I thought moving to Amherst, MA meant coming out of the woods. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times; the best kind of exploring is right out your back door. For me, this meant the Robert Frost Trail through the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area. Kelley and I went off and explored the dizzying network of criss-crossing trails in this particularly gorgeous part of Amherst, and as usual, I took about a hundred pictures. We had perfect weather; cool, comfortable breezes and plenty of sun, which poured through the pine forest, as liquid as the brook itself.

In total, we probably only rode ten miles. In that ten miles, we crossed bridges, wandered cornfields, climbed ravines, stumbled into a miniature desert, caulked the wagons over six-inch-deep puddles and streams, and rip-roared through the best off-roading I’ve stumbled on since Greylock in June. A bicycle is a ticket to a guaranteed good time, if you look in the right places.

Without further ado, enjoy the pictures:

Sorry about the long wait between posts. I’m now in grad school! My bike commute is about 3.5 miles in one direction, and I’m doing it twice a day (maybe.. 8-12 trips a week). I’ll do some commuting guides soon; how to dodge bad drivers, how to dress for full work-days, how to deal with rain and ice and snow…

Keep riding!