Day 6. Ware, MA to Northampton (28 mi.)

("Cliff Notes" Version:  On our final day of cycling before a 2 week hiatus, we achieved our goal for this first week of getting close to the Berkshire Mountains of western Mass. Highlights included: the Norwottuck Rail Trail & the surprise audit at days end).

We wanted to get one more day of cycling in before taking our planned 2 week break. If it wasn't for the hot/humid conditions expected for Friday, we would have paused for today to give our bodies a bit more recuperation from yesterdays' hill climbing. But the lure of cycling today with temps in the low 80's and moderate humidity pushed us forward.


Ava was "chipper" this morning, as her day sounded like a lot of fun. After dropping us off at Ware, she organized to meet up with a few of her favorite people. Leah & Matt live in Northampton, where our day of cycling was planned to finish. And Elizabeth's cousin Lynne lives out in nearby Longmeadow. So an afternoon of lunching & shopping was soon on Ava's "radar screen" (or more literally....her iPhone screen!).

Elizabeth & I set off from Ware just after noontime and in the first 10 miles went up and down a series of about 4 hills, on quiet off-highway side roads dotted with mostly "neat-as-a-pin" country homes and gardens.
We stopped on a bridge to take the photo below, Elizabeth noted how the water was quiet, almost stagnant. Then we turned a corner and noticed the parking lot sign identifying this as the "Swift River"! (maybe in a different season?).

Kayaking on the (so-called) Swift River

 Soon, we turned onto a busier route where the road shoulder narrowed, and began tackling the slow incline up to our lunchtime target....Belchertown. (As I rode, I was mentally focused on recalling all the great "burping" jokes I heard as a kid, so as to regale the locals at lunch. However, I later came to my senses, realizing that the residents are probably sick to death of all jokes associated with the embarrassing name of their pretty little town). We arrived at the wrong time....just before the 2 pm start of their Thursday "Farmers Market" on the town common, and also just before the best breakfast/lunch bakery in town closed their doors for the day at 2 pm. So we adjourned to the Irish Pub at the far end of the common and (for once) relished the slow table service, as it gave us a chance to soak up the air-conditioning.

Farmers Market, Belchertown, Mass.

 Belchertown shares that great New England tradition of having a Town Green or Town Common bang smack in the middle of town. Theirs is particularly grand...wide and long, and bordered on all four sides by roadway and lines of shops and homes. In the center of the common were several smart, well-kept monuments to various wars.

Civil War Memorial, Belchertown

Memorial to more recent conflicts

Our mission after lunch was to locate the beginning of the Norwottuck Rail Trail at the northwestern tip of Burpville (see, I just can't help myself....). We were eagerly looking forward to it, since Rail Trails are free from road traffic and always have moderate grades (to accommodate the limited climbing capabilities of trains). We were amazed that there were (literally) no road signs to steer us to this very popular spot. After bragging earlier in the day that we had not gotten lost, and had not needed to re-trace our path at any time this week, I overshot the turnoff. Fortunately, I realized my mistake quickly when the "Town Line - Amherst" sign came into view. So, after consulting the GPS and map, we retraced about 1/2 mile of road and wound our way down to the well-hidden trailhead.

Norwottuck Trail marker

Wetlands area adjacent to trail

This trail traces a 10 mile arc from Belchertown up to Amherst and then back down to the western bank of the Connecticut River in Northampton....ideal for our constant trek west. The trail has much to offer....frequent side trails so walkers can access swampy nature havens, a variety of natural scenery, heavy shade for cool summer cycling and ready access to civilization if needed (we stopped for a drink and an ice cream at one point). However the trail needs better sign-posting at both ends and sorely needs repaving in some spots where the asphalt has become corrugated.

Speaking of repaving...a curious design choice was to mix crushed up bottle-glass INTO the asphalt mix. Visually it is appealing....the surface glistens as if it has a carpet of diamonds spread on it. However, the glass breaks free of the asphalt over time, and lies loosely on the surface. The glass can cut into bicycle tires (flats are apparently quite common!) and I'd hate to come off my bike and land on that carpet of cut glass! (We think they've carried this recycling thing a little too far in this case!).

After phoning Ava to meet us at the end of the trail, we ended up 'overshooting' her due to the poor signposting. There was nothing to indicate that the end of the trail was reached. We kept on following bicycle signs that led us into the hustle, bustle of Northampton streets. Where would we be without cell-phones?

Ava was summoned to the local Taco Bell parking lot and appeared minutes later with (Elizabeth's cousin) Lynne in our van. Lynne lavished praise on our blog posts and told me how funny they were (I'm not sure how to take that....). But then the REAL truth came out....she said that she taggged along with Ava to verify that this trip was "real" and not some online confection I had been cooking up from the cool comfort of my basement office! (That idea had never even crossed my mind....though it suggests an interesting fallback plan if we don't quite make it all the way to Chicago!!).

Auditor Lynne, Cyclist Elizabeth, Trip Manager Ava

 Anyway, blog followers, I am proud to say that we have passed this Truth Audit with flying colors. I will post Lynne's full personal details soon, in case you, too, have lingering doubts and wish to verify with Lynne that Elizabeth and I are, in fact, piling up the miles we are claiming! (Hopefully the prospect of having her Social Security number and phone numbers posted for all to see will deter Lynne from any future attempts at auditing her own dear cousin and crazy husband).

As we drove back home from Northampton, we made a short detour to Nick's Nest in Holyoke to celebrate (with ice creams) the end of our first leg.... over 170 miles in 6 days of cycling, traveling 2/3 of the way across our fair state!

After a tough day of Van Support, Ava inhales a soft-serve