Good things must end to make space for new ones

This year is almost over - there are only a few hours of 2018 left. But before that will happen, I had a chance to go for one more quick bike ride. I somehow don't enjoy winter riding that much, especially not when winter is this warm, rainy and free of snow. It might be the gloomy weather, cloudy skies, muddy trails or perhaps just all of it together.

Nevertheless, I wanted to revisit an old place nearby - Wharton Plantation in Groton. I always had lots of fun riding there in summer mostly because the trails were not just some ordinary sandy paths in the forest, but at least a part of them are a bit challenging with some steep and rocky sections.

Anyway, once I got to the trailhead I didn't even recognize the place. It turns out that my favorite trail area underwent a massive timber harvesting operation earlier this year and the trail I wanted to use looks now like a muddy battleground.

I had no choice but to keep going hoping that not everything got permanently destroyed by lumberjacks. A bit further down the Dan Parker Rd the situation didn't look any better so I decided to turn right onto a more remote path leading east. This proved to be a good choice, not counting a couple of severely flooded spots. I guess the advantage of winter riding is that most of these places were still frozen solid. Crossing these places in summer could be much more difficult.

Next I reached Blood Rd (Geez, what a name!) and then Whispering Brook Rd (That sounds way better). I continued south along the former railway (Red Line Path) to then turn right and go back west coming back to Old Dunstable Rd.

It was a very short ride since it was getting dark so I decided to head back. I felt sad that some of my favorite hidden gems like Wharton Plantation are disappearing. I have never seen anyone on a bike over there and now I don't even know if I bother to visit this place again. The muddy, wide service road certainly doesn't have the same feeling as the old, narrow, rocky Dan Parker Rd had.

I guess some good things must end to make space for new ones. Hopefully, 2019 will take me to new, unexplored places.