On the Road Again
Round Lake to North Adams – 51 miles
Average Speed – 12.2
Nothing has been harder than leaving home to finish this tour. I reluctantly set out this morning using a route that MapQuest spit out. Surprisingly, the route was very bicycle friendly and took us through nearby roads that we had not previously explored. Being a bicycle-friendly route doesn’t mean that it was easy. We climbed over 2300 feet today, which isn’t bad for the first day back on the bike.
The high point (not in elevation, in fact, just the opposite) was Route 346, which skirts the infamous Petersborough climb up to Williamstown. We climbed quite a bit to reach 346, but it was so pleasant to stay in the valley and then follow the river to Williamstown. From Williamstown, it was a short ride over to North Adams.
The route traversed some fairly desolate areas and it wasn’t until just outside of Williamstown that we spotted the Chef’s Hat for second breakfast. It was already close to 1, but since we would be having dinner later with Nate and Stephanie, breakfast seemed like a good option.
After a leisurely breakfast, we did the remaining five miles to North Adams, where the rain started shortly after our arrival. The temps today where in the high 80’s, so the rain cooled the air a bit.
We hitched a ride up to the Whitcomb Summit where we are staying tonight. No way was I biking up a steep hairpin with a narrow shoulder. Tomorrow, we will have a downhill run, which I hope isn’t too steep. The weekend sightseers should be back to work making the roadway a little more comfortable for cycling. Route 2 probably isn’t the best option for cycling, but it beats the alternatives.
We met a couple at the Chef’s Hat who validated our choice of riding in Massachusetts rather than through Vermont. I am sick of hills. No matter how many I have climbed or how well I have climbed them, I am not at all fond of them and never will be converted to loving hills. I will take the boring flats over an obnoxious hill any time.
The road will be quite hilly tomorrow. I just remembered that I have done some bicycling around Fitchburg and that area. I think that I remember it for its hilly terrain.
At least, I was able to cycle it, but that was several years ago.
The countdown has begun. We only have four more days of cycling until we reach Portland. We will reach the Atlantic before Portland and could head straight to Boston, so maybe that would be adequate. Nah, there is a welcoming committee greeting us in Portland on Thursday at East End Beach.
If you are in the neighborhood, please join us for the festivities. We are anxious to celebrate.
I am happy that today’s ride was a nice ride and got me back into cycling mode.