Conference noted::bicycle

    It is real muddy right now.  You'd end up doing primarily road riding
    and perhaps some dirt roads.  We had a good ice storm last week, slowly
    melting. 
    
    Personally, I think your time would be better spent working out in a
    gym rather than the hassles of bringing a bike with you...unless you
    plan on driving anyway.   Perhaps others know of trails that are 
    more sandy and firm.
    
    steve

    Rumor has it that the abandoned railroad line between Hudson and
    Maynard is being turned into a bikepath.  From PKO-3, you cut
    behind the elementary school and the back of a subdivision and pop
    out next to the Maynard highway department; the trail is next to
    the Assabet river.  I'm sure it's mud city as .1 noted; the dirt
    bikers tend to create undulations in the trail, and water collects
    in those.  Kratz

    Thanks for the advice on the mud.   I was wondering if it would be
    icey, snow covered or muddy.  As .1 stated my time may be better spent
    in a gym.  So, is there a GOLD's gym in the area as I may be able to
    use my membership here to visit GOLD's up there....
    
    /ron

    Actually today is beautiful, going to be 60 degrees, brought my
    mountain bike with me to work.   
    
    There are two Gold's gyms:
    o 771 Boston Post Rd (rt20) Marlboro
    o 63 Domino Dr. Concord
    
    I will be checking out the Delaney Project, a nice mountain biking
    area in Stow today, I believe it will be wet, but ok to ride. 
    
    steve

    might even break the record of 65...
    
    Yeay, a new record!
    
    ed

     Any suggestions for lunchtime routes for road bike rides around
    the PKO area which don't involve too much time on the main
    routes(62,27)?
     My former site location in BXB was fantastic for lunch rides
    but I'm not familliar with this area. 
    
    cheers,
    	Bob

    It's not exactly paradise.  Actually it's probably better for
    mtn biking.  But...
    
    If you're into doing @2 mile flat loops, you can create something
    in the Sudbury subdivision across Rt27 (ask the runners, that's
    where they go).  No cars, but not exciting either.
    
    As for good backroads, there isn't much to the north (towards Acton),
    the east (Sudbury), or south (Sudbury/Hudson) that isn't busy at
    lunch.  That leaves the west.  It takes a few minutes to get to, but
    between BXB and PKO there's a lot of nice roads, and in fact you can
    create a lot of routes if you wanted to ride to BXB and turn around. 
    .02 Kratz

If you head west on 62, there are good back roads off to both
sides.  For example, if you follow 62 to where it turns
left at the light (117 continues straight - more good roads
out there, too) and take that turn, you have a lot of nice
back roads on either side of 62 as you head through Gleasondale
and into Hudson.  Lake Boon is down that way, and the terrain is
generally hilly. You could probably fashion a return to PKO
via 27.  You could also turn right off 62 where the little 
airport sign is (before the aforementioned stoplight) and ride
over to W. Acton, then loop back on Central St. and Red Acre
Road (might be Liberty Tree in Acton) to get back to 62.  (This
is home territory for me.)  You need maps that show the smaller
roads - try a real-estate agent for a free book of town maps.

Andy

     Thanks for the replies(on and off line). It's high time I got
    back on the saddle. Got my first ever century coming up in June
    and need to get crackin'.
    
    cheers,
    	Bob

    re .7
    
    I'm moving into pko2 if a few weeks, what/where are the good mt bike
    trails?
    
    
    paul

    Well, lots of good stuff for mtn bikes in the Sudbury Army depot
    that borders Digital's land to the south.
    
    Of a more legal nature, the trails behind the helipad can be used
    to work your way west behind the school(s) over to the Assabet River. 
    There, an abandoned railway trail along the river takes you southwest,
    whereupon you have three choices: go across the river to a Stow
    Conservation area, keep going straight all the way to Hudson (eventually
    a bridge is missing tho), or turn left on trails that work their way
    down south to Marlboro (via a huge network of dirt bike trails).
    Kratz
    

    Where can I pick the stow conservation land access? I am riding from
    OGO, and getting bored with Delaney project...
    
    thanks
    steve
    
    

    Just down 117 from the Delaney project is Rattlesnake Hill (where
    Boltonite can be found... a rare rock named after the town) and
    the Lime Kiln area.  Another place is to go up East End Rd, bear
    left on Sugar, go a mile, turn right on Whitcomb (unmarked), go
    to the end (you're now in Harvard), and there's some trails to
    the north along 495.
    
    The Stow Conservation Area near PKO is called Garner Hill... it
    has access from Boon Rd just west of the bridge over the Assabet.
    However, this was being built up when I left PKO 3 years ago.
    Another way in is from the north (thru the Stow Away golf course
    or the gravel pit).  Stow also has a conservation area around
    the swamp behind GenRad/Future Electronics, and while large, it's
    mostly, well, swamp.