Monday 10/11: It was another beautiful fall day and after I closed the shop I decided to go out for a road ride. I had called Curt to join me but he was busy and although Jorge had said that he would ride, he did not show up as usual. I left the shop at 5:30 and headed for the west side of town. As I rode down High Street, Alden Booth caught up with me and we chatted on the way down to Main Street. I pedaled at a 17 mph pace for the most part and after coasting down the hill to Munson Street I began the climb up to Upper Road. I was still feeling the effects of not having any sleep for three days so I was not going to hammer this ride. My plan was to do 25 miles but by the time I got to Stillwater Hill it was getting dark out so I revised my route. I rode up the hill and then out to RT. 116 where I took a left and headed down to RT. 5&10. I made the turn onto 5&10 and rode straight into a brisk headwind. I struggled to keep a 19mph pace on the flatter sections and when I got to the Wok Restaurant it was dark out. I had my flashers going and I kept a pretty good pace up on the run back to the shop, but it was a little sketchy in places. I finished the 22 mile ride with an average of 18mph, which considering how tired I was, is not too shabby.

Tuesday 10/12: Stephanie returns!! Yep, the Arizona transplant has come home for a few days and she stopped in to say hi this afternoon. I had told her that I would have a bike for her to ride and when got here I set her up on a used Fisher. Stephanie left for a while and then returned for our trip tonight. (I took some photos and they are on the photo link.) Joining Steph and me for the ride to the Coke Plant was Jack, Mark N., Michelle and Curt. We left the shop and headed over to the trails behind Stop&Shop. I rode at the back of the group and was able to ride without a light all the way to Canada Hill. As I came upon the last rocky uphill, Jack and Stephanie were standing on the side of the trail. As I approached they naturally looked at me and I was instantly blinded by their helmet lights. I hopped off my bike and walked to the top of the hill and turned on my headlights as well. We rode over to the highway where we crossed after a long wait for the cars to pass. We all then headed up to the truck turnout where there was some adjusting of batteries. It seems that the battery that I had given Stephanie had not been charged and the headlight was going dim. I had brought an extra battery for just that reason and we soon got Stephanie lit again. I led the group over to the Swamp Trail and just as we were about to go into the single track, Stephanie's light went out again. At this point, one of the other riders had another battery and soon Stephanie was aglow. We headed down the hill into the swamp, which was not too muddy, and pretty much everyone made it across on their bikes. We rode up the hill and using the "Bobtrack"™ system of navigation, we found our way over to the Cellar Hole Trail. Mark Newton led us from there over to the Ridge Trail where Jack took over and he led us up Luke. The trails are in great condition with a few twigs down here and there, but with constant use we should be able to keep them open for the fall riding season. We all rode to the water tank where we stopped for a brief rest and some photos. After the stop, I led the group over to the power lines and took the trail down to Red Rock. At the Red Rock we decided to do the Chute and the Hill of Doom. The Chute is still a pretty steep hill, but we have ridden and groomed it to the point that it is no longer the nail biter that it was a few years ago. I followed Mark down the hill to the top of the Chute where he picked up a stick and pulled off the trail. I led the group down the hill and over to the Hill of Doom. As I got to the bottom of the hill I hit a log that was hidden in the tall grass and I was promptly deposited onto the ground. It felt like I had been dropped off a building and I laid on the ground for a few seconds before getting up and shaking it off. I got back on my bike and then proceeded to ride up the hill. After that I was energized and soon I led the group over to the Streambed Trail which I climbed all the way to the top. After that it was all down hill. Literally!! We rode down the Secret Trail and then took the Cellar Hole Trail Back to the Lillian Street Trails. At this point we lost Jack and Michelle and after we crossed the highway we waited for a couple of minutes before they re-joined us for the ride back to the shop. Although I was a little banged up, it was a nice ride and it was great to have Stephanie back for another rip in the woods.

Wednesday 10/13: I invited Stephanie to join me today for a ride with the boys from Eaglebrook School on the Montague Plains. Since she wasn't busy she agreed to join me for the ride. We got to the school at 2:30 and began loading the boy's bikes into the van. It was quite a process as a seemingly endless line of boys arrived at the van to load their gear. We finally got everyone and their bikes loaded and we headed off to Montague. After unloading the bikes I took some photos and then we headed off for the trails. We rode at a modest pace with me leading and Mr. Landenberger doing the sweep duties. I took the boys all the way out to the Banked Trail where we waited for the slower riders to catch up. When everyone had arrived I headed out to get a spot along the trail so that I could get some more photos on the berms. The boys and Stephanie went flying by me and I took some good photos which are on the web page. (10/13) After everyone passed me I rode out to rejoin the group on the power lines. I had planned on a longer loop for today but our progress was not a far as I had hoped so I decided to ride up Willis Hill. The boys were really troopers, most of them had to walk at least a portion of the hill. I was first up the hill and I took some nice photos of the riders as they climbed. At the top of the hill we took a left and headed over to ride down Craggy Hill. I warned the boys that the hill was steep and had lots of loose rocks and gravel on it. I told them to be very careful and to ride down one at a time to lessen the chance of collision.  I had Stephanie wait at the top of the hill with instructions to make sure that there was a gap between riders. The first few riders down the hill scared the c--p out of me. They came flying down at full speed, totally out of control. Most of them did not have their feet on the pedals. I do not know how they made it. After most of the boys got down the hill I saw one of our shop jerseys pull out from behind a ride and I thought, "boy that is going to hurt"! It did. As I watched the rider took a nasty spill onto the rocks. I thought it was Weaver so I hollered up to see if he was OK. As the rider started to move I yelled "get up Weaver!" As it turned out, Weaver and Stephanie were wearing the same jersey and from the distance I could not see who had fallen. It was Stephanie. She was hurt pretty bad, but she managed to get down the hill under her own power. After that I decided to take the group back over Red Rock to the power lines. Along the way Converse got 2 flats, Weaver got one flat and Kencel crashed on the descent. Weaver had no pump and I had used all my CO2 and tubes on Converse, so I told Weaver to start walking and I would pick him up in the van. I raced back to the van an picked up Weaver and then loaded all the bikes into the van. Stephanie was smarting from her wounds so we dropped the bikes off at Eaglebrook and headed back to the shop. She cleaned up with soap and water that MaryEllen brought from home. I put a bandage on and soon Stephanie was on her way.

Sunday 10/17: It was a cool and cloudy day and I went over to the shop to pick up my gear at 9:35. When MaryEllen and I arrived at the shop Michelle Lombard and Thela where waiting for us and they followed us to Liam's. After getting people and gear into cars, we headed for Pittsfield. We arrived at the Arcadian Shop at 11:30 and quickly got our bikes ready to ride. MaryEllen and Betsey went out for a hike in Kennedy Park while the rest of us (Curt, Harold and Matthew Green, Snakeboy, Liam, Eric Malloy, Marks Newton and Courtemanche, Michelles Lombardo and Hurley, Thela, and me.) headed out on the trails on our bikes. The trails started down for a few feet and then we began the climb. The group got strung out on the park trails and when we stopped we had to wait a few minutes for Michelle L, and Thela to arrive. They are both new mountain bikers and the route was a little too much for them and after our first regrouping, they turned around and headed back to the parking lot. The group pretty much stayed together on some really fine single track that led us over several mountains in the region. I generally found the terrain challenging but for the most part doable. I ran my tires at 22 psi in the back and 30 psi in the and this helped me on most of the rocks and roots that were prevalent on the trails. The route we took had lots of switchbacks and twisted through the forest (I stayed on the trail for most; I mean, some of the route up the hill.) on a fairly steady climb. I has rained up here for the last few days and the wet roots were particularly tough to navigate in the tight turns. We stopped several times on the way up to the top of the hill for photos and rest. After we got to the top of the hill we were treated to some of the finest trails anywhere. We cruised down the hill and back to the shop. I must admit that it has been a while since I did a 3 1/2 hour ride and by the time I got back to the parking lot I was done. I put the photos on the web. It was a really fun ride and although Mark Newton got banged up on a rocky section, we all got back tired but in good shape. After the ride Liam suggested that we stop at a restaurant called 5 Chairs. The name must refer to the fact that they can only serve five chairs of customers. It took a while for the food to arrive but in the end it was a good meal (if you like Knockwurst) and after the meal we headed for home (Liam's home; so that we could drop off the bikes left in the van)

Sunday, October 17th
Mountain bike ride in the Berkshires, (Pittsfield) We were all at Liam's house at 10:00 to caravan West to Pittsfield. These trails were new to most of us, so we didn't know what to expect except that Liam promised us a nice 3 hour ride.

We made it back to the cars as the last of the blue skies were swallowed by clouds, happy to have snuck in one last before the rain settled in.

Thursday Oct 21: I pulled in (fashionably late-as Michelle pointed out) to Bob's shop around 6:05 to find Curt, Mark Newton, Michelle, Chris and our venerable, fearless leader Robert G. Perry (aka Biker Bob) gearing up and ready roll. This being the first truly cool night ride, everyone had their more wintry gear with them-myself included...somehow, since last year, I've lost my imperviousness to the cold. We all left the shop and headed to the trails behind the Stop and Shop-the standard precursor to a Coke Plant ride. I hadn't ridden the Coke plant since December 2003-and I was apprehensive fearing prodigious, gear and chain clogging mud. I ended up leading the troops through the stop and shop trails-problem is, I can never remember the route-thankfully Bob has marked the trail with blue paint and Mark Newton guided me through. From here we crossed the roads and headed off to the Swamp trail, which was, yep, swampy. I in fact got stopped dead in about two feet of water-but after a murky entrance, the trail proved be reasonably rideable and not as muddy as I would have thought-the leaves made a nice buffer between my tires and the slime below! We then decided to ascend Luke (my least favorite Coke plant trail) but, once on top I was glad we made the grinding slog up Luke. We regrouped at the water tower and headed off to red rock. Though red rock was bedecked with large pools of standing water-it's still a ripping good run. I followed Mark Newton's tire through the tricky parts and could feel Bob pushing hard right behind me (btw, Since about the middle of the Lenox Ride-Bob has returned to his hard riding mountain form-should be a good winter season!). After regrouping again, we all followed Mr. Newton (displaying his 1st law of motion that objects in motion tend to stay in motion-until acted upon by an opposing force) down the chute. Man, the chute is a pretty slippery, sustained steep decent...I'd forgotten about it. We then picked our way over to the hill o' doom along the recently cleared trails by Michele...oops, never mind. I followed Mr. Newton again up the Hill O' Doom. From here the gang rode over to and up stream bed turning off on what I think is deer run (but I'm probably wrong here). Soon we were at the Top of Luke's and Secret Trail. WE dropped down secret trail ( a real nice, twisty single track...best trail at the Plant if you ask me) and up Stinger and back along the wall/swamp trail. However, about midway Bob decided to reenact Stanley's epic discover of Dr. Livingston amidst the African bush-so we bushwhacked our way through a damp, nasty thicket...in the dark...after which, we rode back out of the woods and back to shop. All in all a great ride with a real nice group of regulars. I really like the Coke plant. It's not very big, or even that epic or challenging, but there's something about the way all those trails and swampy hills string together, the variety, the familiarity and the company that make it kind of special. It's perfect for the quick, night time shop group ride. In fact, when coupled with the very handy Greenfield Rocky Ridge, I'd have to say that Bob's shop couldn't be better located for these sort of rides. Two cool things also came out of this ride. There's a growing movement to host some local mountain bike races. A winter Freeze and burn race at the Plains (cool, huh) and a summertime race at the Coke Plant-which I think would be a perfect venue for a race.
Till next time-don't fall!
In this world there are two types of men; those with loaded guns and those who dig. So dig.

Tuesday 10/26: I left the shop at 6:00, right behind Curt, Mark N., and Norm, to head over to Montague Center. When I arrived there was just the four of us and so we got ready and headed out for the trails. I led the group over to the fields and then up the hill on the Telephone Pole Trail. It was a perfect night to ride with now wind and cool temps we were all comfortable after the warm-up climb to the fire pit. To make it even better, there was a full moon and with no clouds we could almost ride without lights (in fact Mark did ride with out lights near the end of the ride). I kept the pace pretty brisk and we pedaled right past the fire pit and headed to the Toilet Bowl Trail. We continued on to the power lines where we stopped to take a couple of photos. The photo was not of the best quality but I am learning. After the photo shoot we headed for Laura's trail and out to the Banked Trail. We decided to try the "new" trail next to Red Rock. We rode up and over Red Rock and when we got to the sand pit we turned right to head up the "new" trail. The trail is pretty leaf covered and I had to stop about half way up when I hit a hidden rock. I ended up walking to the top, not because of the trail, but because I was out of gas. At the top of the hill we headed for the swamp, where we had to stop to remove a fallen tree on the trail. After we got going again we headed over to Willis Hill. The trails that we rode on were surprisingly dry and in good condition, aside from the fallen branches and leaves. I would have thought that all the rain we have had recently would have left the route soggy, but apparently the ground water level is still pretty low and the ground sucks up any rainfall. After a shaky descent down Willis Hill, I led the boys down the left side of the trail and over to the water tank where I took some more photos. I an still trying to learn how to use my new camera, so some of the pictures came out pretty bad. After taking the photos, I led the group down the hill to the bridge, which I walked across because of the numerous holes and weak spots in the deck. (I am going to get a piece of plywood to put on that bridge so that we can ride over it) After getting back on my bike I led the group over the hill and back out onto Willis Hill Road. Mark and Curt took over the lead at this point and we headed along the double track road to Plains Road. At this point we rode straight across the plains to the power lines where Curt took a photo of the group. After the pictures we headed back along Brushy Way to the Toilet Bowl Trail and then we headed back to the cars. Although it was a small ride we all had a good time.

Wednesday 10/27: Today I went out for another ride with the Eaglebrook kids. We had 13 boys on the ride and I can tell you they are a handful. After parking the vehicles on the power lines at Old Northfield Road , we headed to the Telephone Pole Trail which we followed to the Fire Pit. From there we took the Toilet Bowl Trail to Brushy Way where we encountered that pyromaniac Parrott, who was trying to burn down our favorite trails. Fortunately he was having little luck and after nearly chocking on the smoke from the smoldering fire that Parrott and his little buddies were trying to light, we headed over to Red Rock. (Don't despair parents; Parrott actually works for the forest service, and they are just building a fire break.) After a few harassing words from me to Parrott, I led the kids over to Red Rock. We stopped to re-group at the turn and when everyone was ready we headed for the "new" trail. I rode at the front and was able to ride all the way to the top. It is much easier to see the rocks and sticks during the daylight! When all the kids got to the top of the hill we rode down to the swamp and then took the trail across the field to Willis Hill, where I easily managed to ride down the steep hill. Again, much easier to do in daylight! At this point it was getting late so I had the kids ride down the hill to the BPT trail and then over to the Banked Trails. Once we got onto the Banked Trails, the kids surged ahead and rode out to the power lines and back to the vehicles. It was a nice ride on a perfect fall day. The kids seemed to enjoy being out on new trails and the clear skies, warm temperatures and no wind made it that much better. You can see photos of the kids on our web page at: Eaglebrook 10/27

10/29 The Deerfield Ridge. These are the nights that remind me that there is nothing in this fine federated union that compares to a New England fall. The Air this evening was cool and crisp but still and peacefully quiet, clean and invigorating. The sky was equally clear, the moon and stars at full luminescence. Ten of us met at the Eaglebrook Gym parking area-this was the first time I rode from this new starting point-truthfully, I miss the field on Keats rd, but the law is the law I suppose. Let's see, there was Bob, Michelle, Curt, Mark Newton, Hammerhead, Jay ( an eager newbie to the night riding scene), Dave, Chris, Me (Liam), and Walter (yea! I hadn't ridden with Walter since we rode in the Berks during the early summer)-a nice, sizeable group. We began heading up the dirt rd to the mud mile, whizzed down the mud mile (its leafiness mitigated its usually muddiness-cool!)-Michelle, mark and Chris took the leads on the descent. We rode through the field to Keats rd and up to the crystal cave trail. Bob had split off with some of the riders and would meet us at the end of Crystal cave trail. I led the way up C. Cave, but due to some drivetrain slippage spun out on the last climb (Darn!), we all made good time and rejoined with Bob and the others in Good order. From here we divided again the bulk of the group taking Bob's trail up to Over the hills and through the woods-planning on meeting bob at the lookout. Except for two precarious mud-stream crossings we again all made the climbs up to the ski area. I decided to lead the troops through the ski area and up the old singletrack trail that parallels the fire road...however, the powers that be at Eaglebrook have tree-blocked the trail requiring a dismount (sorry guys)-none the less, we soon joined Bob at the Cellular Tower lookout. We stayed longer than usual taking in the gloriously sublime view on this fine, cool Autumn night-We were all feeling good and rugged. The call of the trail led us to reluctantly abandon this starry vista and soon we were ripping down the Pocumtuck trail again. And then we hit the first blockade-Goddamn those Urkel's! Once again, Deerfield's favorite curmudgeons had barricaded the Pocumtuck with fallen trees aplenty (but thankfully no barb wire-another Urkel favorite...yeesh!). However, this road blocks proved only a momentary delay, we all stopped atop the descent that parallels the west side power lines. Bob took the initial lead (without his helmet which, along with his light he had generously given to Jay...Bob rules for his kindness-but no one can condone this glaring disregard for biking safety-think of the kids, Bob! ; ) ) about midway down Mark Newton flashed his old-school biking talents, ripped up the descent and passed everyone-pretty good stuff! At last we were all on the dirt rd that leads back to Eaglebrook-though the going was cold, we all kept ramping up the speed-We made it back to the cars gasping with delighted exhaustion. WE waited for Bob and the others, chatted excitedly a while and went home to warm dinners. Doesn't get much better than this-welcome to the heart and soul of New England's fall nights, baby
Till next time, Don't Fall.
In this world there are two types of men; those with loaded guns and those who dig. So dig.

Sunday 10/31: Today we had our annual Halloween ride. Instead of the usual MTB ride at night that we have done for the last 10 years, we decided to try something different. This year I planned a road ride for 1:00 in the afternoon on a new course. I got over to the shop just as the riders started to arrive. I was soon busy with last minute adjustments to a few bikes as well getting myself ready. I was busy with bike stuff when MaryEllen arrived with some of the post ride party stuff. I helped set up the table for the food and then headed out to the parking lot. There was much discussion on what to wear; it was 58 degrees under cloudy skies and a slight wind so many of the riders decided to wear tights and long sleeves. I went out with shorts and long sleeves and felt like I would be fine. We had 18 riders on hand and we split up into three groups. MaryE, Penny and Jen went out for the 25 mile ride while Brenda Mangles, Megan Gump, Mike S., Mike Williams and Rick McCullough went out on the 35 mile loop. After those riders left I headed out with the remaining 10 riders. I rode down High Street with Jay Gump, Socks, Jamie, Flying Brian, Harold and Matt Green, Michelle, Will Kraham and Keith Streeter. We had a brisk headwind going down to Deerfield and so I stayed on the front for only a brief time to save myself for the hills ahead. When we got to Old Main Street in Deerfield, we formed a double pace line which we used all the way to the hill on Mill Village Road. After the hill we were single file down to the center of South Deerfield. At this point the group headed south on Sugarloaf Street to the traffic light on RT. 116. I timed the light at RT. 116 so that I would not have to unclip and by so doing I was first across the intersection. This of course sparked a sprint from Socks, who thought that I was going for the town line. I was not; and he soon found himself alone, quite a ways ahead of us. We caught up to him just as we made the turn onto Christian Lane. At this point we were near the beginning of the climbs and so the group was a little restrained. We crossed RT. 5&10 and started the climb and the group soon got pretty strung out on the first hill. I stayed at the back of the bunch just in case the riders up ahead did not slow down, but they did and we all made the turn at the Whatley Inn together. The next hill was a little harder and some riders got tailed off early. Socks dropped his chain right near the beginning of the climb and so he and Jamie were well behind when I crested the top of the hill with Will. I told Will to continue on and that I would drop back and get Jamie and Socks. Just as I headed for the back, Jay dropped as well and at this point I asked him if he could go back and pace Jamie and Socks back into the group. He agreed and I then took off to catch up with the other riders ahead. I rode along with Matt as he was falling off the back on the really steep part of the hill. I tried to get him back on but the main pack just kept pulling further ahead. Keith had stopped on the side of the road and I told him to wait for Jay, Jamie and Socks and catch up with us. As Matt and I pedaled along we were soon overtaken by Jay and Socks, who went blasting by us. They quickly caught up to the pack, but Matt was unable to hook on so we were left behind. Matt and I kept a steady pace knowing that Jamie and Keith were still behind us. As we neared RT. 9, Matt and I got stopped by a state cop for blocking the road. It seems that the officer saw Matt too far into the roadway and he warned us not to do it again. After getting onto Rt. 9 we saw the other riders on the side of the road so we stopped to wait for Keith and Jamie. When we were all together we then headed out for the long climb on Williamsburg Road. I stayed in the middle of the pack on the first part of the hill but I dropped back to last few riders to help pull them up the hill. When we got near the top I took off and hammered over the top and down to the turn onto 116 where Will was waiting. Michelle and Jay were riding back up the climb as I rode down and they waited for the last rider before turning around and riding back down the hill to join us. When Matt, Jay and Michelle came along they just pedaled through the turn and the rest of us jumped in and headed down the hill to Conway. As we got going downhill, I went to the front to do my traditional yell at Grandma Thibault's house. There is a long story behind this activity and I will not bore you with the details. After passing Grandma's house I dropped back into the pack and we all rolled into Conway together. I stayed in the group all the way to the hill out of Conway center but as we began the climb out of town I found myself at the front of the group. I just kept on going up the hill with Jay, Will and Michelle in front of me, knowing that everyone behind me would be fine getting back to the shop on their own. After I crested the top of the hill, I pedaled down the other side, past Michelle and soon I was with Jay and Will speeding to the turn onto Lee Road. After the turn the three of us continued on together back to the shop. When I got back to the shop MaryEllen  was waiting with Megan. MaryEllen called in a pizza order and I hurried with the last minute preparations for the feast. The remaining 7 riders came in shortly after MaryEllen left to go get the pizza. As soon as the pizza arrived, the riders dove in and we mostly consumed three large pies. All the leftover pie went home with Jamie to feed to the chickens. Can you say pepperoni eggs? It was a great ride and I will use this course next summer for a long ride in June. I hope that we will get some more riders to turn out for the winter rides as they are really fun and keep you warm twice.