Lee Caron of Nashua and Bob Tobey of Milford took the inaugural rides on the new stretch of the Nashua River Rail Trail.

The two bikers - Caron on his Specialized and Tobey on his Marin - joined some two-dozen officials from Homes By Paradise, city administrators and other supporters for the official opening of the trail extension Wednesday.

Homes By Paradise built a 29-car parking lot and extended the paved trail about a mile northeast of where it first crosses from Dunstable, Mass. The trail now ends near the intersection of Gilson Road and Countryside Drive. A nearby dirt-covered spot is to be a small pond.

Amos White, vice president of the housing company, and Peter Paradise, its president, said the goal is to connect the trail system with other trails around the Maplewood housing development and eventually link downtown Nashua with the country-like setting in the southwest area of the city. "It's a little pet project we have," White said.

In fact, company employees took a day in August to ride the trail to its end in Ayer, Mass., some 11 miles south of Nashua.