This Sunday: Bicycle Tour of Somerville Parks, Then and Now

[ron_newman]

This Sunday, May 20, I'll be co-leading a bicycle tour of Somerville parks with the Somerville Bicycle Committee and Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. We'll meet at 2 pm at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, departing promptly at 2:15. Please bring a $3 donation to support the Historic Preservation Commission.

Many Somerville parks used to be other things -- schools, a railroad tower, a train station, a water tower. Ride with us to learn more about our city's history.

Here's a map of our tour route, and our Facebook event. The 8.5-mile tour will go at an easy pace with several stops, and should be finished by around 4:30.

Our ride will be the last event of Bay State Bike Week.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

what's the approximate mileage of the tour?

[ron_newman]

About 8.5 miles. I'll edit the post to say this.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

thanks, that map is, well, all over the map. It looks like more.

[ron_newman]

I added up all of the mileages (and footages) that Google Maps gave me for each segment of the route. I'm going to assume they are correct. I don't have a bike computer or odometer, so I could not measure it directly.

Somerville's a pretty small place, and it's hard to make any circular tour here take more than about 12 miles. As it is, this route goes into Medford for a while to avoid climbing Winter Hill and to give folks a nice view of the Mystic River next to I-93.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_meej_/]

Probably when you do your test ride, one of your co-riders can use a bike computer to check the exact mileage for you, and maybe you can edit it into the post? (And thanks again for all the hard work putting this together!) - D.J.

[ron_newman]

I don't know if Brandon Wilson or Dick Bauer have a bike computer, but I'll ask at the beginning of the test ride. You're welcome to come along too if you happen to be free at 4 pm tomorrow.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_meej_/]

I'm pretty certain Dick has one, though I don't know if it's on whichever bike he's planning to take...
Unfortunately, I'm most likely still at work at 4 - and if I'm not, I've got a brochure to finish up for the ride! But thanks.