Earth Day Ride

- Bicycle tour of open spaces along the Minuteman Bikeway
- From Arlington to Bedford and back (20-25 miles round trip)
- Meet at Spy Pond Playground, Arlington, Mass.
- Cost: $5 (to benefit the Bicycle Coalition of Massachusetts)

On this leisurely paced, ride-and-learn bicycle tour, we will celebrate Earth Day by visiting some of the significant open spaces along the Minuteman Bikeway.

Stops will include Spy Pond, Mill Brook, Sickle Brook, Arlington's Great Meadows, Parker Meadow, a beaver dam (right beside the bikeway!), and the Shawsheen River near the end of the bikeway in Bedford. On the ride back, we'll stop in Lexington Center for lunch; you will have the option to purchase lunch from several local stores. After our picnic lunch, there will be an optional side-trip through Lexington conservation trails (Willard's Woods, Lower Vine Brook, and a few other places).

Total distance is about 20 miles (25 miles with side-trip). All participants will ride at their own risk, and you will need to sign a release form at the start of the tour.

WHAT TO BRING

Bring your well-maintained bicycle, helmet (required), spare tube, clothing suitable for the weather, water, snacks, and a bike lock.

TOUR LEADERS

Susan Brent and Jack Johnson , both members of the Arlington Open Space Plan Committee, will be the tour leaders.

JOHN WALD MEMORIAL DONATIONS

If anyone would like to contribute to the John Wald memorial project, we will gladly accept your donation on this tour. John Wald, who died March 24 in an avalanche on Mt. Washington, was an active BCOM member, bicycling advocate, and friend to many of us. Unbelievably enough, John was planning to do this Earth Day bike tour -- still, who knows, maybe he'll join us in the spirit of the day.

DETAILS ON TOUR MEETING LOCATION

Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Spy Pond playground in Arlington, along the shore of Spy Pond, between Pond Lane and Linwood Street, and adjacent to the Minuteman Bikeway. If you come by car, free parking is available in the Spy Pond parking lot off Pond Lane, or on Linwood Street. (Pond Lane and Linwood Streets are located off Massachusetts Ave., a few blocks east of Arlington Center, toward Cambridge.) Note that there are NO restrooms available at the meeting place.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Call the Bicycle Coalition of Massachusetts at (617) 491-RIDE, or e-mail (Jack2Bike@aol.com).