Bicycle Tour: Lorraine Campground, Day Three

Friday, August 29, 2025, was the last of three days I spent at Lorraine Campground in Harold Parker Forest. (For the second day, see Lorraine Campground, Day Two).

I slept 9:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. After breakfast, while I was packing, there was a cloudburst at 7:05 a.m. for five minutes, enough that I would have to dry everything off when I get home. I quickly threw everything back in my tent and crawled in to stay dry. A second, more intense cloudburst at 8:00 a.m. drenched me and got water into some of my equipment. I had to pack a wet tent.

After I left the park, the road and ground were dry only three miles away; the cloudbursts had been local to the campground.

The route I took home was shorter than the route I had taken to the campground. I rode home 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., 20.38 miles in two and a half hours. The ride was pretty easy except for a stretch on Washington St. in Woburn next to an entrance/exit to Interstate 95. Looking at the map, I see that because of the placement of I-95, I-93, and the commuter rail tracks, there are very few ways in or out of this area of Woburn.

While riding south through Winchester, I noted many recent streetscape modifications that have reduced lane widths and some ridiculously large intersections through the use of paint and flex posts, making it safer and more comfortable for bicyclists to ride. In Winchester I also happened upon the new Horn Pond Brook bike path.

Horn Pond Brook Bike Path in Winchester

At 15 miles, I took a break to eat a Clif Bar and drink some Gatorade. I am still learning to pace myself by taking rest and food breaks and trying not to ride too strenuously. My effort was 56% Zone 1, 35% Zone 2, and 9% Zone 3.