9/29/18 Deerfield, MA

Fall colors are just barely beginning to show, mostly the yellow maples and birches along with the occasional  precocious red maple tree.

With our van STILL in the shop, we're limited to rides we can begin from Leslie's mom's driveway. Fortunately, the rural back roads in western Massachusetts are gorgeous. Today's brief 14.81 mile ride featured a rigorous climb up a rugged dirt road, rewarded by a glorious long descent.

Using Google Maps sometimes yields some adventuresome results. On today's ride, we opted for a route that would be primarily counter-clockwise, thinking that avoiding left turns at busy intersections would be wise. Of course, Google Maps isn't necessarily clear about paved vs. unpaved roads. As we headed up Old Albany Rd. toward Greenfield, we rounded a corner to meet the end of pavement. We forged ahead, and the route became steeper, more rutted, and muddy. It eventually became so steep that the trikes lost traction and we had to dismount and push them up. The stunning wooded terrain took some of the sting out of the indignity of being unseated. VIDEO: Old Albany Road Climb - Deerfield, MA

We eventually crested the hill, and began a lovely extended downhill on excellent pavement with mostly gentle curves. VIDEO: S. Shelburne Rd. Descent

We stopped in at Clarkdale Farms Fruit Stand, well known in the area for its abundant and delicious fresh fruit crop including apples, peaches and pears. There we learned that Old Albany Road is a regular feature of the annual Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee.