Riding to Cape Cod, MA

Jay along the coast

 When we last wrote, we had been taking shelter from tropical storm Henri in Scarborough, ME (south of Portland). We are now another 260 miles further along in our journey near Fall River, MA (east of Providence, RI). For Jay, this bike trip has finally begun showing signs of a REAL east coast ride.  There was a brief touch of coastal life in Belfast, ME where the boatyard held an ocean-going tugboat in drydock.  No doubt there were other ships moored in the harbor with names like “The Scurvy Dog” or “Master of the Sea.” However, most of Jay’s rides have been bereft of the smell of salt air. That changed as his route wound about the southern edge of Maine’s coastline.

A large house on the coast

Along that coast, there are towns open to the American heartland providing beach access, amusement rides, pizza and sugar-coated fried dough. There are also exclusive enclaves of mansions with polite but firmly worded signage, “Keep off my beach!” There is something for everyone.

We have been blessed with blue skies and mostly moderate temperatures, but we have not been without our mishaps.

Our current big adventure was a ride down the spine of Cape Cod. Jay attempted, unsuccessfully in several conversations, to determine the appropriate way to communicate a trip to Cape Cod.  Some declared that one “Goes down to the Cape.” Others offered “Out to the Cape.”  There was no consensus, yet we soon discovered that our Cape Cod adventure had a more serious problem than mere linguistic inconsistencies.

Progress Report

All of Jay’s bike software and mapping resources indicated riders can catch a ferry from Boston to Provincetown at the northern tip of the Cape. Jay booked two tickets accordingly. It was not until we arrived at the ferry dock in Boston that we learned that the ferry was for passengers only (and their bikes) and not for cars. Our Prius, driven by Helen with all our gear, was not crossing on this ferry. Not willing to forego a Cape Cod adventure, we drove the 115 miles to our campground, Dunes Edge, just outside Provincetown.

Universalist Church in P-town

Provincetown, or P-Town as the locals refer to it, is a compact city at the northern tip of Cape Cod of narrow streets filled with bars, restaurants and art galleries. P-Town lives into its welcoming promise to the LGBTQ+ community with ubiquitous displays of Pride flags, and the flamboyant and ordinary harmoniously mingling without raising an eyebrow. P-Town was the site of another mishap with the loss of Jay’s prescription sunglasses. Per the karma of our trip, Helen returned the next day and retrieved his glasses from a pizzeria where we had paused for “a slice.”

This lighthouse is in Portland

We purchased an audio tour of Cape Cod and drove from site to site visiting different historical artifacts. The most

Old lighthouse on Cape Cod

interesting were all the light houses, but we also learned a lot about the Pilgrims who landed on Cape Cod in November, 1620. As you probably already know, they didn’t eat turkey and pumpkin pies at the first Thanksgiving. The menu was probably mussels, shrimp, lobster and fish.

Narrow bike path on bridge

With 584 miles into our trek, we are getting our traveling sea legs. A great deal of planning is required that is constrained by the weather, riding terrain and a flood of vacationers in our intended path. Helen is the queen behind the curtain. Finding vacancies at hotels and campgrounds is no easy task during the summer vacation time. Even securing a dinner reservation is a challenge. Thankfully, a Whole Foods hot bar is a good fallback position.  As we head into Connecticut’s urban environment, we anticipate more hotel stays and hope for less vacation pressures on availability.

We spent two nights at the Sandwich (MA) Lodge & Resort “on historic Route 6A” on Cape Cod. On Sunday Jay rode 68 miles on his bike, Helen retrieved him and drove back to the hotel. In the morning we will both drive to the pickup point, the Fall River Historic Park, and tour the battleships moored there.