When you think of Springfield’s wealthiest suburb, adventure riding probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but Morgan planned a great route featuring a some dirt roads and one that’s been entirely forgotten.
We rode through Forest Park on our way over to Longmeadow, and ran into Brian grabbing some flowers at the Farmer’s Market. Jeannie’s Weanies was also on site, but we had just eaten so we regrettably passed this time. Living in a city always has opportunities for spontaneity, which I love. We spent a few minutes at the top of the amphitheater before taking the longtime closed Magawiska Road up into Longmeadow.
After riding across Longmeadow and cutting through a park, we took the side street next to Alex’s Bagels down to the river. In high school a friend swore he hit 50mph going down Emerson, which at only 6-7% downhill felt like BS then and even more so now.
With periodic views of the river caught between the homes along the banks, tarmac turned into dirt and we were surrounded by farmland. This section of the road was closed, with reasoning pretty clear once we got to a flooded section. Luckily we were able to just ride through with no problems, but with all the rain we’ve gotten lately I can see this being a problem, especially on the dirt road.
Arriving at a viewing point on a pond, we found ourselves in a modest crowd armed with binoculars and telephoto lenses trying to catch a glimpse or frame of the local residents. Morgan and I looked a bit out of place, with her peering through her brightly colored monocular and me grabbing some stills with a short prime lens on a crop sensor camera. I wasn’t set up to capture anything close up, but the area was super beautiful. Maybe I’ll tote a longer lens down sometime.
We climbed back up to Longmeadow Road and turned onto a side street that came to a T, but instead of turning right or left our planned route continued straight. We’re no strangers to adventure cycling, but the delcaration Danger: Maintenance Discontinued still brings me an equal mix of pause and excitement.
Mill Road started out as chunky gravel covered with brush and within a few hundred feet turned into a marsh, muddy with no clear trail. We followed what felt like the road, guided at points with half-century old bollards. After some hiking, we climbed over a steep bank to avoid a bunch of thorns and saw a rickety bridge in a picturesque bog. Morgan asked to cross first, and then I followed suit.
We briefly struggled to find our way, and once on the right track lept across a creek and found ourselves deep in a golf course. We were able to link up with the other side of the closed road for a couple hundred feet, putting us back on a road I’ve taken many times.
Unexpected areas for adventure like this always surprise me; you’d never think that there was a place like this hidden away in Longmeadow that we could easily access right from our front door in Springfield. The more we look, the more we find, and I’m so grateful to experience life on a bike.