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Hi guys

This sounds like fun. Let's meet in at the location below around 9:20am. My cell is 508-472-7900 if you are lost or running late. I'll be wearing a blue jacket and have reddish hair.

MassBike Spins Presents: Tour de Grave

What: A MassBike trip to some of the Boston area's famous and lesser-known graveyards in honor of Halloween. Trip leaves at 9:30am in order to avoid the majority of ghosts, and will be about 18-20 miles and take about 4 hours. Steady rain cancels. Appropriate costumes are encouraged for this ride!

Where: We will meet at the Old Cambridge Burying Ground at the corner of Garden Street and Mass Ave in Harvard Square, and make stops at the following burying grounds and cemeteries: King's Chapel, Granary, Central, South End, Eliot, Evergreen, Market Street, and Cambridge.

At the end of the ride, we will get to explore Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Mt. Auburn does not allow bike riding. Bring a lock so you can leave your bike at the gate.

When: Saturday October 31, 2009 at 9:30AM

For more information contact Dick Bauer <dick.bauer@alum.mit.edu>

We will ride south from the north end of the path for abount an hour, stop for lunch at a restaurant, then head back. We did this before and found a nice place with a patio. Lots of nice scenery on this trail including ocean views, forested areas, and towns.

From I-95 North and South:
Take Route 195 East to Exit 4 for Riverside-Veterans Memorial Parkway. Continue on Veterans Memorial Pkwy. to the first bike path parking area approximately 1/2 mile on your right.

Please consider carpooling.

http://www.dot.state.ri.us/bikeri/areamaps.html

Length: 14.5 miles of paved bike path with connection to 3 miles of paved path in
Colt State Park in Bristol.

Grade: Predominately flat with one steep hill in East Providence. Path exposed to
Narragansett Bay on upper and lower stretches, making for occasional stiff head winds.

Trail condition: Good to average. This is the state's oldest major bike path. A long
section in Barrington was resurfaced in 2001. Narrower than most newer bike paths.

Special characteristics: This path provides a vision for all other bike paths in
Rhode Island, connecting five communities. Terrain is very diverse from city to urban
waterfront to bayfront to forested areas to neighborhoods and villages centers.

Natural attractions nearby: Boating and fishing in Narragansett Bay. Passive
recreation in Colt State Park. Wildlife viewing at Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Education Center in Bristol, with long boardwalk bisecting the path.

Historical attractions nearby: Historic homes and shopping districts in East
side of Providence, Warren center, Bristol.

How about a fun filled weekend getaway near North Conway NH ?!! For $35 you get a day pass at Attitash that gets you the alpine slide, mountain bike ride, waterslide, euro-bungy trampoline, scenic sky ride and climbing wall! The mountain biking is what I am really looking forward to. They take you and the bikes on the chairlift to the top of a trail so you just coast downhill over ramps and such. I saw it from above on the sky ride and it looked like a blast!

http://www.attitash.com/ticketprices.html

This event is listed on the Social Fun and Walking meetups, and I hope to get a nice sized group.

If you would like something calmer, there is a nearby hike to Arethusa Falls. This hike is an easy 2 hours and can be extended by going to Frankenstein Cliff. Other possibilities are horseback riding and canoe/kayaking. We can have a campfire there, too!

This event is listed on the Social Fun and Walking meetups, and I hope to get a nice sized group. We will be staying with our friends at Skidaddlers ski club for $20 a night each. Dormitory style with men and women in different sections, 2-4 people to a room. They have a fully equipped kitchen that we can use, complete with dishes etc, and a large living room with TV and dvd. Bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a towel. We will go to a restaurant for supper Sat night. Bring you own food or dine out, your choice.

Drive up Friday after work and return on Sunday. Please indicate in your rsvp comment if you need a ride or can offer one. Address and directions will be provided. The $40 for accomodations will be required a week in advance. More details to come.

The rail trail is right outside of Worcester - less than an hour's drive from Boston. There is a parking lot right near the rail trail. Please bring a hybrid or mountain bike.

The Mass Central Rail Trail is one short part of a hoped-for Waltham to Northampton trail. This part of the trail begins on the shore of the Wachusett Reservior in West Boylston, just south of the intersection of Thomas St and Rt 140. The rail trail connects directly to a collection of Holden trails that are pure off-road, grippy tires terrain. The two types of trail make this a fun and interesting ride. Afterward, if there's interest, we could head to Finder's Pub or Meola's in West Boylston for some ice cream.

The rail trail leads away from the reservoir alongside the Quinapoxet river, mostly under the forest canopy. The trail goes under I-190 and crosses the river. This trail is only about 3 miles long, with a stone dust or pea gravel surface. There are usually plenty of pedestrians to dodge.

At the end of the rail trail section, through the parking lot, we'll continue on the Town of Holden trails. These trails are dirt, with rough, rocky, and/or sandy surfaces, with some short but very steep inclines. You'll want stubby tires. The trails are mostly under the forest canopy, but there's some open areas. I've rarely met other people on these trails, other than an occasional mountain biker.

Plan on an hour to an hour and a half for the ride.

For a map of the trails, maintained by Wachusett Greenways, see their website, Wachusett Greenways Map

45 min to one hour ride from Ayer, then back. Easy pace with stops on the way. There is an ice cream place by the dam that is a good place to stop and head back from.

Meet in the parking lot at the beginning of the trail in Ayer at 2:00. Bring water and a snack.

This event is self-guided.

If you have a bike but don't have a way to carry it, ask for a bike lift on your rsvp. Someone may have spare room on their rack.

Carpooling is encouraged.

Ayer Center parking lot (60 paved spaces)
Take Rte. 2 east or west to exit 38B, then follow Route 111 north to Ayer Rotary. Go halfway around rotary to Rte. 2A. On Rte. 2A turn right after Ayer Center, take first right on Groton St. to trail parking lot on the right.

Here is a link to a map to the parking lot. You can even click on 'satelite' and see the lot.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=42.558296,-71.584532&spn=0.007112,0.014462&z=16&om=1&layer=t&msid=106557777299954496992.000001132fe44e132294b

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/nash.htm
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/images/nashCampMap.gif

The Nashua River Rail Trail is a former railroad right of way that travels 11 miles through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Dunstable. The trail offers a 10-foot wide paved surface for the entire length, and a five-foot wide gravel equestrian path for seven miles of the trail from Groton Center to the New Hampshire boarder in Dunstable. The entire trail is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, inline skaters, wheelchairs, and cross-country skiers.

The Nashua River Rail Trail travels along a varied landscape, offers numerous scenic overlooks, opportunities to see wildlife and has several resting stops. The trail is particularly attractive during fall foliage season. The Ayer trailhead offers access to commuter rail service between Boston and Fitchburg. See www.commute.com for bicycle guidelines.