Borderland - 12 miles

A perfect weather day-sunny, clear skies, no humidity, and just enough nip in the air to make you want to keep moving.  Gordon and I did some local trails in Borderland, where the trees were starting to color and the crisp air seemed to make everything surreally bright.  I pushed myself hard just to show off a little and was pleasantly surprised to see that a summer of riding has paid off in better power and stamina.  If a couch potato like me can do it so can you.   Next year there will be opportunity for you to join me on the pure water ride.  See you next year!  

Wahh_ahh_ahh - Wachusett! - 15 miles



A trip to Mount Wachusett turned out to be a showcase for alternative energy.  The sun-bathing windmills below totally dominated (and nearly ruined) the view from this overlook half way up.  And no, they weren't turning.  I'm sorry, wind power is not the answer!  (see excerpt below)

(...this letter written by Princeton Municipal Light Department's (PMLD) General Manager, Brian Allen, offers a candid assessment of the utility's two-turbine (3.0 MW) project. The turbines have failed to live up to expected production levels and has been plagued with technical problems. Rather than reducing rates for customers, the project lost $1.875 million and will continue to lose $600,000 yearly under current circumstances...)

 

On the drive up here, I passed by a solar farm off Route 70 in Lancaster, MA and hardly even noticed it although it is located right next to the road.  The solar farm produces 550 kilowatts, which is just about what all the municipal buildings in the town consumes.

 

 





Windmills Suning Themselves

Sunlight is everywhere, not just on high isolated ridges, where windmills are located.  Not every day is windy, but every day has at least some sunlight.

Oh, Yeah Solar is Everywhere!

 

"Rising above the surrounding forest to a height of 2006 feet, Mount Wachusett stands as a unique landmark within the central New England landscape. From the summit, a clear day reveals views of Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire, the Berkshires to the west, and the Boston skyline to the east.".

(from the mass.gov/dcr wachusett mt website)

Mr. Retro made it non-stop to the top.  Up the car road, then later a second ascent on a combination of unpaved and paved roads. 

On top of Wachusett

Barely visible due to my photography skills - a group of 5 or 6 birdwatchers were spotting broad winged hawks.  Good thing for the hawks the windmills weren't turning today.

The Mass Audubon site states "Wachusett Mountain has been documented as one of the premier hawk migration and observation sites in the Northeast."
 

Boston Skyline from Wachusett

Blue Hill - Sept 21, 2013 - 2 miles

Weather Station atop Blue Hill

Great Blue Hill in Milton, MA rises about 400 vertical feet above the surrounding countryside.  It's the highest point in the area.  An access road about a mile long reaches from Route 38 at the base to the weather station at the top. 

This morning I got up, grabbed my bike, tossed it into the back of the truck, and headed over to Blue Hill.  No breakfast-not even a sip of coffee.  I'd been planning this ride for some time, but somehow it never worked out-until today.  Yet I couldn't take long with a full day planned ahead. 

I was half-way to the top before I woke up.  Glancing over the ski slopes to civilization far below suddenly made me aware of the height I had been gaining.  Until then it was all through the woods which pretty much restricted the view to the surrounding trees.  It wasn't a clear day in general, so the view from the top was obscured by clouds and fog, but what a great feeling to ride non-stop to the top!