September 19, 2021
Cool And Clear
We had some ground to cover today so we were up and out early. We headed to Avon where I finished yesterday's ride. Today's goal was comprised of 3 parts. The first part was completing the Farmington Canal Trail and continuing into Massachusetts on the Southwick Multi-Use Trail. As I suggested in the title, it was a beautiful cloudless later summer morning and a bit on the chilly side in the upper 50's. As I headed out of Avon I kicked myself on leaving my riding jacket in the truck. Thankfully, it warmed up a bit. This 23 mile section ( 16 in CT and 7 in MA) was a treat. Even when riding next to roads, the trail was wooded and well screened.
As I entered Simsbury, CT, I missed a turn and found myself in a small parking area. As I road in a circle trying to locate the trail I saw this flowered bridge. I did not catch the name but it is maintained by a local garden club. Sometimes wrong turns really pay off.
Shortly after crossing into Massachusetts, I passed a large haying operation in full swing.
Just a mile or two later I met up with Laura who had ridden out from the parking area in Westfield, MA. We made quick work of the last couple of miles, loaded up the bikes and headed for the second part of today's adventure.
We headed further north to Northampton, MA where I planned to ride the 16 mile Central Massachusetts / Norwottuck Rail Trail that ran from the outskirts of Northampton and Belchertown. Just before the midpoint of this ride, the trail crosses over the Connecticut River.
While there is a large parking area at the bridge, trail traffic quickly dissipated and the trail remained beautiful all the way to the Belchertown trailhead.
You may have guessed what happen next...loaded the bike on the rack. We continued travelling north to Vermont. Vermont was not initially part of the 12 state tour but when NJ was eliminated due to Ida, VT was added. We arrived in Waitsville where we will spend the next two nights.
Tomorrow we head into Burlington to do one of our favorite rides.
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 120 miles (193 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |