Winter Blues Ride (1/16/10)

View Winter Blues Ride in a larger map


Distance: 50 miles
Difficulty: Medium
Sights: Castle Island, Great Blue

I reached a rotary and somewhere in those recesses of my mind, I remembered something.

I’ve been here before, but why?

Suddenly I remembered that there was a good sandwich shop, but I didn’t remember exactly from where and to where I would have been going to get to said sandwich shop. So I made an educated guesstimate of the way I should go.

It immediately seemed wrong. The road looked familiar but I was definitely heading the wrong way. Into the sun meant southwest, while I clearly wanted to go Northwest to get to Chestnut Hill.

Soon I reached the Harvard Vanguard and Bertucci’s on VFW Parkway. Crap. Sure enough, I had ridden the exact wrong way from JP to get to Newton.

So, I rode up VFW, since NOW I know how to get over to Newton

******

It was a nice warm day to go out, for the middle of January at least. I took my new ride – Baska Ostarije – out on its paces. From Central I rode down the river and over to Southie. After a slow peddling around Castle Island and then down the beach, I cruised through the mayhem of Upham’s Corner and then down the long straight run of Blue Hill Ave.

I made it to the Blue Hills. I have never climbed the access road on Great Blue and have always wanted to, so up I climbed to the Weather station. While it is no near the challenge of Akrokorinthos or the climb of my bike’s namesake, it’s a tough climb for the middle of January with virtually no miles on the legs yet.

After a brief rest atop Great Blue, I cruised back down and through the backroads of Canton/Hyde Park and back to Mattapan.

Then cycling through Roslindale and JP and the Arbs, I stopped by the co-op and picked up some snacks (and a box of Tim Tams for Andrew).

I figured, I’d make the reasonable quick jaunt over to Newtonville to give him som Tim Tams before heading home.

Alas, this is where I took a wrong turn in Albuquerque or Brookline.

*****

All, in all it was a pleasant ride that will probably make my routes list.

Tino Pai!

Jesse…