Bicycle Tour: Spacious Skies Minute Man, Day One

On Sunday, May 19, 2024, I started touring for 2024 by riding from my home in Somerville, Massachusetts to Spacious Skies Minute Man Campground near Littleton, Massachusetts.

I left at 2:15 p.m. I rode out the Somerville Community Path, Linear Trail, and Minuteman Bikeway to Bedford. Since it had rained the day before, I decided not to ride the unpaved Reformatory Branch Trail to Concord, which I was afraid would be slick and muddy. I took Route 62 through Concord and West Concord; this is a pretty busy road, but it has adequate shoulders, and drivers are used to bicyclists on that road. I rode the Bruce Freeman Trail and Concord Rd to Acton, where I used Apple’s iOS Maps app for route planning. But I missed a turn and ended up on Routes 27 and 110 between Acton and West Acton; both of these roads have heavy traffic, narrow shoulders, and potholes. I finally found a series of back roads that took me smoothly to the campground, where I arrived at 6:00 p.m. after riding 33.73 miles.

Spacious Skies Minute Man is a private RV park with some pretty good sites for tent camping. The park was about a third full when I arrived. I had a site as nice as any I have occupied in Massachusetts state parks.

My loaded Surly Disc Trucker with its Click-Stand

My spacious campsite at Spacious Skies Minute Man Campground

The streets in the campground have an astronomical theme

A view of the nicely wooded campground

The campground has about 100 sites with a central restroom with showers and a dishwashing station. Nearby are the office, a laundry room, a swimming pool, and a clubhouse. The campground is located near a railroad and a road with a lot of early morning truck traffic.

My riding effort today was 17% Zone 1, 39% Zone 2, 37% Zone 3, and 7% Zone 4. I worked harder than I wanted to. I need to learn to slow down to avoid overtiring myself.

For the second and final day of this out and back tour, see Spacious Skies Minute Man, Day Two.