For our first ride of the 2026 spring season we did a loop featuring the Mystic River Watershed. The route stayed within the watershed area and went by multiple water features including Spy Pond, Alewife Brook and the Mystic River itself. Also the Lower and Upper Mystic Lakes, the Aberjona River, and Horn Pond. The ride involved various bike paths and some urban streets. We stopped at the Mystic Dam, which created the upper lake, and viewed the watershed map that is painted on the pavement there. (See photo.) We also observed a few remnants of the Middlesex Canal, which ran from Lowell to Charlestown in the first half of the 19th century. Our return was a little delayed because of the historical stops and also because of a couple of unintentional detours resulting from the leader's inattention to the route directions. Riders were: Aliza, Allen and Ellen, Barbara, new rider David Seward, David K., Gaille, Glenn, Margo, Nancy, Nora and Pete, Ruth, and Stefanie. (Weather was unseasonably warm & sunny - everyone was in shorts & tshirts!)