I was out of house at 5:30 on Sunday morning and on the Minute Map trail a few minutes after that. My goal was to do a 27-mile ride from the Pocket Rides kit that starts at the Bedford end (Ride 8 from "Beyond the Minuteman Bikeway). The sun was out but it was still a little chilly, so the ride out to Bedford was perfect, and not a soul to be seen.
The directions on the map card were largely clear and accurate, and I had no trouble at all getting on at the starting point. The ride took me up through Bedford, Concord, Carlisle, and Chelmsford, taking in Great Brook State Farm Park on the top end. Well-paved, rural roads, with lots of farms and horses - gorgeous!
Many of the turns weren't signposted, though, so I did have a bit of trouble here and there - but I always found my way back on to the route, either through trial & error, or using Google Maps on my phone. I was glad to have brought all the provisions I needed, since there were few shops along the way - and none open at such an early hour on a Sunday.
On the way back, the route passes through Minute Man Historical Park in Concord, and I stopped at the Old North Bridge (where the American Revolution started) for a snack.
I try to vary my routes, but this one is definitely a keeper.
UPDATE: Took the family up to the park for a nice 1-mile hike in the woods on Saturday - beautiful! Very easy to get to by car (except for the delay caused by the annual parade in Carlisle center). We chose a combination of 2 paths, providing some nice open fields as well as some more challenging rocky foresty bits.
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