Whistle posts and the other kind

In a comment to last Wednesday's post, Yury asked what a wayside post with an R means. Posts marked W are whistle posts, cuing the engine driver to signal as he nears a crossing. I'm asking about the R posts on a couple of railfan sites, with no results yet. Anybody here have a theory?

The whistle post shown below is one of two on the outbound side of the trail less than half a mile from the Bedford end at South Road. The R post is on the outbound side as the trail parallels Valley Road in Lexington, about one-third of a mile from the bridge over I-95 / Mass 128. [Update: The post is exactly 2000 feet from the bridge, as nearly as I can measure with the Gmaps Pedometer. That round number makes me think they're related.]

Whistle post in Bedford, approaching South Road

R post near Valley Road in Lexington

Today: 13 miles. This year: 154.3 miles.

Smooth

I put on new wheels and new bearings from Inline Warehouse yesterday. I expected them to feel faster than the old ones and wasn't disappointed. The surprise was how much smoother the ride is. The new wheels are the same as my previous ones, so it must be the bearings.

Yesterday: 14 miles. This year: 141.3 miles.

Does it pay to advertise?

Today I chalked this blog's URL on the trail at the Hurd Field and Bedford Depot entrances in hope of lifting my audience out of the single digits. If you're here because you saw my graffiti, please read The Beginning and join in with your comments. Welcome aboard.

Blogvertising at the Hurd Field Entrance

Construction at the Lexington DPW

Today: 13 miles. This year 92.8 miles.

Swimming to Antarctica

No, not me -- I won't go in the water north of Cape Cod. Swimming to Antarctica is the autobiography of Lynne Cox, a long-distance swimmer with an amazing history of firsts and records. The prose is, well, prosaic, but the story is thrilling. It's a good book for anyone interested in adventure or individual achievement in sports.

Today: 13 miles. This year: 57.8 miles.

+1 Woodchuck

I spotted a woodchuck down the bank in the wetlands near Hartwell Avenue, the first I've seen along the trail. He's impressively well camouflaged in this habitat and doesn't stand out like the one that's on my front steps occasionally. This one has a hole in the bank between those fallen trees. Doubtless he's sapping the trail from below and it'll all collapse in twenty years.

Woodchuck near Hartwell Avenue, Lexington

Semaphore signal in Bedford

Yesterday: 14.6 miles. This year: 44.8 miles.

Snow and ice all clear. Sand? Still plenty.

The path is practically clear of snow and ice from end to end now. I looped from Milepost V to the Bedford end at lunchtime today and found it all wide open. The crossings are still sandy and the path is still littered, but it's improving rapidly.

Today: 10 miles. This year: 30.2 miles.

Hitting the sand

While I was glad to have gloves yesterday, a broom is what I needed to improve the trail. I took a dive in a sandy spot at the Bow Street crossing and skinned my wrist guards. These conditions remind me of The Walrus and The Carpenter:

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Unlike them, I'm sure that street sweepers, rain, and trail traffic will soon clean the mess.