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(c)1997, Boston Globe, Bent Lorentzen

Our foliage season is upon us. An exceptional year, peaking on October 12 say the experts. What better way to experience it than a leisurely bike ride through the thickly forested Minuteman Bikeway. Running ten-and-a-half miles over the historic Boston & Lowell Railroad bed, the fully paved and drained trail begins in Bedford's Depot Square. From I-95 (Rte. 128), take the westbound Bedford Street exit (Rte. 4 & 225) and go west a little over a mile. Merge left onto Great Rd., continue for a half mile then take a left on Loomis Street until you come to the Square on South Street. Though no parking facilities are specifically allocated to the trail, you will find plenty of parking made available by merchants who thrive on the Bikeway business. This is a trip children in training wheels and couples on tandems are seen enjoying every day.

A store specializing in cycling and in-line skating products and rentals sits at "the very head of the Minuteman Bikeway." Two other bike rental and repair shops are strategically located along the trail east into Arlington. So if you don't have a bike, for $5 to $14 you can rent one for the two hours it'll take you to appreciate both ways of the trail. If you want to gawk at the latest in runners' baby joggers, hybrid/fully suspended mountain bikes or skates, or to fill your water bottles with free spring water, you'll be happily accommodated. There's also a snack bar across the street.

But be sure to get there early. An average of twenty-thousand use the trail on a good weekend. And that's another thing you'll need to bring on this foliage excursion: plenty of patience. You'll be sharing a rather narrow strip of flat, pond- and marsh-abutting pavement with people of every outdoorsy persuasion.

Pond- and marsh-abutting.

That's the key.

Deciduous trees exposed to plenty of water turn the brightest colors when the green chlorophyll molecules fade away to reveal the multicolored chloroplast that had sat obscured in the plant all summer. Enough botany.

The three towns that encompass the trail made a conscious decision in 1991 to keep the trail narrow. Twelve feet to be exact. This 500th rails-to-trails project (so designated by the National Rails to Trails Conservancy) is also called a greenway. The trail often cuts behind people's backyards, schoolyards and town property, so much of its breadth is devoted to letting nature grow tall and lush. Except for a stretch into Arlington beyond Lexington Center, the bikeway is virtually enshrouded by mature maple, elm and oak.

Alan McLennen, Director of Planning and Community Development for the Town of Arlington, and a leader in the bikeway's establishment, said, "The MDC built a new sewer line a few years ago along the right of way into Lexington and did a lot of clearcutting; that's why the trees along there don't produce the tunnel effect one experiences into Bedford."

From Bedford's Depot Square an unpaved railroad grade goes west four miles through the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to Concord's North Bridge. "Bedford," said McLennen, "is pretty much in agreement to spend what it takes to extend the paved trail. But because of the federally managed wilderness, Concord is unsure due to environmental concerns." The cost per mile to build such a trail is $200,000. "The return to the communities," continued McLennen, "in terms of tourist dollars and wholesome activity more than makes up for this expense."

If your bike is sturdy enough, take this more primitive path into the bush. The colorful vistas along this stretch are well worth it.

Travelling east for a few miles, the bikeway crosses several roads where cyclists must stop. Locals are well known for generously letting toddlers and their parents pedal across. But one gentleman over sixty whose property abuts the path said, "This path is a hazard for the elderly. Some of these guys come screaming down the trail on bikes or skates way too fast and cross the streets without stopping. Then there's all the indecent exposures because people have to go to the bathroom. This trail is a two-and-a-half million dollar waste."

"Well," disagreed Lexington's Kristine Doherty, also a property owner along the trail, "some do break the rules. Go too fast. But I've mostly experienced a lot of friendliness and cooperation between the different users of the trail. And if you have to go to the bathroom, most of the stores and restaurants along here will gladly let you use theirs. They make business that way."

A petite roller-blader who nearly kept pace with cyclists said, "It's hard sometimes to share the path with others. I get into a rhythm and have to always be on the lookout so that my swinging arms don't get broken off by a rider from behind."

Is there an angst between bladers and cyclists? "Sure," said McLennen, "there's some." He laughs. "But you know, when this trail was conceived, roller-blades hadn't even been invented. They now represent 20% to 30% of users. But there's a generally peaceful coexistence between all users of the Minuteman Bikeway. Conflicts arise when cyclists ride too fast or roller-bladers use too much of the pavement. Though there's no speed limit, police officers on bikes patrol it and will warn, perhaps cite, anyone being reckless."

There's a surrealistic quality to travelling a narrow path above I-95. One can almost feel sorry for the tourists streaming north to experience the foliage you are now devouring with each flat mile of pedaling. Banking gracefully to the left within a mile east of I-95 stretches the Parker Meadow conservation area. This is likely the best photo-op for a family portrait with resplendent foliage in the background. You are now about a half mile from Lexington Center.

The Lexington Center Station's train shed overhangs the path. Be sure to park the bike under its rustic canopy and go into the Visitors Center. Open seven days a week, the museum offers guides to all the trail-adjoining historical sites.

Continuing east, along a section dedicated to the late Lexington Selectman, Jack Edison, you first pass Great Meadows wetlands then the Cataldo Reservation. This region offers miles of walking trails through intense foliage, but from the bikeway, the view is panoramic. Now the trail is noticeably downhill. Of course, that's a relative term. For even a beginner cyclist, this trail is as smooth as a marble on a pane of glass. For the next two-and-a-quarter miles you'll be glancing into people's backyards and some businesses until you get to Arlington Center. And here's where the trail gets messy. Mass Ave and Rte 2-A converge where the bikeway must cross one of the busiest rural streets in Massachusetts. Follow the somewhat ambiguous signs. Basically, you need to go diagonally (respecting traffic laws, of course) from Mass Ave's northwest quadrant of Mass Ave to the southeast. Then zig-zagging onto Swan Place, Arlington welcomes trail users with a banner and the characteristic sculpted bikeseat posts that divide the trail's east-west traffic pattern.

Don't go too fast. Within a quarter of a mile you'll come to a wooded access to Spy Pond on your right. Remember, where there's water there's lots of color. In a previous century, Spy Pond was bustling with ice harvesting. The Bikeway's guide states, "The ice was transported via the railroad to Charlestown, where it was shipped as far away as India and South America." Just imagine the painfully slow journey across the sea which the frozen but melting water in front of you took to become part of someone's icebox in tropical Calcutta.

At the Linwood Street intersection is another park overlooking Spy Pond devoted to Frederico Santini, "for his contribution to the youth of Arlington." As with most abutting parks to the bikeway you'll find plenty of park benches to rest your tired derriere.

Now you know you're approaching rural Cambridge, with numerous overpasses and industry. But it's still mostly a greenway (now red and yellow) all the way into the Alewife T Station off Fresh Pond Parkway. Here you can decide to bike for a couple miles to the Memorial and Storrow Drive bike paths that meander with the Charles River into Boston. Or simply head back to the serenity of Bedford and enjoy the trail's westward views. Having bike-toured around the world, I can attest to a little known secret: There's a completely different perspective to the same trail when traversed in its opposite direction.

If you liked the excursion you might want to participate in the volunteer effort to maintain it. Other than mowing the sides three or four times a year, the towns depend almost exclusively on donated time to keep it clean. Arlington's Pierce School PTO has stepped forward for this Spring's cleanup. Contact the towns' respective committees. Arlington: 641-4891. Lexington: 861-2775. Bedford: 275-1111.

Hints for the trip:

* Always keep to the right unless passing

* When passing on the left, shout, "On your left!"

* Stop completely at all intersections

* Move completely off the pavement when stopping to enjoy the view

* USE HELMETS

* Bicyclists must legally yield to pedestrians

* Only two abreast on this trail, and only when safe

* Respect other trail users, whatever their mode of locomotion

* Do not trespass of private property

* Do not litter; carry out what you bring in

* Never ride a bike with a dog for a companion

* Enjoy yourself and make friends

* Bring a camera. For practicality, I suggest Kodak's disposable "Funsaver" Panoramic 35