November 2005 Ride Report Page           
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month November 2005 more or less as they happened. Please note that the ride reports are the results experienced by the writer and not necessarily a reflection of all the rides that went out on that particular day. We have rides for all abilities but I only publish the reports that I receive. This means that if no one from the beginner rides send me a report, then you will not see that ride listed here. I will publish any ride reports or digital photos that I receive. Editors notes are in pink. Please send them to  bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web! Go to the Ride Schedule link; You will find information about ride schedules and how the rides are run.

Tuesday 11/1: This is the first ride we have done after the time change and it is a real shock to have darkness at 5:00 in the afternoon when you are leaving work. I left the shop at 6:00 and headed over to Montague Center. It was a warm night for this time of year and we had a group of seven riders at the start. Joining me for the ride was Mark Newton, Chris Williams, Michelle, Curt, Steve Power, and MPM. We left the parking spot and headed for the trails. I led the way to the turn onto the Telephone Pole Trail and then Mark took over. Mark set a pretty fast pace and we rode all the way out to Old Northfield Road before stopping to re-group. After everyone arrived, I took a couple of photos and did a few minor adjustments to MPM's Ironhorse loaner bike (Azure Expert). After everyone was ready we were on our way. Mark and Chris led the group out to the Banked trails with me riding in third place. Everyone managed to stay with the group and we rode without stopping all the way to the brook on the Water Tank Trail. We all had to stop to get across the hay bales that are part of the construction that is being done. I think that if Hillside Plastics expands up the hill, we will lose this trail entirely, but for now we can enjoy the trail that we have. After getting across the brook we headed up the hill to the water tank. I rode behind Chris and Mark and we soon we at the fence awaiting the rest of the crew. Soon after we arrived, Curt came along and he told us that Mark Newton had broken his chain. Shortly after Curt arrived we could see Mark walking his bike up the hill to where we were standing. I quickly got to work on fixing his chain, but I was somewhat stymied by the poor fitting repair link that I had. After a few minutes of frustrating effort (with Curt taking photos) Michelle offered up a Whipperman link. This is a pretty expensive item, but it sure does work a lot better than the cheaper MasterLink options. After getting the Whipperman installed we were on our way again. We rode over to Willis Hill and took the trail in the woods to the top of the hill. From there we rode down through the Pine Forest and then up the hill on the Icy Brook Trail. I was one of the first onto the climb but I ended up dismounting when my rear wheel spun out on some leaves. After getting back on my bike, I rode through the swamp and up to the I-H Trail where we re-grouped. After a very brief stop we headed over to the new trail next to Red Rock. Mark Newton had to get back due to a commitment, so we rode down the hill to the Sand Pits and from there we headed out to the power lines. I led the group over to Brushy Way which we rode all the way to the Toilet Bowl Trail. We kept a pretty tight pace line along the way to the Banked Trails and from there we headed back to the common. It was a good ride and I hope this good weather lasts for a while.

I received this from Ed Ralicki today 11/3 about a ride he and his son Brice did at Lake Tahoe, Nevada :
Hi Bob
    Bikes I rented at $35 for the day were Specialized FSR. They have  4" travel front and rear with pro pedal + lockout front and rear. The bikes have disk brakes front and rear. We found the pro pedal to be very solid as long as you were seated even on a climb there was no need to use the lockout. Now all I need to do is find $2500.00 for the bike. The trails we rode on were pretty mellow and we never really got the chance to see what all that travel could really do, but I got the feeling it would be really awesome.

We rode on a trail called the Flume Trail at Lake Tahoe and the trail is at an elevation of 6200 FT. We started out at about 6600 FT and we climbed about 1200 FT along a fire road for about 6 miles. We then entered the Flume Trail, which is a narrow single track about 2000 FT above the lake. It is about 5 miles long and as you can see from the photos, the views were spectacular. After riding the Flume Trail, we then rode back to the starting point, which is one of the state parks near Lake Tahoe. The round trip was about 21 miles. The last two photos are Brice and his house.

Thursday 11/3: Tonight we headed down to Eaglebrook to do a ride on the ridge. MPM, Steve Daby, Mark Newton, Curt and I left the shop and headed down to the parking lot at the gym. It was a very mild night for early November with the temps in the lower sixties at 6:00 and not much wind. We got our gear together and we headed out for the trails. In addition to the five of us that drove down from the shop we had Liam, Rich Flye, Michelle, Shay (AKA Billy), Chris Williams and Dusty King. We headed off to ride up the hill to trails and very quickly the group got strung out on the dirt road past the Schwab Pool. As we rode down the road it was clear that Rich, Liam and a few others would be putting some distance on us, so Steve, MPM and I decided to take a shorter track. As we passed the trailhead for Mud Mile we could see the lights of the riders disappearing into the night and we were sure that we made the right choice. MPM, Steve and I rode down to the OTR Trial where we started the climb well ahead of the rest of the group. We rode at a steady pace for most of the way up the hill, stopping only when we rode through the mud hole. About half way up the hill I pulled away from MPM and Steve and I waited for them at the intersection of Bruiser. When they arrived we rode to the top of the climb together. When we got to Pine Nook Road we stopped to wait for the group and I took some photos of Mark and Steve. We waited a couple of minutes on the road and then MPM and Steve headed on to ride the DA XC Trail. I waited on Pine Nook Road for the rest of the group to arrive and when everyone arrived I led them down the road to the DA Trail. Well, sort of, it seems that I was going a little too fast on the downhill and I missed the turn onto the trail. After slamming on the brakes I managed to make the right hand turn but at that point I went from being first in line to being last. I rode up the hill behind Curt and made it all the way to the brook crossing where there was a few riders hiking around the stream. I rode across the brook and then headed up the trail a little distance where I paused to wait for the group to come along. When Billy arrived his handlebar light was pretty dim so I gave him my battery and then we were on our way. I rode up the hill ahead of Billy, Dusty and Curt and joined the rest of the riders waiting at the bottom of the Pinnacle Pass. After most of the riders headed up this very steep hill,  I got in line and followed them. I set a fairly mellow pace for myself and I managed to ride all the way up the hill to a point about 10 feet from the top, where I took a bad line and spun out on a root. I was a little disappointed about not making that last little bit of the hill, but that is the game after all. I rested for a few seconds before getting going again. I rode to the top of the hill with Billy and MPM and we joined the riders who were waiting for us on Red Rock. After everyone else had arrived I took some photos and then we were on our way again. We headed down the ridge with Liam and Rich leading the way. I rode along with Billy (his light was again pretty dim) and he used my light to see the trail ahead. We chatted a bit on the way down to the turn onto the Power Line Trail. When we got to the turn, Curt gave Billy his battery so that he could see on the way down this very steep downhill. Rich and Liam were the first to head down the hill and I followed them in about the middle of the pack. I passed some riders after I got down the initial descent and onto a little flatter part of the hill. When I got to the steepest section of this hill, which is out on the power lines, I was right behind Liam and he was really moving fast. I just followed him for a while and then I heard him say that he had very little brakes left. Liam was gaining on the riders ahead of him at a pretty good clip and I thought that he might have to bail before crashing into one of them. Mercifully, for Liam, the steepest part of the hill was almost over and he was able to slow down enough to make it to the bottom of the hill without hitting anyone. After we got to Steam Mill Road, Liam and I waited for the rest of the crew to join us. After everyone was accounted for we headed back to the gym parking lot via the hardtop road. I think everyone had a nice ride and it was fun to have a large group to ride with.

Saturday 11/5: It was an incredible day for early November. We had bright sunny skies with 75 degree temperatures and a brisk wind. It felt more like June than November! I had scheduled a ride for 1:00 and we had a good size group show up for the trip. The riders for the ride today were: MaryEllen, me, Karen Dowd, Kathy and Mike Jacques, Bad Bob, Doug Dale, Curt, Tom Terrific, Jim Hayssen, Michelle, Jon Russell and Tim. The shop wasn't that busy today, so I decided to do the ride. I had to scramble to get ready to go but we managed to get out on the road by 1:20 or so. MaryEllen went out on a ride to Gill with Bad Bob, Karen, Mike and Kathy while I left with the remaining riders to head for MT. Warner. Jon and I were only going to ride as far a Sunderland with the group and then we would be turning off to do the Sunderland Sweep ride. The rest of the riders would do the MT. Warner loop and maybe catch us on the way back. I led the riders down High Street and out to RT. 5&10. Once out on the highway I led the group over to River Road and after making the turn, I pulled off and went to the back of the pack. I rode along with Jon as we made our way over to the hills at a 22 mph pace. When we got to the downhill at the cemetery I found myself at the front with Doug. We sped to the bottom of the hill where I pulled off to go back and ride with Jon. When I looked back I could see that Jon was a distance off the back so I told the riders to continue on without us. I dropped back to Jon and took up the pace for him on the flatter section of road. When we got to the hill I pulled off and let Jon set the pace up the hill. As we neared the middle of the hill I spotted the back of the pack going over the top and that was the last we saw of them for today. Jon and I rode together down River Road and over to Sunderland. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and although the wind was rather brisk, it was not that bad considering how warm it was. After we turned onto RT. 47, Jon and I enjoyed a tailwind for most of the way into Montague. We chatted as we pedaled along Falls Road and pretty soon we were on the Ferry Road hill. Jon had to work pretty hard on the hill but all in all we made good time up it to Turners Falls Road. We turned left onto Turners Falls Road and rode all the way back to Millers Falls at a pretty good clip. When we got to Scotty's Store we rode down the Third Street Hill to the center of town. We crossed Ave A at the traffic lights and then took the Esleeck Hill route back to the shop. We ended the 24 mile ride with an 18.5 mph average. It was perfect day for a ride and I was glad that I had the opportunity to get out.

Sunday 11/6: It was a foggy, misty day with low clouds and fairly cool temperatures. I had planned a ride today at 1:00 and after the nice day we had yesterday I wasn't too sure that anyone would come out for a ride today. Well I was surprised to see that we had a large group of riders of all abilities show up for the ride. MaryEllen took a group of riders that included Bad Bob, Paul Billings, Karen Dowd, Kathy and Mike Jacques out for an 18 mile ride, while I went out on a 28 mile loop. Riding with me today was Steve Power, Don McCool, Dan Burrell, Michelle, Linda Chandler, Amber, Tom Graney, and Robert Burnett. After everyone got their bikes ready, we headed out. I led the group down Silver Street to Leyden Road. From Leyden Road we took and left to go down to the swimming area and then took another left at the end of Nash's Mill Road. I led the group down Colrain Road to So. Shelburne Road where we took a right. At this point we had lost Tom and Dan and with the large hill looming ahead of us, I decided to continue on without them. South Shelburne Road is a long steady uphill grind that gets pretty steep in places. It comes at a little over two miles into the ride, so there is not much of a warm-up before the big effort. I went to the back of the group and let Steve and Michelle set the pace. As we began the climb, the weather got a little more interesting. It started to mist heavily and the fog was a little thicker. I rode along behind Linda and Amber for most of the way up the hill. We rode at a steady 7 to 8 mph pace and were not too far behind the leaders when we got to the first crest on this hill. As we neared the town line for Shelburne, Linda sprinted ahead of Amber and myself and "took the sprint" (A trick she learned from Socks, no doubt!). We all had a good chuckle as we headed for the last climb of the hill. We rode along for a ways and we caught up with the main pack that was soft pedaling just ahead of us. At this point it was misting pretty good and the road was pretty wet. As we climbed the last part of the hill, I sprinted to the front of the group to warn the riders about the dangerous turn ahead. I told them to be very careful on the descent as there were several corners that could be slippery due to leaves and/or wet roadway. After the road advisory, I dropped back a few riders and was just behind Don McCool when he went over the crest of the hill. As he started to descend to the hairpin turn I could see that he was going too fast and was way too close to the inside of the corner. As soon as Don got to the apex of the corner, his rear wheel started to come around and soon he was on the deck. Don slid to the middle of the road and stopped just ahead of me. The riders ahead had heard him fall and they all turned around and we quickly got Don and his bike to the side of the road.  Here is the email I got from Don.
Subject: Better than a tattoo
Bob,
 Just in the improbable case that perhaps you might wonder about my post-tumble condition,  be assured that I'm fine.    Plus I now sport a splotch of pretty impressive colorations on my butt.   Now I just have to get back on the bike.
-Don
After we got Don checked out and I looked over the bike, we all got going down the hill to Zera Fiske Road. At this point I decided to take the Zera Fiske route rather than going out onto RT. 2. Taking this route made the trip a little shorter but I think that it was a safer choice. We all rode down Zera Fiske very carefully and when we got to Bardwells Ferry Road, I again warned the riders about the upcoming sharp corners and the very dangerous railroad tracks. These tracks are not bad to cross except for the fact that they are on a corner and at the bottom of a very steep downhill. Everyone used great caution going over the tracks and soon we were out on the Bardwells Ferry Bridge. We stopped on the bridge to let everyone catch up, before heading up the steep hill on the other side. I was the last one in line as we started to climb the hill and I was just about to the corner when I heard someone call out to me. It was Tom! Tom had left Dan back in Greenfield and chased us all the way to this point. I waited up for him and we rode together all the way to the farm at the top of the hill where the group had stopped to wait. After a brief stop we headed out to Conway. There was a few stops along the rest of the route to re-group and we all were together at the turn onto Lee Road in Deerfield. We rode down Lee Road to Mill Village and from there we took the usual route back to Greenfield. After we got onto RT. 5&10 the roadway was dry and the fog and mist had stopped. We road back to the shop at a brisk pace via the usual Hope Street route. Although it was a less than perfect day we had a good turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy the ride.

Sunday 11/6:  I had had high hopes--it had been dry for almost 5 days-the weatherman made an early call for a dry weekend--so I figured, one last run at Batchelor St--hopefully it's endemic, unending rocks and roots would be tacky enough for less-than-death-defying riding. But Sunday morning a heavy fog laden mist settled on the valley-dampening the stony singletrack of the Batch. Anyway-I had extended a fairly wide invitation to this ride-I realize it's a bit out of the way of most of our rides-but it's a regional classic (if not THE regional classic!)-so I had hoped that a fair number of local riders would make the Sunday afternoon trek for some quality riding. Joining me for the ride was Petersham Great Alf Berry (fresh off his 10 day Utah Mountain Biking Odyssey), The Messrs. Green (Matthew and Harold) and a fresh face-Shay (who as it turns out knows bachelor St. pretty well!). I was eager to lead this group of Stalwarts-this was Alf's first trip to the Batch-as a Petersham rider I knew he'd dig the quality singletrack, Matthew Green has been dying to get on this sort of trail and Harold Green had a score to settle with Batchelor St since his last visit (which he did with aplomb). We began with a climb up the old Roller Coaster trail--many folks prefer to end on this trail-but not me, I always think it makes sense to go up this way-stretch your legs on a less technical, but at times steep warm up with a great set of steep rollers at the top. Anyway we all made it up and over Roller Coaster without a problem--which is usually a good sign. From here we rode a wonderful new trail that by-passes the old power line washout. Again, everyone rode this trail without a hitch--though I could see that Harold was still trying to get his 'sea-legs' on this unfamiliar and comparatively challenging terrain. This gave me some pause--unbeknownst to them we were about to ride Jacob's Ladder-one of the most challenging-and most enjoyable trails in the Park. The plus side is that after this trail it would be an hour of smooth trail cruising before we started the hard stuff on the other side of the forest. Well, we set out on the ups, downs, rocks, drops and stunts of Jacob's ladder. From the Far side of the trail I watched as Alf came up quickly behind me with Matthew not too far behind. Shortly we saw Harold chugging along-apparently no worse for wear but a little frazzled as we hit the end of the trail.

As we stopped and rested for a minute or two I took a moment to assure Harold that we were about to ride a sequence of trails that would be far smoother, quicker, and less technical than the one that preceded it. And I was good to my word. We set off down Raptor (where along the way we stopped to socialize with some on-coming riders), then we rode the new trail from the bottom of the technical trail, down to Serpentine and out to the beaver dam bridges. I then led the gang up and down the IMBA Trail (one of the few trails actually built by IMBA in the whole Pioneer Valley!) which everyone greatly enjoyed whizzing down. From the end of this trail I meant to lead them up the upper access trail to technical trail to Serpent God--but, due to the heavy deforestation I lost my bearings and ended up retracing our steps back to the bridges. No Big deal-we rode the other end of serpentine. Once on the upper access rd it was time to tackle the tougher side of the Batch-we headed out making the climb up Far East-my intention was to head up FE, then ride the double track to high end of Missing persons (yeah mark-riding it in the easy direction) and then climbing up again and down twister. However, about 1/3 of the way up Far East, while following Alf up a loose climb, I noticed something wrong with my bike-I looked down expecting a stick in my gears only to find that my rear chainstay was cracked completely in half (Que Horror!). After some brief deliberation the obvious set in--my ride was over. I can fix a flat, a chain and a derailleur hanger-but broken frames lead to walks. Thankfully I wasn't too far from the cars at this point. After going over the map with Shay-he took the lead and led Matthew and Alf along the rocky wilds of Missing persons and Twister while Harold and I headed back to the cars. I wasn't too bummed actually-we had done a fair amount of riding and I knew the part was a warranty item (Bob made short work as always with the problem-Thanks Bob!). About 40 minutes later, Alf and crew showed up apparently pleased with the remainder of the ride. As well they should be--everyone rode really, really well-and Bachelor St.-especially when wet and covered with leaves-is pretty challenging. I enjoyed the ride a great deal (even with a frame break)-Although we all moved at different speeds at different times, we all regrouped at the end of each trail, with smiles aplenty. Nice ride boys.
El Presidenté,

Liam

Tuesday 11/8: Tonight I had planned a ride to the Montague Plains. I left the shop a little late after a last minute customer stopped by just as I was about to lock the doors. When I arrived at the parking spot there was a good sized group waiting for me. I quickly got my bike out of the van and after a couple of photos we were on our way. It was a cool (but not cold) evening and there was really not much wind as we headed out for the Telephone Pole Trail. Chris Williams was leading and myself, Harold and Matthew Green, Shea, Curt, Walters, Mark Newton and Dusty were following him. We rode to the fire pit and took a left that take us over to the Banked Trail. We rode at a steady pace over to the Toilet Bowl Trail where I took up the sweep position. I was riding along behind Dusty as we got onto the winding part of this trail. We were going along at a good clip behind the group and Dusty was taking the banked corners at speed, when all of a sudden I saw Dusty's rear wheel hop into the air. I braked hard and Dusty's rear wheel came down in the middle of the trail, right in front of me. Dusty was able to get control of the bike and soon we were back on the tail end of the pack. What had happened to Dusty was, he had hit a hidden tree stump on the top of one of the turns and that caused his rear wheel to bounce off the stump and veer to the left rather sharply. The fact that he was able to recover was an impressive bit of bike handling! After the group got out to the power lines we headed over to the steep (and yet un-named trail) that parallels Red Rock Trail. I knew that this would be a tough climb and I was prepared for it by going into the climb in last place. I haven't been feeling all that fresh lately and I knew that I would need to set my own pace if I wanted to make it up the hill. I actually did pretty well and ended up riding in the middle of the pack, until I slipped on some rocks and had to dismount. At that point I was running out of gas anyway so the short walk up to the top was not unwanted. At the top of the hill I gave instructions to Chris as the route. Now Chris has been up here as much as I have so I felt he could manage the trail. Well he and Matthew took off and they almost missed the turn, but I was right there and hollered to them and they made the turn. We took a swampy ride on the I-H trail to the Kiabuckus. I followed Chris and Matthew down to the swamp where they got hung up in the mud. I took a perfect line and was able to ride out of the mire well ahead of the rest of the crew. I rode down the hill on my Azure and then posted up at the turn. I waited as all the riders came down the hill and when the last few came along Walters was in the bunch. When Walters arrived he told me that he had crashed and broken his shifter. Sure enough the dang thing was busted. I made a quick alteration and we were back on the trail with Walters having only the little ring in the front. I rode with Walters and Dusty (who had waited to help with the repair) over to Willis Hill where we met up with the rest of the riders. Curt led us down the hill to the trails that lead us around the mud hole. After we got through the muddy section I took Walters and Dusty straight down the hill so that he would not have trouble on the longer loop out to the water tank. The rest of the group left us and we rode straight down the hill. Dusty got into a little "spot of bother" on the descent when he dropped into a deep rut. Dusty was able to stay upright and soon he and Walters were with me on the BPT Trail. We rode out to the Water Tank Trail where we joined with the rest of the riders and headed to Red Rock Trail. We rode over Red Rock and down to the sand pits where we re-grouped before heading out to Ramblers Road. There was a little "argy bargy" at the sandy section and many of the riders were walking their bikes. After everyone got going again we all rode over to the Telephone Pole trail and from there we rode down Turners Falls Road back to the center of town. It was a really nice ride and although there was some crashes and a mechanical we all enjoyed the ride on a chilly November night.

Thursday 11/10: Tonight we took a ride up on the Greenfield ridge. Joining me tonight was Liam, Shea, MPM, Rich Flye, Mark Newton, Steve Power, Steve Daby, Dusty King, Walters, Curt, and Michelle. I have not been feeling all that rested lately so I passed the baton to Liam and he led the group over to the trailhead. I ended up following the group over to the steep section of the first climb where I joined the majority of the riders in a nice walk up the hill. At the top of the hill I joined with Steve Daby and MPM and we headed up the trail to a rocky climb where Curt was taking some photos. Walters slipped on the rock just before he made it to the top so we all waited to make sure that he was OK. After Walters got going again we all headed to the Poet's Seat Tower where Steve Suggested that we take the White Dot Trail. We all headed down the steep hill where Walters crashed on the steep wet turn. I was right there and Walters was OK. He and I set off to catch up with the rest of the group. We caught up to them at the parking lot and we all then headed off to ride in Temple Woods. I rode with Steve Daby and Walters on the ride along the ridge and we met up with MPM and Dusty at the turn on the trail. As we rode down the hill on the Yellow Dot Trail I could see lights coming from behind me. It was Liam and his group who were gaining on me pretty quickly. When we got to Bears Den Road we re-grouped before heading down the hill to the power lines. Our group got split up with Steve Daby, Curt, Walters and myself taking the shortcut, while the rest of the riders went all the way to the power lines. After we turned onto the trail we encountered Tod Pleasant and his group of four riders. We said hello and continued on to the top of the hill on the power lines. When we got there we cheered (or jeered, I'm never sure which it is.) the riders who made it up the hill. After everyone made it up the hill one way or another we noticed that we were one rider short. It appears that Michelle had missed the turn at the power lines and had ridden off the course. MPM went down to see if he could find her. After a few minutes, MPM and Michelle came up the hill and we all then headed off down the trail. The group split up again with the majority of the riders going with MPM and me leaving a few hearty souls heading up Joe's Rock with Liam. my group rode over to Five Points where we waited for Liam and his trio of riders to arrive. After a quick head count we rode down the hill past MPM's house. After passing MPM's house we crossed over the NEMBA bridges to begin the climb up the hill to Bears Den Road. When we got to the last climb, Dusty was stopped on the side of the trial. He had found a flashing light and wondered if anyone of us had dropped it. No one had so we decided to head up the trail a little way to the Sachem's Head. As we paused to re-group MPM, Rich Flye and Liam made several attempts at climbing a very nasty hill. They did not make it but Curt was able to catch the whole thing on video. After a few minutes of bashing themselves MPM, Rich and Liam gave up and we decided to head back. With such a large group I felt it necessary to stay near the front of the pack as we rode over to the Yellow Dot Trail. I wanted to make sure that the leaders made the turn and then I hung out to wait for the rest of the group to come along. After the last rider passed me I headed up the hill to the Red Dot Trail. I followed Walters most of the way up to the top of the hill where we ran into Tod and his crew. Dusty asked Tod if any of his riders had lost a blinking light and sure enough, Tod's wife had dropped hers. We gave the light back and then headed on to the parking lot of Poet's Seat where the rest of the riders were waiting. At this point it was getting pretty late so we quickly got under way and headed down the Red Dot Trail. We rode at a steady pace and soon we were back out on the top of the hill overlooking the shop. It is a pretty nice view from up there and with the leaves gone we can see the entire town. We rode down the hill and back to the shop. Everyone really enjoyed the ride and with such nice weather it was a great event.

Saturday 11/12/05: It was a bright beautiful day today and there was a ride planned for 1:00. By 12:45 only Amber, Kathy and Patrick had showed up for the ride. It was a slow day at the shop so I got my gear and went out for a ride with Amber, while Patrick and Kathy went out on their own ride. Although it was fairly warm for November, I still wore my knickers and long sleeve jersey. We left the shop and headed down the hill to Turners Falls. We climbed the Third Street Hill (which is now newly paved and in great condition) and headed over to Millers Falls. It was a little windy on Millers Falls Road and I took the lead to block the wind for Amber. When we got to the hill into Millers Falls I noticed that the road was all ground up and we had to go pretty slowly down the hill. After we turned onto RT. 63 the pavement smoothed out we sped up and headed for Northfield. As we got into the hills, I had Amber ride at the front on the up hills and I took the lead on the descents. We rode over to RT. 10 in Northfield where we turned left and headed for Bernardston. When we got to RT. 91 I asked Amber which route she wanted to take back to the shop. She had a choice of RT. 5&10, Barton Road or Adams Road. Since she had never been on Adams Road she opted for that route. We rode down from Bernardston on the rough pavement to Greenfield where the road has been resurfaced and from the Greenfield town line we had a smooth ride back to the shop. We ended the ride with an 18mph average which was a good result for us.

11/13-Sunday at Wendell: Bringing all back home-I must confess-I got a little burnt out on Wendell be the early fall--Me, Mark and Harold were logging hour after hour of trail building time from January to late July, and we also rode our creations with equal enthusiasm. But, by early fall-well, I just needed to branch out again and sample the multitude of other fine rides in the region. I've been hitting Sugarloaf North/Stairmaster a bunch during the week--and the last few weekends I've opted for the rocky glory of Batchelor Street and the twisty forest goodness of Hawley over Wendell. But not this weekend-with what may be the last beautiful weekend of the year I felt the call of Wendell and put out an APB letting it be known that I would be at that Forrest this Sunday. Others too felt the call and responded. Joining me today at 1:00pm for the ride were Shay (who had never ridden Wendell before--what a treat!), Eric (astride his rather lovely IF full bling SS), Wendell local and shop favorite Jason Duncan, and two of Jason's talented riding buddies Pete and his wife Heather. All in all this was a great riding group-everyone was in good cheer and ready to roll. My plan was to ride the "Classic" Wendell loop-with some modifications--fairly similar to the Hero loop at the Harpoon ride.

We set out along the two XC trails that roughly Parallel Montague Rd all the way to Dirth rd. From here we took a leisurely spin over to the old Wickett pond trail (only the new one is off limits). I really love this trail--yeah it's very bony, rooty, punji-filled and rough--but the pond is pretty--and I just like putting my head down and gritting my way along these sort of trails. Everyone did well on this trail and so we pushed on quickly and decided to ride the maple Leaf Trail through the Laurel and up to the Nipmuck (instead of taking the Perry Farm/Saxton Br route). A few months ago, this little section of trail in the uphill direction was agonizing--but it's really setting in nicely again again-our group of relatively strong riders made it up to the Nipmuck trail in good order. Ah, the Nipmuck trail--due to leaf cover obscuring some of the line none of us could rip down this curvy gem like we usually would-but, heck, it's still a delight to ride in any condition--I'm pretty darn proud of this trail--and though it doesn't represent anywhere near the amount of work a the Hannah Swarton it's a universal crowd pleaser--if you don't like this trail-you don't like mountain biking!!! Ok, after regrouping at the Bottom of Baker Road we sent the SS Eric sailing off ahead on the climb why we waited for all members of our group. Soon we were all spinning hard up Baker Road.

Atop Baker Rd I lead the gang down the lower Hannah Swarton (switchbacks to the laurel) and then made the left on the Maple Leaf Trail (old race trail) and all the way over to Damon Camp rd--from here we climbed back up to the entrance for the upper Hannah Swarton Trail and were soon grinding along on the Technical Crowd Jewel of Franklin county!! Last week the entire trail was leaf-blown clean--though parts of it were still nice and clear--leaf cover was still pretty thick in some spots--but it rode great--mud-free, challenging--love it. Again Everyone made good time (even Heather who had made the classic wrong turn at Whale's Head--but recovered in good speed). At this point we lost or first member--Jason was time-crunched so he opted to ride up Damon Camp Rd and out of the Park--As always-It was great riding with Jason. The rest of the group rode down Davis rd to Jerusalem hill--and amidst some quiet grousing, I lead the group up Jerusalem hill (a rather steep, loose and gravelly fire road..it's a bit of a drag--but good fr soul). Eric did great on the Single speed her and the whole group moved quickly. On top of J-Hill I decided to lead the group up the trail to the lookouts to, well, the Lookouts! Again here we lost another member as Pete decided to head back to the car--he's a really solid rider, very fast and technically talented, but he had had enough Wendell for the day. So Heather, Eric, Shay and me made our way up to the lookouts, and upon getting there we hung out a while and took in the stunning bucolic view on this fine late fall day. Soon, it was time for the big roll out--which thanks to the great Mark Courtemanche is completely rideable! I love rolling on those rocks!. Back on Jerusalem hill or group would break up on last time--Heather and Eric decided to take the roads back to the cars while Shay and I made the last trail run on the lower Trail to the Lookouts--I always finish on this trail--it's a perfect ending with some fun steeps, rocks, the very challenging porcupine bridge, but all mostly down hill and you come out right at the lovely Ruggles pond. Shay dug it too--and why not--it had been a long ride on a great day. We all met up back at the cars and shared enthusiastic thoughts on biking and such. A great ride with great riders--you know-I've had quite a few of those lately.

Liam