Spring Into Cycling with Northeast Passage

Spring is springing so early this year! The weather is already great for cycling. I've seen people out on bikes everywhere I go and am looking forward to getting out on my bike this weekend.

If you are looking for adaptive cycling opportunities in New England, Northeast Passage is one of the best organizations around for cycling expertise and experiences. They offer a great selection of quality handcycles and recumbent bikes, including tandems and bikes for kids. Most, if not all, of their staff are certified therapeutic recreation specialists. Over the years I have always been impressed by their ingenuity and ability to support people with physical disabilities in competitive sports and amazing adventures, including summit hiking in the White Mountains.


Northeast Passage offers cycling clinics and rides throughout spring, summer and fall. Coming right up Saturday, March 24, is an Introductory Cycling Clinic in Durham, NH - a perfect chance to jump start into spring and try out a variety of bikes to see what works best for you. They'll have Top End and Quickie handcycles; Greenspeed, Hase and Trailmate foot-powered bicycles; tandems; and the new Lasher ATH handcycle designed for off road riding. This is a rain or shine event - indoors or out depending on the weather. The $20 fee is well worth it for the expertise and variety of quality bikes involved. Families and friends are welcome!

There are a couple other chances to ride with Northeast Passage coming up this spring. They will do another introductory cycling clinic in Cheshire, CT, on May 12 in conjunction with the Gaylord Sports Association.  

Northeast Passage will also host a clinic on Cape Cod with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and CapeAble Adventures in Sandwich on May 19, followed by a ride on the Shining Sea Bike Path on May 20.

To find out more and sign up, contact Northeast Passage at 603-862-0700 or northeast.passage@unh.edu

Thanks to Dave Lee and Keely Ames for photos!

Go Get the Sweet Stuff!

DCR Maple Sugaring Programs


Tap into Nature during the Maple Sugar Days at Massachusetts State Parks!

This March, join the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and learn how maple syrup is made. Visitors will learn how the sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to produce pure maple syrup! See below for a complete listing of programs. For all maple sugaring programs please wear sturdy footwear and warm clothing. Some fees apply as noted.

Regarding accessibility, Breakheart Reservation and Blue Hills Reservation/Brookwood Farm are   accessible sites for wheelchair users, including the visitor centers. At Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, the visitor center is wheelchair accessible and the sugar house (very short distance) varies depending on snow cover. The Botume House at Middlesex Fells is not wheelchair accessible, nor is the Krug Sugarbush. Definitely call in advance to ask about accessibility and mud conditions!!!!


Saturday, March 3rd, noon

Middlesex Fells Reservation, 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham

The Tapping of the Trees!

Come to the Fells ‘sugar bush’ to tap maple trees for the upcoming Maple Sugaring’ event at Breakheart Reservation. Meet at the Botume House Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is located at 4 Woodland Road on Spot Pond. This program is free. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

March 3 and 4th, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, 287 Oak Street, Uxbridge

Maple Sugarmakers Open House!

Join the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association and learn about the maple sugaring process. Please visit www.blackstonevalleysugaring.org for more information or call 508 278-6486.

Saturday, March 17th, 9:00 a.m.-noon

Breakheart Reservation, 177 Forest Street, Saugus

Pancake Breakfast!

Join the Friends of Breakheart Reservation at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center at Breakheart Reservation for their annual Pancake Breakfast. Visitors can eat delicious pancakes and watch DCR staff working in the Sugar Shack to see how syrup is made. There is a $5 admission fee. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

Sunday, March 18th, 10:00 a.m.-2:00p.m.

Breakheart Reservation, 177 Forest Street, Saugus

Maple Sugaring!

Learn about the history of maple sugaring, participate in a tree identification activity, tap a maple, watch the evaporator at work in the Sugar Shack, and best of all taste the results! A $4 admission will support the program, used directly for the equipment you will see in action. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

Saturday, March 10 & Sunday, March 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Brookwood Farm in the DCR Blue Hills Reservation in Milton

Maple Sugar Days!

It’s sugaring time in the Blue Hills! Join us as we make maple syrup in the traditional way at beautiful Brookwood Farm in Milton. Put on your boots and flannel shirt and join in the outdoor fun! Learn how to identify a sugar maple and see the sap drip into buckets from the trees. Travel along the trail of time and meet costumed characters demonstrating the changes in maple sugaring methods from Native Americans to Yankee farmers to modern day technology. Smell the wood smoke as you watch clouds of steam rise from the bubbling sap. Savor the taste of real maple syrup. Enjoy a free shuttle ride on the Maple Express Trolley. Activities are appropriate for all ages. Program admission is $6.00. Children under 2 are free. Maple Sugar Days is a joint program of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts Audubon’s Trailside Museum. The program admission fee is charged to benefit the Trailside Museum. This program is wheelchair accessible. For details or more information call (617) 698-1802 or (617)333-0690

Weekdays during March

Krug Sugarbush, Chesterfield

Maple Sugar Tours!

Join the Park Staff at the Krug Sugarbush weekdays during the month of March to see how maple syrup is produced. Visitors will learn first-hand how the sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to produce pure maple syrup. Operation is based on weather, so please call one day prior to your visit. Advanced group reservations are welcome. For more information please call (413) 268-7098. (D.A.R. State Forest)

All events, programs and activities are subject to change. Please take a moment to call ahead to confirm and check on accessibility.

Spring Into Cycling!

Adaptive cycling opportunities continue to grow throughout New England! Here's what I know is happening this spring - please add additional information via the comment box!

Northeast Passage has an Introductory Clinic indoors this Saturday, May 7, in Durham, NH. For $20 you can try out several brands and styles with individualized attention and fitting to find out what works best for you. Brands include Top End, Quickie, Hase, Greenspeed, Trailmate, and Freedom Concepts. There is a morning and an afternoon session.  Call Northeast Passage at 603-862-0070 or email northeast.passage@unh.edu to sign up. They will have a similar clinic on Cape Cad May 14 and have organized rides scheduled June 18 and 19 at Acadia National Park in Maine and June 27 on the Windham Rail Trail in New Hampshire.

Also on May 14 in the Berkshires, Bay State Bike Week will kick off with a new opportunity called Everyone Rides on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Cheshire, MA from 10am to 12 noon. Sponsored by several organizations including the Berkshire Bike Path Council and local disability groups, Everyone Rides will make several styles of adaptive bicycles available for use throughout the biking season by request with support from the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Come on May 14 to be fitted to bikes by a therapist, participate in a group ride and find out more! Contact Dawn Matthews at 413-442-1562 x 24 or email dmatthews@ucpberkshire.org

On May 16, the Asperger's Association of New England, (AANE) is offering at Bike Riding 101 for Parents workshop in Watertown, MA (Boston) from 7-8:30pm. The presentation will help parents break down the complex process of riding a bike into manageable steps for children with Asperger Syndrome and related disabilities. There is a $40 fee for AANE members ($50 for non-members). For more information, including partial scholarships, or to register, call 617-393-3824 or email info@aane.org.

Coming up on Saturday June 4 is the DCR Universal Access Program Adaptive Recreation Fair at Artesani Park in Brighton (Boston), MA. Adaptive cycling is the primary recreation activity at this free annual event that runs from 10am - 3pm. Many styles of bikes will be on site and available for short test rides through the park along the Charles River. Call 617-626-1294 or 413-577-3840 to register in advance. All Out Adventures, Northeast Passage, Bike-on, and other cycling programs will be representing their bikes. This fair is a great place to find out about all kinds of recreation opportunities taking place in the greater Boston area and beyond this summer! Read about last year's event here to see what it is all about.

On June 11, from 9am - 12noon, the Sports Association of Gaylord Hospital will host a free Adaptive Cycling Clinic in Cheshire, CT - yet another opportunity to get individualized fitting to a wide selection of bikes. From 12:30 - 2:30pm, there will be Cycling Club Spring Ride along the Farmington Canal Greenway for those who already have their own bike. Bring a lunch if you are coming for both sessions. To participate you must register at 203-284-2772.

If you are shopping for an adaptive bike, check out Bike-on.com, based in Rhode Island. Not only do they sell the widest variety of adaptive cycles internationally, they offer an on-line community with listings by state in the U.S. for people who seek handcycle and trike riding companions and connections. Check out the All Out Adventures website for other relevant bikes not available via Bike-on. Handcyclists on the west coast may also want to look into Intrepid Cycles.

Since I've covered all but one New England state so far, I'll end by mentioning the Tandem Cycling Program offered by Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. They haven't yet posted their cycling schedule. Keep an eye on their website and facebook page if you are interested. They have a variety of tandems and offer rides on bike paths in Burlington, Castleton and Stowe in the summer. (And if you think I didn't give Maine good enough coverage here, contact Maine Handicapped Skiing to learn about their adaptive cycling program in Portland.) Happy riding!

Jump-start Recreation Opportunities April 5

I'm back from vacation and looking out the window at an April Fool's day snowstorm! Perhaps you too are still half in winter and half in spring mode. There is no better time to consider all the possibilities! The Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Connecticut is once again offering their annual Day of Discovery on Tuesday, April 5, from 5:30 to 8pm. It is a fantastic bull's eye opportunity not to miss.

"Every sport! Every season! Everything you want to know! All in one place, one night! Slides! Videos! Equipment! Coaches! Athletes!" sings the poster for this free event. In one evening you'll have the opportunity to learn  about a wide variety of adaptive sports programs offered in southern New England. Meet the people involved, pick up program calendars, and sign up for programs! Activities include golfing, tennis, skiing, archery, sailing, kayaking, sled hockey, curling, adaptive cycling, horseback riding, water skiing and more.

Wheelchair Accessible Maple Sugaring!

Tired of winter? Time to jump start spring and get your taste of a New England Tradition! Sample the syrup as it is being made this month at the following locations and events near Boston.

March 12 and 13  10am - 4pm  Maple Sugar Days at the Blue Hill Reservation in Milton, MA - This annual event is wheelchair accessible! Admission is $6 per person, ages 2 and younger are free. Enjoy the smell of sap cooking down, the taste of the latest batch, a free shuttle ride, and activities for all ages at beautiful Brookwood Farm. DCR and Mass Audubon jointly host this highly popular program. Nearby at Trailside Museum, visit outdoor wildlife exhibits. For more information, please call 617-698-1802 or 617-333-0690.

Not Just Any Day in the Park

I drove 2 hours to Boston in the rain and mist. I drove home in the a wild rainstorm. In between, for a miracle 7 hours, unforecasted sun shone on our Accessible Recreation Fair in Boston yesterday.

Over 275 people attended the event at Artesani Park, hosted by DCR's Universal Access Program. Individuals, families, and groups tried out cycling, hiking, and letterboxing, got their faces painted, and enjoyed refreshments and a stroll in the park. Many discovered new recreation opportunities to explore this summer.