November 2002 Ride Report Page

Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month November 2002 more or less as they happened. I will publish any ride reports that I receive. Please send them to  bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web!

Tuesday 11/5: Tonight's ride was the Pocumtuck Ridge loop. I left the shop with Rich Flye and we met up with Homer and PJW at the parking spot. This is one of our favorite rides and we haven't done it in quite a while. It was a fairly nice evening and we headed up the Mud Mile to begin the ride. Rich and I rode ahead and Michelle and PJW followed us. When we got to the top of the MM, PJW said that she was not feeling well and she turned around to head back to the car. After PJW left the three of us headed out to do the Bruiser Trail. We climbed up to Pine Nook Road and from there we headed up to the Tower Road. When Rich and I got to the Four Corners we waited for Homer and after a brief rest we headed off to do the DA ski trails (AKA: Over the River and Through the Woods). We rode down to the end of the Trail and then we headed back up Pine Nook Road to Phillips Trail. This is a fairly new trail and not one that we usually do, but we decided to give it a try. The trail is kind of hard to follow and we rode off trail a couple of times due to the heavy leaf cover. When we got to the end of the trail we took the Refrigerator Trail down to the Pool Road and took a right. We then took the Sandy Road to another new trail that brought us back to the Mud Mile. When we got back to the cars we loaded the bikes and headed for home.

Thursday 11/7: I got a call yesterday from Ed Ralicki and he said that he and Ken Burdick would like to do the Pocumtuck ridge. I told him that even though I rode there on Tuesday, I would do it again as there are so many trails up there, that I could do a different loop. Ed and Homer met me at the shop, but Ken and a few others did not make it so we headed down to the parking spot at 6:00. When we arrived we were joined by Jack, Liam, and Chris Koh. It was a really cold night with the temps at 30 degrees or so when we arrived, so I put on my heavy tights and my Euro-Therm jacket. After everyone was ready we headed out for the trails. I led the group up the new trail off the Mud Mile. The trail goes uphill right from the start and the group strung out right away. I rode to the end of the trail with Liam and Ed and we waited there for the rest of the group to arrive. It was very cold so we did not linger very long before heading out to ride up Bruiser. I kept a steady pace right behind Liam and we waited at Pine Nook Road for the rest of the gang to arrive. After everyone arrived we headed out to ride the ORTW trail. We did the loop from the bottom of the hill and followed the trail up to the tower road. The trail was somewhat slippery due to the wet leaves and the abundant acorns that made for many dismounts on the steeper slopes. After we got to the road we headed up the hill to ride the ridge line trail. We made very good time up the hill and soon we were at the trail down the west side of the mountain. I warned everyone to be careful as they headed down the steeper sections of this trail, as the drop-off is 30 feet in places, and the leaves make it even more difficult. I followed Liam and Ed down the first section and I came upon them as they were removing a large log that had fallen across the trail. Good thing the were watching as that would have sent you flying if you hit it. After the trail was cleared we all headed down the hill to the dirt road which took back to Pine Nook Road. We road up the hard top road to the Pool Road where we headed down the Mud Mile and back to the cars. All in all it was a great ride on a crystal clear night.

Thursday 11/14: After getting rained out on Tuesday, we were blessed with a fairly warm evening and I led a group that included Homer, PJW and Jack for a ride up to the Rocky Ridge. We kept the pace mellow with Jack and I leading the way up the hill to the Red Dot Trail. We rode down the Red Dot Trail to the parking lot at Poet's Seat where Jack and I waited for the girls to arrive. We waited at the lot for a couple of minutes to let everyone catch their breath before continuing on. We rode across the road to Temple Woods where we took the Red Dot Trail all the way to Bears Den Road. After waiting at the turn for a couple of minutes we all headed down to the power lines and then over to the Green Trail that goes by MPM's house. Jack and I stopped a couple of times to let the group get back together, but for the most part we kept a fairly steady pace. PJW did a great job of keeping up the pace after not feeling well and not riding for a week. We rode back up the hill to the ridge which we followed all the way back to the parking lot. The trails were somewhat slippery with wet leaves but we found the traction to be mostly very good. After we got to the parking lot PJW decided to take the road back to the shop, leaving the three of us to head back on the trail. I led the way down the White Dot Trail and I waited at the end of the trail for Homer and Jack, before we headed back down the hill to the shop. It was a nice to get back out on these trails again as the are so nice and convenient for us.

Friday 11/15: It was 65 degrees today so I got my work done early and then I headed out to do a road ride. I left the shop at 2:00 for a 25 mile trip to Sunderland and back. I rode over to Montague where I hooked up with Rich Doherty on Greenfield Road. Rich and I rode together down to Meadow Road and we had a nice chat as we rolled along the scenic byway. I kept the pace at a steady 18 mph into a fairly brisk headwind with Rich and I taking turns pulling. We rode down Falls Road to RT. 47 and then we took a right and rode to Sunderland center where he continued on south and I turned onto RT. 116. I rode by myself through So. Deerfield and then out to RT. 5&10 where I turned to head home. I got a nice boost from a brisk tailwind all the way back to Greenfield and I made the trip in no time at all. I ended the 27 miles with a 19.5 mph average.

Tuesday 11/19: I did not plan to ride tonight due to the prediction for rain and sure enough it started to rain at 6:00. It has been a pretty rainy fall and most of our rides have been canceled. I hope that we will get back on track soon.

Thursday 11/21: Tonight I planned a trip to the Montague Plains for our group. It was raining at the shop when Rich Flye and MPM showed up, but they wanted to ride so I got ready and we left for Montague. It stopped raining as we drove over to the center of town and when we arrived we were met there by PJW, Homer, Mark C., and Jack. With the snow that fell on Tuesday night still on the ground,  we decided to ride the road over to the Telephone Pole Trail, rather than risk an attempt to ride across the bridge in the meadow. I followed MPM up the hill to the firepit where we stopped to await the arrival of the rest of the crew. After a brief pause we headed out to ride Parrot's Trail where we encountered a fair amount of snow still on the trail. MPM and I rode at the front of the group and we made it out to the Banked Trails where we waited for the rest of the riders to arrive. At this point we decided to make a loop out to Willis Hill and then decide which way to go over the hill. We found the trails to be wet and slippery so when we got to the BPT Trail we decided to take the BPT Trail instead of trying to ride up the rocks to the top of Wills Hill. We made good time down the BPT and after touching the tree we headed over to Red Rock. I rode up the hill behind MPM and Rich to the Swamp Trail where we stopped briefly to await the others. When all had arrived we rode up the Swamp Trail. I followed MPM and Rich up the hill and I warned the riders about the fallen logs across the trail. I didn't think that the riders would be able to get over the logs because of the snow and slippery leaves. After we started down the hill I noticed that Rich was bunny hopping some smaller logs and I was prepared to be really impressed by him jumping over that log. But, as he drew near to the log, Rich skidded on the leaves and crashed off the trail. I slowed down and asked Rich if he was OK and he said that he was fine and that he would be along shortly. Rich joined us at the bottom of the hill, where we all waited for the girls to arrive. After a few minutes had passed and we couldn't see the lights from the girl's head lamps, I thought that they must have had a flat or some mechanical problem, but shortly after that we saw lights coming down the hill. When PJW and Homer arrived, we found out that PJW had lost one of her contact lenses and was having a hard time seeing the trail. It was really foggy at this point and so I offered to lead PJW down the hill, and let the rest of the group go on ahead. Homer said that she would do the honors, so she and PJW turned around to head back to the sand pit. I then took the boys over to the Kiabuckus Trail and followed MPM up the incline. We did not get too far before we found ourselves walking due to many fallen trees and very slippery leaves. We walked up the hill to the top where we remounted and then rode all the way down to the sandpit. As we neared the end of the sandpit Mark said that he had a flat, so I sent Rich on ahead to wait with the girls and I went back with MPM to help with the repair. We struggled to get the tire off the rim, but eventually we got it, and soon we had a new tube in. After we re-installed the wheel, the three of us mounted up to head over to the rest of the group. I hadn't ridden 20 yards when I heard a bang, it was Mark's tube popping. It seems that when we checked the tire for glass we didn't see that the side wall was torn which allowed the tube to poke through the hole and pop. At this point Mark was all done, so he started to hike it back to his house, which was about a mile or so away. After Mark left, the rest of the group followed me out to the power lines where we turned to head back to cars. As we got to the power lines, it started to rain and we quickened our pace as we headed back to the Telephone Pole Trail. I was riding behind Rich as we headed down the last hill and Rich said that he almost rode off the edge of this trail on one of his rides last year and how he was able to save himself from going over at the last moment. As he was finishing up the story, I was astonished to see him go flying over the edge and crash down the hill. I was going pretty fast myself and after I got to firmer ground I hollered over to Rich to see if he was OK. He said that he would be alright and so I headed out to let MPM know what happened. Soon after I arrived at the road the rest of the group came down the hill and we all headed back to the center of town in the pouring rain.

Sunday 11/24: Today was a work bee/ride scheduled for 1:00. I met Homer, Norman, MPM and Mark C., at the shop and we drove out to the camp. once we got into the parking area we got the tools out of the cars and loaded up our bikes for the trip out to the trails. MPM was the pack-mule and he carried in the McLeod tool as well as some rakes while the rest of us carried in some hand tools. We rode over to the downhill section that we needed to upgrade and then we spit into two groups. I worked with the two Marks while Homer and Norman started on a new section of trail that will connect to the Ridge Trail.