill Village Rd. the group started to splinter somewhat as we encountered a stiff headwind. I tried to keep an eye on the front as I rode in the middle of the group, but as I passed Bar-Way farm I noticed a group going straight instead of turning onto Stillwater Rd. I yelled to the bunch and soon they turned and re-joined us just as we made the approach to the hill. I rode to the top and sent the majority of the group ahead as I waited for the rest. We re-grouped at the four way stop and soon we were headed towards Rt. 116. There was a detour at the intersection and by the time I arrived the group had become disoriented and most of the original members had gone on different routes to avoid the detour. ( As we found out later, the detour was the result of MPM's unfortunate accident with an 18 wheeler. He was seriously injured and is still in the hospital.) I gathered a small group and we made our way down to Sawmill Plain Rd. Once we got going again we stayed on that road all the way to Whately center, where we turned and flew down the hill and across the intersection to River Rd. At that point the group splintered as some of the people made a run back to the shop at a pretty good clip. I stayed behind with Uncle Mic, Harold, and Deb Schilling and we rode back to the shop at a 17 mph average. When I got back I was pleased to find most everyone had made it back safely, although we almost got a search going for Irene McDonald who got lost at the detour, but she showed up just as I was preparing to go out looking for her. It was a great ride.

Friday 5/28: Today I led a ride on the Montague plains with the kids from Eaglebrook School. This ride had been rescheduled a couple of times because of weather and today was the last chance to do it before the kids go home for the summer. I enlisted the Heider's to help with some of the beginner riders as I was unsure how many staff people from the school I would have, All together there were twenty riders and we left the center of town in a group, As we climbed the Telephone Pole Trail we split into two groups. My bunch headed for the Toilet Bowl Trail and then out to the banked trails off the power lines. We were then going to meet up with Ken Heider's group and head for Willis Hill. After a fun rip up the trails we headed out to the power lines and over to where Ken and Cathy were waiting. We decided to do Craggy Hill and then head back to school, as time was getting short. We all made it to the top of the first hill and were regrouping when we heard Mr. Phillips ask "where's Dougan?". Almost simultaneously, a gasp of "oh no, not again", arose from the crowd. It seems that Mr. Dougan has a propensity for detaching himself from the group and for the group to then become "lost". I volunteered to go find Mr. Dougan and sent the rest of the group on toward the hill. It didn't take me long to retrace our path and I found Mr. Dougan waiting for me, just as he was instructed to do before we left on the ride. We headed out to the trails where I hoped to re-connect with the rest of the riders, but after a few minutes wait, we decided to head back to the van. Mr. Dougan and I were the first to arrive back and after a couple of minutes, I drove back to the trails to pick up any stragglers so that we could get back to school for pick-up time. After loading a few kids in the van at the base of the Telephone Pole Trail, I drove back to the center of town to load the rest of the bikes and head back to the school. Everyone seemed to have a good time and it was a perfect day for the ridding season to end on.

Sunday5/30: Our ride today was the memorial day 50 miler and was set to go at 11:00 in the morning. I was joined by Becky, Steve, Timster, Marsha, Joe P., Jeff Anderson, Jack and Nancy, Nate Shattuck, CTD, Maxine,  and MaryEllen. We left the shop in a large group and headed out at a 14 mph average as we made our way over to Turners Falls. We rode to the top of the hill at Crestview Mini-Mart and then down Montague Rd and we were all set to make some time when CTD flatted. I sent the group on to the cross road to wait while Joe and I helped get CTD going again. It only took a couple of minutes to fix him up and soon we were back with the others and on our way. During the time that we were working on CTD's bike, Maxine and MaryEllen passed us and we soon re-passed them  as we headed towards Sunderland. We rode at an even pace because I had the women ride in front. It seems that Nancy, Marsha and Becky have the ability to ride at a even pace and are less likely to speed up and slow down, which causes you to consume more of your energy. We rode down Meadow Rd. and then through Sunderland center, where we turned onto RT.116 and crossed into Deerfield. The pace quickened somewhat as someone of the men got to the front and soon we were strung out for quite a ways. After we crossed RT. 5&10 I rode to the front and slowed the pace a little so that everyone could get back "on" the group as we rode through Old Deerfield. As we neared the intersection with RT.5&10, I bunched everyone up and we crossed the road together in one big group. This is the way to get a large group of riders across intersections. We rode north to Greenfield, where we said goodbye to CTD, who went off in search of MaryEllen and Maxine. We headed over to Cheapside St. where Nate and Marsha peeled off, and then we continued to Gill, where Jack and Nancy left us. We slowed a bit as we made the climb on West Mountain Rd and the group started to splinter. Joe P., wasn't feeling good, so he decided to head for home as the rest of us continued on north into Vermont. Jeff was running low on water so we started to look for a site to re-supply. The nearest public water is at the base of Huckle Hill Rd. at the playground there, but by the time we got to the site Becky gave Jeff an extra bottle she had with her, negating the need to stop. We started to climb soon after we turned onto Huckle Hill and the group split up as the hill got steeper. I rode at the front with Tim and Steve, with Becky and Jeff following shortly behind. We descended the other side of the hill into Bernardston and turned onto RT. 10 then rode to the center of town, where Jeff stopped to get more water. As we turned onto RT. 5&10 Tim and I pulled away and we rode together back into Greenfield. As I was putting my bike away, Becky and Steve rode past my house on their way home, and we thanked each other for a great ride.

Monday 5/31: Today was the Memorial Day mountain bike ride. We met at the shop at 12:00 and I soon had my bike loaded and was ready to go. But my luck ran out and I had to load CTD and his gear into the van. It seems that he didn't want to drive all the way to Hawley, so he and Maxine hitched a ride with me. We made the trek to the fire house in the center of Hawley in about forty five minutes, and after unloading we waited for a few minutes for Dave Minor, Lori and Steve to arrive. They didn't, so CTD, Maxine, Patrick, Tommy, Ken, Cathy, Mick, Lyle, Marte and I headed out for the trails. We rode in a group to the first turn and then down the trail to the next road, but it was there that we split up and I took a bunch and headed for the bog, while Ken kept going on the trail. My group rode down the hill and then up to the trial to the bog. We started to go into the bog but we found that the beavers had been just a wee bit more productive this year than last, and the bog was in fact a huge impassable lake. We smartly turned around (this was not always the case in the past trips) and headed back to the trail that Ken took and we tried to catch up, but they were far too fast for us. We rode up the hill and across the mountain to the main road into the forest, and then we made our way back to the van, where CTD and Ken had already begun to feast on the goodies that Maxine had made. We hung out at the fire house and soon after we finished the refreshments, Dave and Steve showed up in a truck. They were late and had decided to ride all the way to the bottom of the hill where they left a truck. It was this truck that they used to travel back to the top and get the other vehicles.