Transcon 2020

After years of dreams, Mike made plans to spend April and May riding 3500 solo miles across the USA, using the effort to raise money for cancer research at Dana-Farber as a supplement to his regular Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) fundraising. Donations, large and small, are welcomed and can be made via this link.

Then -- COVID. Rather than scrap the plan, a "virtual transcon" -- 3500 New England day trip miles, carrying all supplies for the day. The first 2000 miles will cover all 343 mainland Mass. cities and towns, the rest will add adjacent states. If you would like to be added to the blog d-list, use this email link.

After two big days of riding, I decided to spin a few miles Monday along the Connecticut River visiting the longest historic covered bridge in the US. Because New Hampshire "owns" the river as a result of a Supreme Court decision in 1933, it owns and maintains this bridge.

The Hoosac Tunnel is a 19th Century engineering marvel. At the time of its completion in 1875 (after 24 years of work and 180 deaths), it was the longest tunnel in the Americas and the 2nd longest in the world at just under 5 miles. Just north of Hoosac is Monroe (pop. 121), the smallest town in Massachusetts not on an island.

The southern Berkshires are full of culture: Tanglewood, the Norman Rockwell Museum. My quest today -- Mount Everett. 3rd tallest peak in Massachusetts, and the tallest in the South Taconic range. Named for Gov. Edward Everett, who talked for two hours at Gettysburg, after which some guy named Lincoln talked for two minutes and stole the show.

Everett is in the town of Mount Washington (MtW), the SW corner of the state. MtW (pop. 167, 3rd smallest in Mass) is so small because of a geographic quirk. If you look closely at the SW corner of Mass, the border with NY turns SE rather than continuing SW. Half of what used to be MtW was ceded to New York in 1853 -- it was on the other side of the Taconics, beyond the reach of civil order, and had become a place outlaws went to escape. (Awesome, we will give that to NY!)

I didn't get up Mount Everett. I got more than halfway, but my road bike proved unequal to the steep gravel "roads". My friend Alex would suggest that I shouldn't have brought a knife to a gun fight. I will be back with the right tool another time.

2263 miles down -- 1237 to go! In Illinois, almost to Indiana! Three more weeks!

334 / 351 towns complete -- Cape and Islands left

Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge

Hoosac Tunnel Entrance, Florida

Big town hall for 121 people!

Eunice Williams Bridge, Greenfield

Eunice Williams - Victim of Deerfield Massacre

Sign to long gone Yankee Rowe nuclear plant

Mount Everett "Base Camp", Mount Washington

Tyringham - Truth in Advertising