Day 1, 97km (60mi)
Given my busy schedule, at least once per year I try to travel somewhere by bike and stay overnight. This year is different. First of all, we sold our car, which makes planning for any bike tour more difficult in my area. Usually, I would just put the bike in the car, drive somewhere far away from home, leave the car overnight and continue by bike. Thanks to a system of free Park&Ride lots nearly anywhere in New England, this approach worked very well for me in the past years.
Without a car it's just more complicated to get to some farther locations. Buses won't work and the only train that may help is the Amtrak Downeaster between Boston and Portland/Brunswick, ME. To keep things simple, I decided to simply start a tour from my front door. You would think that that's the most obvious solution, but it's also the least attractive one. It's because I just know my neighborhood too well already and it's just much more exciting to ride through the unknown.
First, I planned to reach Erving State Forest in Erving, MA. It's a good starting point to visit Green River, Greenfield, Deerfield, and even Southern Vermont or New Hampshire. Then, three days before the planned vacation my luck ran out. In the middle of this hot, dry summer we got a major thunderstorm in the west, which damaged many trees in the area. As such, shortly before my departure I got an email that the Erving State Forest campground would be closed for the remainder of the season. This news sort of broke my spirit and I had to change my plans in the last minute.
I decided to keep things simple, especially that weather was just not great and didn't inspire me to travel far. We were in the middle of a long heatwave, with temperatures reaching 36C (97F). I figured this was not a time when I would want to spend many hours on the bike climbing steep grades. Instead, I figured I would stay local and limit the number of kilometers/miles I would ride in one day. After a brief research, I picked Pearl Hill State Park in Townsend, MA as my overnight destination. Sure, stealth camping can be fun, but it's somewhat difficult to execute in more populated New England areas. Plus, for just $17 a night I got access to a very decent campground, hot showers and facilities.
Because it was only a quick trip I didn't have to pack much. I still took the full tent with me but almost no extra clothes, no cooking equipment and only some food. On the other hand, I packed a book to read later at the campground. You don't need much in the middle of summer for such short distance rides.
Another advantage of traveling not to far away is that I didn't have to wake up at dawn and start could delay my start until 8am. The day was hot. After the weeks-long heatwave I noticed many bogs and ponds to be completely dry. Despite the temperature I was making a decent progress, probably by taking an advantage of shade in the forested areas. I arrived at campground at around 3pm, stopping for a longer break at Parker Maple House on the NH side of the border.
Air was hot and heavy. Lack of breeze in the forest was especially problematic, as many people at the campground decided to start grilling and smoke was just sort of suspended in large clouds between trees, not finding its way up or being blown away by wind. I only wished I had 2 things with me: a hammock and cold beer. Unfortunately (or fortunately) alcoholic beverages were not allowed on the campground.
Day 2, 78km (48mi)
There was some rain at 4:30am and when I woke up at 6:15 air was noticeably cooler. I had an option to take a longer route home, going south through Fitchburg and Leominster, but decided against it. It sort of didn't make much sense. I already know visited this area before and would be just adding distance to my trip only for the sake of it. I decided to head back and by 7:15am I was back on road.
I took Old City Rd through forest, which was barely a road at all. More like a rough path between the trees. It was workable but tough and if weather was only more wet, the road would certainly be quite muddy in places.
I stopped briefly in Groton to resupply in water and some snacks. At this point the morning cool but humid air was mostly gone, and by 9-10am hot weather was back. I continued east and took Indian Hill Rd through forest. It's a nice double track and I will probably revisit it later in fall.
It didn't take me long to get back home and I arrived early afternoon. Now I'm thinking that next time I need to try maybe something a bit different. It would be fun to take my upright commuter bike for an summer bike tour, ride a flatter route to a B&B (no camping) and spend evenings in a hammock with a book and beer.
