Bicycle Tour: Otter River, Day Two

On Friday, May 31, 2024, I rode the second segment of a tour to Otter River State Forest, where I planned to camp with fellow members of the Appalachian Mountain Club from the Worcester area. (For the first day of this tour, see Otter River, Day One).

I left Spacious Skies Minute Man Campgroud at 9:36 p.m. The weather was very pleasant, sunny and 65 to 70 °F. Near Ayer, I saw one of the new bicycle safety signs that Massachusetts installed after the legislature passed a law requiring drivers to give bicyclists four feet of clearance when passing.

New bicycle safety sign near Ayer

At mile 12.5, where Kilburn Street meets Leominster Road, I turned right instead of left. After determining that I was going the wrong way, at mile 14.1 I turned left from Leominster Road onto West Street. West Street was very steep, and I had to push my bicycle up the hill, climbing 176 feet from mile 14.6 to 14.9. However, while I was trudging up the hill, a man a few years younger than I am stopped mowing his lawn to chat with me about touring Italy by bicycle many years ago. People are very friendly to me when I’m touring.

From mile 18.7 to mile 19.8, through downtown Fitchburg on Main Street, the ride was unpleasant, with narrow city streets, a lot of traffic, and no bike lane. However, I didn’t see another way to get through.

At mile 22.5, I stopped at Crocker Playground in West Fitchburg for half an hour to eat lunch. There were no restrooms at this park.

Rest break at Crocker Playground in West Fitchburg

The ride on South Ashburnham Road was very pleasant as it passed by Crocker Pond and Whitmanville Reservoir.

At mile 29.6 to 30.6 , on Gardner Road and Pearl Street, the two-lane road was in poor condition with no shoulder, and it climbed a steep hill from 838 to 1,214 feet. I had to dismount and push my bike up the hill. Because there was no shoulder, I felt unsafely exposed to passing cars, but fortunately traffic was not heavy and nobody ran me over. Next time, I would cross the road and push my bike up the hill against traffic, although there is also no shoulder on the other side of the road. It might be better to avoid this hill by going north to Winchendon Road.

The ride through Gardner was pleasant, with wide roads, trees, a pond, a lake, a reservoir, and several parks.

At mile 36.8, I took Happy Hollow Road, which is unpaved and rutted. Instead, I recommend taking Crotty Avenue down to State Road 68.

I arrived at Otter River State Forest Campground at 3:40 pm, having ridden 40.4 miles in 6 hours. I had a nice site, O60, near Beaman Pond and near the restroom with showers. The restroom contained a huge spider.

My campsite at Otter River State Forest

Spider in the Otter River State Forest restroom

Beaman Pond was closed for swimming because of a high bacteria count. In the photo, the swimming area is visible in the distance on the right.

Beaman Pond

My riding effort was 24% Zone 1, 30% Zone 2, 40% Zone 3, and 6% Zone 4, much harder than I intended.

For the third day of this tour, see Otter River, Day Three.