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Two Nancy's, two Tim's and two Alan's - do you recognize them?
It was a beautiful sunny day, albeit a bit chilly and windy, as ten TOHG members met at the Bedford Depot to bike to Alewife, Cambridge. The Minuteman is probably the most popular bike trail in Massachusetts in terms of use. It’s a paved, 10 mile trail which winds through business parks, a horse farm, downtown Lexington and Arlington and past Spy Pond before ending at Alewife. Lots of activity today with joggers, walkers and bicyclists all sharing the trail. We broke our ride at about the halfway point for coffee in Arlington on our return. Interestingly our group opted to stay indoors rather than enjoy coffee al fresco. I think we needed a break from the chill and wind!
Alan U
Eighteen TOHG hikers visited the former estate of The Sedgewicks at Long Hill in Beverly. We walked around the grounds which were decorated with hundreds of pumpkins and various “spooky” characters for their Halloween event. We also visited the gardens and trees which surrounded the mansion and then walked around the property through the woods. After three days of the nor’easter, we had a sunny warm day in which to enjoy the early fall.
After the hike, twelve of us had a great lunch at the Farm Bar and Grill in Essex.
Neal S
Stephanie O
The weather so far this month has been even marvelous and it did not disappoint for this ride. Nine TOHG members met at the trailhead near downtown Mansfield. We began by riding past several neighborhoods before wheeling through wooded areas. Mansfield Airport brushed up against the trail as we eased from a paved surface to a short gravel part of the trail. The mystery is why this short portion of the trail has not been paved. Continuing on we ended our ride in Norton about 7 miles from our start. Reversing direction we headed back but stopped at Mansfield Airport’s diner for coffee and lunch with the hope of watching some air traffic.
All in all it was a perfect day!
Autumn was starting to show its true colours as nine TOHG members met in Winchendon to ride about 14 miles round trip on the North Central Pathway.
We began our ride in an old commercial part of town with old mill buildings and long vacant commercial buildings alongside Whitney Pond. The paved trail is flat and “railroad-straight” as it passes a small parking lot with a large bicycle sculpture. It continues on past bogs, woods and streams and with clear, bright and sunny skies it made for a beautiful autumnal day.
Four members of the Hub Mystery Group gathered for a fascinating tour of the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham, MA. The Museum is in the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill (the original Building 1 was built in 1814) adjacent to the Charles River. The Francis Cabot Lowell Mill was the first industrial mill in the U.S. with revolutionary water-powered textile machines that incorporated carding, spinning, and weaving, as well as a machine shop and foundry. The Waltham mill operations became the model for nearly all later mill buildings in New England and across the U.S. The Waltham mill also had a specially crafted Paul Revere bell in the bell tower (with a history that the first two cracked, but the third one remained intact and is on display at the Museum).
The Museum was incorporated in 1980 and officially opened its doors in 1988. The Museum also houses a collection of tools and inventions that shaped U.S. technical and business innovations from the industrial revolution to the present, as well as artifacts and the history of the making of Waltham Watches.
Our tour guide, Nick, a high school intern, enthralled and fully engaged us with his in-depth knowledge of the history, workings of the mills, and stories of the "Mill Girls", the female workers who were pioneers in the role of women in industrial America.
The very informative and enjoyable morning tour was followed by a tasty lunch with lively conversation at a nearby Waltham restaurant called In A Pickle.
Nancy B
The West Mystery Group toured the Harvard Art Museum (formerly known as the Fogg Museum) where we saw many spectacular works of art aswell as the latest exhibit, “Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black.”
We walked across Harvard Yard and had lunch outside at an iconic Harvard Square “old favorite” since 1971—Grendel’s Den.
The first day of Autumn was celebrated by new TOHG Members Glenn and Lillian with Hy and Sandy, Dana and Ride Leader, Dick. These pedal warriors did a 16 mile bike ride through some of the 3,526 acres of Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA including the Whitney Spur Rail Trail. Wompatuck stretches through the towns of Hingham, Cohasset, Norwell, and Scituate. Stops were made for scenic views, the Aaron River Reservoir, Mount Blue Spring and J J's Ice Cream on Rte. 3A in Cohasset. The weather was sunny and brisk and a great time was had by all.
Dick R
Nine members of the North 128 group met at Clay Dreaming Pottery in Beverly to create fun pottery items (which will be fired in their kilns). Then eight of us enjoyed a lunch at A&B Burgers. Linda S
We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day as 6 Gang members biked from Stoneham, through Woburn and into Winchester before continuing on to Upper Mystic Lake Dam with the hope of seeing a bald eagle as we have on past rides. Unfortunately that was not to be.
Instead we stopped in downtown Winchester for coffee and bagels, a welcome stop on the return. Perhaps our next ride will include an eagle sighting.
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