In contrast to Thursday’s rain, it was a beautiful morning to ride into Falcon Ridge. We were all fresh and clean after our hotel stay and our laundromat dinner. It was six days after I had captured this Start Video of us leaving Bristol and I captured this Finale Video coming down the big hill that overlooks the festival. It isn’t the biggest descent of our week, but I did break 40mph during the video. With the variety of events during the trip we didn’t all log the exact same mileage but my total for the trip rang in at 303 miles. Naturally we spent the rest of the weekend dancing and reveling in the music. Between dancing and climbing the hill to our campsite we got plenty of exercise at Falcon Ridge, but by Sunday I was starting to miss riding my bike!

As this is the third Fernandez Brothers bike trip you might think it’s getting routine. It’s true that I am more comfortable and confident in bike touring than the first trip, but it’s still an adventure. There’s always something unexpected to be found out there and on the bicycle there is always the thrill of self-dependence. It’s only your own efforts that will decide your course. Even though this trip shared a piece of its route with the last trip each journey is unique. I’m already looking forward to the next trip!

When I checked the weather this morning it called for a chance of rain in the evening. We were headed out early because we knew the Berkshires would slow us down so I hoped we would get to setup camp before the rain. We rolled the first 8 miles out of camp to the nearest diner and ate more than enough to ensure we wouldn’t be hungry for the rest of the day. Immediately after breakfast the road sloped up and it would continue to do so for the rest of the day. I may be alone among the group in having the need to see these multiple mile long climbs to feel satisfied with the challenge, but today I do feel satisfied. Shortly, it also began to rain It was cold and the mountainous descents began dangerous on wet roads and wet brakes.

We arrived in Great Barrington on time but loosing feeling in our extremities due to the cold. We stopped in the Dunkin Donuts for some tea to warm up, but they apparently weren’t expecting cold weather either because the air conditioning was running and it was colder inside than out! We shivered through our tea and left feeling just as cold as we arrived. Instead of risk a miserable night at Falcon Ridge, we opted for a warm, dry hotel in Great Barrington. We made use of our extra time in town to do laundry and thus a gourmet dinner of crunchy food from the coop was served at the laundromat this evening.

We are looking forward to cresting the hill overlooking Falcon Ridge tomorrow and joining our friends and family there.

A few days ago we learned that there isn’t actually a dance in Amherst this week. This is sad, but we were easily consoled by thoughts of the three upcoming days of dancing at Falcon Ridge. Instead we explored a little more of Amherst and Northampton than we would have otherwise. Also, our local dancer friend Emily met with us and became an official Tour de Dance participant by taking us on a bike ride to introduce us to some of the bike friendly places in the area including the expansive Look Park. Amherst and Northampton are quite bike friendly towns and there is an excellent rail trail connecting the two and making the whole area very bicycle accessible.

The riding today was hilly, but there was more downhill than up as we came into the valley. It’s early to bed tonight for tomorrow’s last push as we climb back out of the valley and over the Berkshires to reach Falcon Ridge!

Tuesday brought us into the meat of this trip’s biking as we left behind the luxurious Minuteman campground for the hills of rural Massachusetts towns like Princeton. Life in the hills looks good if we are to take this middle school with a view as any indication.

Also noteworthy are these shiny buildings on a particular hilltop accompanied by both a “wildlife sanctuary” sign and a golf course.

We made a slow 30 miles uphill before lunch in Rutland, but were repaid with many downhill miles late in the day. Still, the final mile into Highview Vacation Campground drove home the theme of the day with the steepest slopes of the day ascending to the camp entrance. According to the owner, bicycle training groups used to stay at the campground and use that entrance road for training. There are only a few trees at our campsite and they are all next to each other so we have the most interesting formation of hammocks tonight.

Brotherly Love Hammock Formation

Although we had fun in the city, I was looking forward to getting out of the din and back to rural roads and folk culture so today we did. Making partial use of the well know minuteman rail trail we traveled to Walden Pond as a group of four.

Fernandez Brothers always wear helmets

It was a perfect day to be at Walden with warm sun and warm water. Although I’ve passed within a few hundred feet of it on multiple occasions I have never gone to visit the Thoreau cabin site so we did that today. The cabin site itself it neat, but I was really moved by the pile of rocks that has accumulated next to the site commemorating people’s lives and loved ones. I’d like to think our purpose for the bike trip aren’t so different than the one Thoreau is describing on this sign.

Eventually an afternoon thunderstorm drove everyone out of the water so we went into the town of Concord for dinner and provisions.

The Scout House is under construction. We locked up the bikes to trees and scaffolding and put on our dance shoes and Tour de Dance shirts. All told we were represented by five yellow shirts at the dance and once again enjoyed the promotional assistance of Lisa Greenleaf who, as she did in Rehoboth, was nice enough to announce our own invitation to the Tour de Dance. We met one cyclist who appeared to be serially considering joining us from Concord to Falcon Ridge. In the end he decided to pass, but maybe we can recruit him for the next trip!

Sunday morning turned us into mountain bikers as we bumped over a mile of mountain bike trail from the AMC campground to the Blue Hills headquarters and trailhead. Niether Isaac nor I know much about mountain biking but the mountain bikers we know of are always proud of thier injuries so we both made sure to fall off our bikes once. It was an overcast day with moderate temperature but the sun did come out for us near the top of Great Blue Hill and we enjoyed out first Boston skyline view of the day looking from the tower into Boston where we were soon headed.

Hiking in our matching Tour de Dance shirts prompted a few questions from outgoing hikers which have is the opportunity to tell new people about dancing. Wouldn’t it be thrilling if the trip recruited a new dancer!

Our free food expended, it was time for a Fernandez Brothers bike trip tradition: breakfast at Dunkin. Then we pedaled to Boston encountering both our first city traffic and first hills of the trip. We met with those joining us on the harbor cruise for dinner and then boarded the boat.

Sunset was muted by a low overcast sky but a TV show being shot on board our boat added an element of entertainment to an otherwise relaxing ride on the water. Here we got our second unique vantage point on Boston’s architecture as the sky darkened and the buildings lit up.

Disembarking, we were unable to resist the draw to the North End’s pastries and so we had plenty of energy for the late night ride. I always enjoy summer night riding and this was a perfect example of a cool and comfortable summer evening where even in downtown Boston it felt like we had the roads to ourselves. From the bike paths along the river we took one more survey of the skyline.

This morning we woke to the sounds of children and barnyard animals at Coggeeshall farm. It’s a beautiful place to be, especially if you aren’t doing the farm work! Because we were up past 2am Friday night, the Tour de Dance didn’t get on the road until after noon today. We started off as a five person caravan including two of our favorite musicians who bike with us to thier gig. I’ve seen many different things transported by bike but today I add harp to that list.

Harp by bicycle!

After leaving the musicians we wound about 53 miles up the bike path to Providence and through residential roads to the AMC campground at the Blue Hills. Our only stop was for water at a store that also offered “exclusive imitation jewelery”

Thus, we were both hungry and behind schedule when we rolled up to the camp office. We were not sure how we were going to find dinner and we’re not looking forward to the mile dirt road out of camp to find a restaurant. In a way that only happens on bike trips, the camp manager lead us to a table of  grilled food and watermelon that were all dinner leftovers and offered us to take what we wanted before it would be discarded. So in one swift change of course we had a ready made dinner at no cost and made up for a good portion of the lost time in our day!

The 2013 Tour de Dance has begun! Already, we are delighted by the participation. One of our friends used a bicycle in thier transportation to the Rehoboth dance and one of our hosts for the evening also made it to the dance. We will be joined all week by the lovely Lisa Herrera who will convey her experience with her own posts. The Rehoboth dance was extra welcoming to us and helped us spread the word with an announcement about our event and a posting on thier website. We also had great fun dancing to a very catchy arrangement of recorded music and the always reliable calling of Lisa Greenleaf at Rehoboth’s fundraising dance. Thank you Rehoboth!

We can always count on bike trips invite the unexpected and memorable, but just to make sure Isaac commemorated this year’s trip with the purchase of a new house closing just his before our start. Congratulations Isaac! Of course, the bike trip came through with it’s own memorable event when we encountered a gentleman passed out on the East Bay bike path at 1:30 on the morning just outside of Bristol. You may wonder what happens on bike paths at such an hour and I can report that the answer is generally “nothing.” Most of the miles we traveled along the path last night we saw only rabbits, but right near Bristol was this one man unconscious on the side of the trail with his bike toppled over in the middle of the trail. I’ve had days where I felt like falling off my bike and immediately napping, but he had actually done it!

Sometimes schedule and lifestyle limit riding to be a Saturday afternoon activity, but I have had the privilege almost every day in May . The League of American Bicyclists celebrates May as bike month. I decided to do my part by using only my bicycle for transportation for the month. This has been a success! My car has not moved from where I parked it on the last day of April. I haven’t transported my person through any means other than riding my bicycle or walking at any time during May. In the process I’ve put just over 1000 miles on that brand new touring bike.

In the realm of all things cycling, this is a very modest feat. The challenge here has not primarily been in the pedaling, but in functioning as a part of society at the same time. Suddenly it becomes necessary to explain your mode of transportation. Pretty much any transportation choice other than personal motor vehicle seems to imply that something is wrong. The car must be broken or the cost of driving must be to high. The is never a reasonable and dignified accommodation at public places for those who might not arrive perfectly clean, dry, and perfectly attired.

I admit that the first few days of the month this commitment seemed a bit daunting. Sure, I ride my bike a lot and I know I can get anywhere on it given enough time, but taking away my backup plan was a little scary. It only took a few days of consecutive commuting for my weak spots to show. With a sore knee and elbow I wondered if my body would hold up regardless of my level of commitment. However, as the days passed the minor aches and pains lessened as muscles got used to routine. I have found through the month that the occasional rest day and plenty of sleep really can make all the difference. It’s been a little cooler than I was hoping for in May which has meant some nights of numb toes, but cool days do reduce fatigue on long rides.

One key thought pattern that has developed is: never pass by a grocery store. I can carry a fair load on my bike, but it isn’t the hundreds of pounds one can casually bring home in the car. At the same time, all this riding demands that I stay stocked with good foods including water laden fruits and veggies. As a result, any opportunity to stuff a few groceries in the bag is welcome. This is especially true because there is no grocery store on my normal commuting route. If I were to keep doing this I think a cargo trailer would be very helpful for the occasional weekend large grocery run.

Vehicular cycling exposes one to all sorts of adventure that is normally not noticed and I was reminded of this multiple times. Once, late at night on a dark road way out of town I came across a guy on a mountain bike headed the other direction with zero lighting. Even I didn’t notice him until we were almost closer enough to touch. Another day with Isaac we found ourselves grinding up a steep wet dirt road in eastern NH when we came across a couple with an alarmingly large bonfire running in thier yard near the trees with an impossibly inadequate hose to control it. I guess it turned out all right…

I thought that a month limited to my bike would help simplify my life. It has. Sometimes to my dismay I have missed out on things I just couldn’t make it to in a reasonable time frame. It has also been a bit harder to connect with my people who are spread out all over New England. More often, I’ve been happy for the excuse to skip out on other obligations and go for bike rides! Even limited by my bike, I still had plenty to do. Perhaps the benefit of the usual packed schedule of car connected activities is an illusion. I sure don’t miss sitting in traffic.