Cookson

Cookson Park is one of my favorite places. It's a dinky little spot long ago relegated to the bottom tier of the Worcester city parks hierarchy. It's named after Walter Cookson, a longtime school board member and Republican mayor who died while attending the 1936 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The hilly 18-acre spot once afforded spectacular views of the city from atop Mount St. James. It's all overgrown now, save for some decently maintained trails. Still, there's something to be said for an unassuming, scruffy spot. You're usually the only one in there, which is nice. It's quiet and pleasant and just a bunch of trees and brush. What else do you really need?
The park serves as a jumping off point to some nice bike-riding roads. I received clearance to depart after dropping the kids off at school on a recent morning, and took off. I just ride through the main trail that runs the length of the park. It's actually a road, and I'm told it once carried trolleys through the neighborhood.

It was a beautiful, warm, morning, and it was a nice, refreshing ride. Riding in the winter -- all the gear, the numb extremities, the windchill -- seems like a lifetime ago. Since installing the drop bars on the Pug, I feel like my speed has really picked up, which probably has less to do with aerodynamics than a more thigh and butt-friendly seating position. I have also been trying to get in the habit of riding on the big chainring most of the time (big chainring=harder to pedal, but more speed).

There's always a lot of second-guessing about any big purchase, and God knows what I would have went with if I knew back then what I know now about my riding style, bicycles in general, and the preferences I've developed. But by starting out with a heavy older bike with friction shifting and well-made but fussy mechanics, a new bike, when the time finally comes, will be a revelation. And by then, my fundamentals and my knowledge base will be such that I will truly choose the bike for me. I'm always thinking of what my next bike will be, but I enjoy every moment on the Pug.