Pittsfield, MA

August 13, 2018

I was up early. John and Randy had early morning chores, and I wanted to see them off. So I was out of bed a little after 7:00 AM and had some morning time with both before seeing them off. I then made breakfast and was on the road close to 9:30 AM.

Deep down I was dreading the climb out of the hollow that the boys lived in. Although less than a mile long, it was all dirt and gravel. After going up and down it over the last several days . . . in a car or truck, I had gotten used to seeing it, but it would be mostly uphill this morning with a few level spots here and there. But it actually went pretty easily.

Today's ride to Pittsfield.

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And shortly thereafter, at the top of both hills!

And at the top, I turned right and was on hard pavement . . . and it felt good. Right was generally south, my primary direction of travel today. I modified my original route based on some driving John and I did Friday. I found that the designated bicycle route through these parts would put me on more dirt roads with grades not as friendly as the paved roads in these parts. So I made the decision to bike VT-7A for the ten or eleven miles it would take me to get to Bennington, VT.

My second covered bridge of the tour, this one near East Arlington. Note the sign. As I stood there to take my picture, a small car screamed through and over the bridge. So much for gentle Vermont drivers.

When I joined VT-7A, it was at the location of the new Second Chance Animal Shelter, now under construction. Randy sits on the Board of Trustees.

A photo for my wood collection . . . I saw more wood today than on the rest of the ride altogether.

VT-7A was OK to ride. It has a passable shoulder most of the time, and traffic was light . . . until south of VT-67.

Bennington is nice enough but not particularly photogenic, at least not the part I rode through. Plus, based on what I heard from John and Randy, it's somewhat disparaged by the locals who don't live in town. Well, that figures, I guess. Vermont is not exactly spilling over with good examples of urban living. So I pushed through town and continued southward, eventually following somewhat quiet roads. Quiet roads with lots of wood.

. . . and more wood. Lots of wood today.

But it was all climbing . . . gentle climbing for the most part with a few steeper hills . . . nothing serious. But the peak culminated at the junction with VT-7. Yes, back on VT-7, or some variant of it. And then I went screaming down into Massachusetts.

I finally entered Massachusetts and was greeted by the town sign. What about the state sign?

Well, it wasn't far away — I was just expecting them in reverse order.

And shortly after that welcome, these.

I'm developing a collection of stupid highway signs. These two qualify. Apparently, vehicle drivers do not pay attention to lane striping . . . or don't know what it means. Or both.

OK, maybe I'm being a little harsh . . . but am I? Seriously, this is pretty standard across the United States. Maybe they don't trust Vermonters. Beyond the redundant signs, the road narrowed at a pinch point and then entered North Adams, an old mill town of sorts.

The pinch point: a river (far right) that won't be moved, a railroad (right) that got here first, and a highway that had to be squeezed in. And then there was me. Not much room for me.

Many of the towns I passed through have old factories and/or mills . . . signs of better times. This handsome building is in North Adams.

And beyond North Adams, more highway riding, about six miles worth to Adams, Massachusetts. If I had planned more carefully, I could have stayed off MA-8, but that would only have put me on MA-8A, so I'm not sure it would have been an improvement. But it was only six miles or so, and then I was on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail . . . almost there.

The last 15 miles started on this ten-mile stretch of rail trail. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail was originally the Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad (and a few subsequent others).

The trail mostly follows the Hoosic River, seen here, looking back, on the left.

But there are plenty of places where it really spreads out . . . just hard to see through the foliage.

It also passes the Cheshire Reservoir for about four miles.

So not much to say about the last five miles into Pittsfield. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It just was. Pittsfield is a good-sized town and a gateway to the Berkshires . . . and it showed.

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,269 miles (2,042 km)

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