Ritzhikes

Where: Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) When: 8/6/2019 With: Solo I'd seen the SNETT on maps, and heard about it from folks I knew. Then a friend ran it (and established the fastest known time). That got me thinking that a bike ride might be possible, and when the opportunity arose (a day with nothing planned, good weather), I went. Jane & Andy were still sleeping as I loaded my bike in the car and made the quick drive to the start. The SNETT is a former railroad bed , 22 miles long, and owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation. It passes through six towns, with the level of development varying from town to town. The first few miles were an easy riding packed stone dust path. It changed to a paved trail for a time, then went back to stone dust.  I passed folks from time to time, walking dogs or just walking, but generally had the path to myself. For the most part, the land surrounding the trail was all woods, with some remnants of...

Where: Sudbury River When: August 2, 2019 With: Solo My last recorded paddle up the Sudbury River was in 2003. Since then, I've looked over the side of the Mass Pike many times as I've driven over the river, and thought about when I'd get back on the water. Today, everything came together...good weather, good water level, no other plans. So I loaded up the boat and headed to the river. No problems getting to the launch site today. I parked the car, carried the kayak under the road bridge and along the riverbank until I found a good launch spot. I noticed one tree a bit upstream, but decided I'd be able to get under it so no need to put in any further along. In no time I was on the water and gliding along at a smooth, even pace. It was just about 10AM. It was easy going at first, following the meandering river upstream, my views obscured by the tall summer vegetation along both banks. The Sudbury "river" is really just a stream at this point in its cour...