"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."

Yesterday I got my first taste of a carbon fiber road bike and I am absolutely in love. The moment I got on it I could tell how much SMOOTHER and quick it is compared to my aluminum steed. Components were all top of the line. It was a Madone 6.2 so I really got spoiled! Took me a while to learn the duotap shifting but once I got a hang of it, it was really fun. To bad it was only a rental.

A portion of my ride was through the Minuteman Trail. According to Wikipedia:

The Minuteman Bikeway is a 10-mil paved multi-use rail trail located in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts.

The path comprising the current Minuteman Bikeway has a long history. The trail closely approximates the route that Paul Revere took on his famous ride in 1775, which heralded the beginning of the American Revolution.

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Boston has a great bike culture. Car drivers are patient and respectful. Didn’t give me a hard time at all.

Boston was a sensation for the tastebuds as every day I would scroll through the endless restaurants on my Yelp app on my iPhone for something new to try. Pictured above was El Oriental De Cuba. Boston’s best reviewed Cuban restaurant in Jamaica Plains where Jayne and I had guarapo (sugar cane juice) white rice, black beans, sweet plantains and bistec empanizado (breaded steak). It’s nice to have a girlfriend who loves Cuban food.

Highlights:

Curry fries at Green Briar

Sweet potato sushi rolls  and Pad Thai at Montien

Big Kahuna burger: pineapple, grilled red onion, teriyaki sauce at Tasty Burgers

Lobster, Clam Chowder in bread bowl and Sam Adams Brick Red at The Black Rose

Blue Cheese, bacon & spinach omelette at Paramount.

When packing for a trip. I always remember this scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana: [laughing] Oh, Marcus. What are you trying to do, scare me? You sound like my mother. We’ve known each other for a long time. I don’t believe in magic, a lot of superstitious hocus pocus. I’m going after a find of incredible historical significance, you’re talking about the boogie man. Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am.
[throws his gun into his suitcase]