Day 6 – Nashua, NH to Randolph, MA (via Boston)

By Scott McPhee, Millis, MA

Raining hard with a strong wind — I covered up with rain gear and headed out with the rest of the hardy souls. We rode safely to TCIA headquarters in Londonderry for a snack stop, tour of the facility and tree planting. They were all very nice. We shared some special moments with Terrill Collier on a video conference call via Skype. We all wished him well and looked forward to seeing him soon. He (Terrill) was the one who encouraged me to join the Tour des Trees.

We set out fast and hard (still in the rain) for Lexington, with Clem Desjardins in the lead position. It was a good ride with five of us working a pace line. We enjoyed the historic scenery in Concord and Lexington. After lunch and planting a tree, the sun came out and we headed to Boston Common.

My company, Hartney Greymont, and the Massachusetts Tree Wardens set up the break stop and tree planting ceremony there. My son, Shawn (22, and working at Hartney Greymont) was on the planting crew. My wife, Jennifer, and two other kids, Hadley and Braeden, were also there to share in the tree planting. The whole event turned out nicely, many thanks to Melissa Levangie.

We left through the beautiful streets of Boston and headed for the hotel in Randolph. I grew up in Randolph, but haven’t lived there since 1980. When we arrived, I looked down at my odometer and saw 90+ miles. I mentioned it to my friend and riding partner, Pete Orszulak, and told him that I had never done a “century” (100-mile ride). He said let’s go for it. Clem D. overheard us and was on board with us to set a blazing five miles out and five miles back. We hit the 100-mile mark back at the hotel. I was really excited to achieve this milestone with my good friend Pete O. and one of my riding mentors, Clem D., in my home town of Randolph.

As a first-time rider, I will cherish the memories of this Tour — the scenery, new friendships and all of the help and advice I received. I am also very appreciative of the advice I got from Jeff Carney who took me on my first group ride before the Tour started and answered my endless questions about biking and the Tour.