September 19
A late morning flight gave us time to see Kayla one last time. We had coffees and breakfast padinas near her place and then she walked us to the T with explicit instructions on how to get to the airport (quite simple, but still); it only took about 15 minutes. Then, besides a slight delay, the flight home was quite uneventful, baggage claim was quick, and Holly met us to take us home!
September 18
Walked and semi-rode into town after packing up. Kayla can walk almost as fast as we can pedal anyway! Breakfast croissant sandwiches and coffee at a bakery took as long as a sit-down breakfast would have taken, but we had plenty of time before needing to get in line for the ferry (where we finally tipped the restroom attendant). We chatted with some other bike tourers before we boarded and sat for the 90 minute crossing to Boston.
Once in Boston, we found a Blue Bike for Kayla and then she guided us (very quickly!) to our hotel where we were able to check in early and drop all our panniers and such. Our bikes felt so light! Then off to Urban Cyles which was only a short ride away. We had an appointment to arrange shipping and it literally took 5 minutes. We were practically dazed to be leaving them behind and trusting that they would make it to Fall City via USPS. Even though we walked around all the time without our bikes, it still felt very odd to go back to the hotel and not see them leaning against the wall.
The next mission (after stopping at Kayla’s apartment to visit our grandkitten, Ewan) was to find a duffle bag so that we could combine several bags into one for the flight home, which was preferable to shipping (in Craig’s mind at least ;). We ended up buying a rather spendy but nice bag at REI after taking an Uber to a shopping area near Fenway Park (where a Red Sox game was in progress). Tacos and Nachos at the food court and then a short walk to check out the Maparium which is in a giant Christian Science building. While the stained glass globe was incredible to see, we felt somewhat assaulted by all the other exhibits and museum workers “selling” their beliefs. A worthwhile stop nonetheless.
We had made reservations at an Indian restaurant, Mela, which was good because it was quite busy! Seating on the sidewalk gives the added bonus of people watching (including all the GrubHub drivers double parking for pick ups). We ate very well! We had to pass on cannoli’s though because the line was around the block…
September 17
Slept in until 6:30 ha ha. Lounged awhile before walking the mile or so into town for breakfast at the Blue Monkey. We tried to go for a walk on a nearby trail but were besieged by mosquitoes and headed back to town, picking up a bottle of Prosecco on the way, and popping the cork on the beach near the ferry landing; we had to buy some Halloween cups at the CVS store but they made it even more festive!
We proceeded to shop for awhile, buying sweatshirts for me and for Jolie, and snacking on avocado fries and then homemade peanut butter cups. That should hold us until dinner tonight at Spindlers.
September 16
Wanted to be on the road by 8, but there was thunder and lightening when we got up, and it persisted until almost 10. So we put on all our rain gear and set out when the rain let up at least a little. Mostly side roads and highway except for a 15 mile stretch of trail and a few miles of sandy, private road that the Garmin threw at us just for a last bit of torture. We got to the hotel in Provincetown by 1:00 where Kayla was already waiting, having taken the ferry from Boston in the morning. After showers we walked into town to check it out and ended up stopping at the first restaurant we came upon for a light lunch and celebratory drinks.
Provincetown is quite flamboyant and busy — lots of restaurants, gift stores, and galleries — a mecca for people watching. After another cocktail at the Aqua Bar we eventually had sushi at JD’s and sat by our hotel’s firepit for awhile before calling it quits for the night at a reasonably early hour.
So hard to believe we are done with our trip!!
September 15
Got up early and were ready to get on the road by 7 until Craig noticed I had a flat (our 7th for the trip). He pulled a few staples out of my back tire – no way to know if we got them on the last block of riding or in the elevator on the way to our room, but it was stubborn and we ended up leaving almost an hour later.
Luckily our timing was fine. We’d had breakfast at the hotel, so we only made short stops to snack, take pictures, and whatnot. We took a longer (beer and nachos) break about 15 miles from the hotel when we realized we were making great time and we felt the need to start celebrating. Since the last miles were nice trail, we coasted into Chatham and went straight to the beach near our hotel. Video and pictures taken, we retreated to shower and find dinner.
Today we tied at the cemetary game – 9 apiece, the most we have ever passed in one day! We also reflected a lot on our trip. It took months to plan, train for, and stock up for our trip. It took months to ride it! Our highlights were definitely our visits with people – some for minutes and some for days. We are incredibly grateful for the immense support shown by our family and friends. (Special thanks to Hannah for holding down the fort – and cat – at home!) We talked to our parents more than usual – they were so concerned and interested in our well being and wanted to track our every mile – very sweet! I think our kids just think we are nuts…
We are most looking forward to not being in a different bed every night and not eating out! I will be exploring this new retirement, and Craig is antsy to get back in his shop. But we will never forget this adventure!
It’s supposed to rain or possibly storm tomorrow. We are just planning on it and if it doesn’t we will be happily surprised. We will probably only have to ride for 3 hours or so. But cross your fingers ha ha.
September 14
Started chatting with Mary and Tom again this morning and hence got out the door later than planned, finally letting them get off to work at their studio! We rode about 10 miles, stopped for another breakfast, and then went only a little further before we got on the Trestle Trail which is part of the Secondary Washington Rail Trail. Paved and mostly gradual downhill for more than 15 miles! It ended in Providence and we only had to navigate a few miles of streets before we found the East Bay Bike Path which took us most of the way to Fall River, a total of 64 miles today. Massachusetts is our 14th and final state!
Not quite sure how we started the cemetary game, but we are always fascinated by how frequent and OLD they are on the east coast. We typically pass more than 5 on a given day. So, of course, we started competing as to who spotted the most first. Given Craig’s eye for spotting wildlife (and being generally more observant than me), my advantage of being in the front is considered fair, and he usually still beats me anyway! We finally took a few pictures of cemetaries and graves the last few days.
Nice day riding overall. Tomorrow is our last long day and then we have one more short day (which will likely be wet) and a few rest days with Kayla before we fly home from Boston on Sunday. Crazy!
Breit Bikes 