Nice Fall Evenings

A little warmer and more humid for part of the week, but crisper, fall-like weather has returned. We're starting to get a little color on some of the trees now - not much, but it's starting. Fall comes a little earlier in New England than down south. And it's a good time to ride some class 3-speeds over the road here in Connecticut.

Riding over-the-road rather than on a repeating circuit or a track is challenging, but it is also rewarding. Even if it is a round-trip to a local park or lake a few miles away, it's always nice to go from Point A to Point B and back using the roads as they present themselves to you. I also enjoy riding on bike trails quite a lot, and I think to get the most of riding, it's good to mix road riding and bike trail riding to you take in a fair bit of each.

Losing Daylight, but Good Weather

The very late summer and early fall is a mix of sorts - less daylight than during the summer, but generally the best riding weather of the year. Today was no exception: it's getting dark earlier, but wonderful weather for a ride. Cool and dry weather is the best, in my book.

So here are a few pictures of a ride on my 1947 Schwinn New World on the always excellent Farmington River Trail in Collinsville. This evening, I rode from Collinsville down to Unionville and back. It's a pleasant, relatively easy ride. There are a few bumps along the way, but nothing terrible. It's a great trail.

The Farmington River Bike Trail - Canton, Collinsville, Burlington, Unionville

If you happen to be riding at all in northwestern Connecticut, I urge you to try the Farmington River Bike Trail, which runs through several towns in Hartford County. The trail is not terribly hilly, and is quite scenic.

Also, much has been done to improve this trail over the years. When I first rode this trail probably 15 years ago, it was very basic - a few paved spots, some dirt spots, a couple wooden benches along the way. Today, the trail is mostly paved, has lots of places to sit or to picnic, and lots of on-trail parking areas. This trail is a real gem here in western Connecticut.