Yesterday, Randy and I presented at Tufts in Somerville. We left around 6:30am and arrived in plenty of time to get set up. The audience was small and extremely engaged -- they asked great questions throughout and made the session really interactive. In the first hour and a half, we talked about the Pew Course Redesign -- this is a talk that Randy and I have given before numerous times. After the break, I gave a talk about 
using wikis for teaching. The talks were both well received. After lunch, we headed back, stopping briefly at the Bear Den Reservation to take a quick walk by the waterfalls. It all made for a nice end to the semester. Now it's time to start thinking about getting work done for the summer.
Today I rode up the Pelham hill to Meetinghouse Road. Meetinghouse road is a dirt road that is past North Valley Road (where we used to live) and runs along the other side of the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area. Hills are particularly challenging for me, due to my weight, so I've been working on them in between taking long, flatter rides. It took me about 45 minutes to grind up the hill, going 4 or 5mph on the flatter parts and 2-3mph on the really steep parts. Just before the water plant, it was so steep that I eventually had to get off and walk, but only for 100feet or so. Just after the turn onto Meetinghouse Road, it is an extremely steep downhill. I crept down the hill at about 7mph, to avoid losing control on the gravel. There are a few little ups and downs and then a steep climb at the other end, but shorter. After that, it's downhill all the way back to Amherst. I hit 28mph on the way down North Valley Road. Afterwards, I rode on to Groff Park, stopping only to pick up a diet soda. I met up with the rest of the family and, after the interminable ball game, we finally got to come home. With the climbing, it was a particularly slow ride, but it was good to get in a longish ride today so that tomorrow I can rest prior to our big adventure planned for Saturday.