Year 1 - Ride Day 8 - Danvers (Peabody) MA to Provincetown MA - Sept 8
We did not rush out of the hotel this morning as we figured we had about 3 hours of riding, about 35 miles, to get to the Boston Harbor and the Provincetown Fast Ferry. So about 8:30 we sauntered out of the hotel and began our ride to Boston.
This was the day of detours and construction. We had two road closures where we had to determine alternative routing to stay on course. Both were relatively easy to accomplish and we were back on track in no time! But it all takes extra time! The third detour was a closed trail. We easily diverted and were soon back on our preprogrammed route.
All along the trail there was construction. The trail is being significantly improved. Many dollars are being spent to make this trail superior. It just so happened that is was happening while we were traveling the trail.
The approaches on both sides of crossing roads were dug out so the crossing could be improved. At least 10, possibly many more, intersections with crossing roads were in a condition that forced us to stop and lift our bikes up to the street level, cross the street, then drop down and cross gravel, then stop and pick up our bikes to the trail!
This significantly slowed our progress. A leisurely 3 hour ride turned into a much longer endeavor! We had planned to to be at the ferry terminal by 11:30 a.m. Then relax, maybe grab a bite to eat and board the ferry.
We had difficulty locating the actual terminal. I had located it via Ride With GPS, but apparently did not have the correct location. So already later than we had hoped, we pooled our resources and found directions with our good old faithful friend Google! We pulled in to the terminal at about 12:30 for the 1 p.m. ferry departure.
In front of us going up the loading ramp was a young lady with a folding trike. Her bike would not make it around the corner of the ramp onto the boat. The ferry helpers actually had to lift her bike over the gate to get it onto the boat. This ferry is not your normal drive on ferry. Instead it is primarily a passenger ferry that will accommodate a dozen or so bicycles.
I later spoke with about her trip! Her name was, hmmm, I forget! Her name started with “M” so I’ll call her M! She is 28 and is from Seattle, graduated from college on the west coast. She formerly taught at a technical school and now has a job with a national bank, headquartered in Washington DC as a map maker. She decided that as long as she can work remotely, she was going to bike the east coast. She bought her trike in Portland ME and has been riding south along the coast. She plans to continue until her money runs out or she gets to about Norfolk VA. She will eventually reside in or about DC.
A tough man had his dog along. The dog seemed to enjoy the wind for a while and then found refuge under the ships front deck splash plate. A very well behaved animal!
As we neared Provincetown, we noted the very tall Pilgrims Monument. It stands 252 feet tall. The Monument commemorates the history of the Mayflower Pilgrims and beyond. It’s the tallest all-granite structure in the United States.
The ferry passengers were predominantly men! And some interesting folks at that! We rode to our motel and dumped our bags. Then proceeded to ride around Provincetown. Lots of artsy fartsy stores, clothing stores, etc. We stopped to take pictures of a bike with a bike trailer.
We stopped at the Provincetown Brewing Co for some liquid refreshment and decided to have dinner there also. Their beer glasses are quite unique as well as the sign about potentially stealing them. The indoor decor was interesting. I was a little confused when I had to go to the rest room. The food and the beer were both very good.
Later, I walked out our motel door and was shocked to see that Linda had followed me to Provincetown! The same Forester Sport that we own, including bike rack was parked at the motel! It did cause me to do a double take for a moment!
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