Berkhsires round 4

[Crankin]

Deb, that is funny. I think we were probably still in the cafe at 4. We sat there a long time. It had rained much earlier in Otis, but it had stopped by the time we got to the Arcadian Shop.
I've always wanted to go in the October Mountain State Forest. I've driven by it a lot of times. Next time! We didn't get to do "the wall" on Tyringham Rd. this time, but that almost seems tame compared to what we did this weekend.

[bambu101]

I think I saw your group late on Saturday morning, as I was leaving the farmer's market in East Otis center. There were 2 couples, and one of the women was wearing sort of an olive green and black jersey.

As far as the gigantic hill that goes into Blandford Center on Route 23, that is a mile or so from my house, and I will never even attempt to ride up it, believe me! There are tons of huge hills around us, and I have walked up plenty of them in the last few years that I have been cycling. We ride regularly around Otis Reservoir, and it is especially quiet and beautiful in the fall after all the summer folks have gone home.

That hill is also lot of fun in an ice storm in the winter , and the state police close the road when it gets really bad, at least a few times every winter.

[Crankin]

Bambu, that probably was us; my friend was wearing a green and blue jersey. And it wasn't the hills on Rt. 23; that would have been our alternative, which I nixed, based on our ride on them into town in the car! This was a street called Old Blanford Rd and I think it might have been called Chester Rd. at one point. It starts off of Rt. 20. I should have had a hint when I was riding down Rt. 20 and looked to the right and saw a dirt street called Quarry Rd. It looked like it had about a 40% grade. I knew we were in trouble.
Can you ride completely around the reservoir on paved roads? I would like to do that maybe in the fall.
I was going to ride today, but it's been raining on and off and I have stuff to do. I guess it's a yoga day. We have our Mass Bike Tour in 2 weeks and I have to get set for 4 days in the saddle...

[bambu101]

OK- I know where you are talking about. I have been down part of Quarry Road from the other direction towards Route 20, and it is brutal. I had to walk back up most of the way. It is a real treat for me to go somewhere relatively flat for a bike ride, since there are so many hills around us!

You can only cycle about 3/4 of the way around Otis Reservoir, from East Otis Center to Camp Overflow, which I think is about 13 miles one way. After that, there is a lot of Tolland State Forest property and old logging roads, and lots of good mountain biking.

Wendy

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Crankin (Robyn) and I pooled our photos of their 50+ mile ride from Great Barrington to Chatham and back, and she asked me to post them all together. She and her husband are in the red jerseys, their two friends are in blue, and I am in the flower skirt. (They rode 50+ miles that day, I only rode down the hill to Ralph's and back!) The first picture gives a good view of the very pretty rolling countryside I get to ride in all the time.
There's one picture of them with RALPH from Ralph's Pretty Good Cafe (where I eat several times a week and always fuel up before my rides). I warned them not to irritate Ralph in any way or they might get thrown out, and they were very well behaved.
Lunch was fun and they are a great bunch of people!