When Dick left off a few days ago, Saturday, Sept 6th, I believe we had just arrived in Portsmouth NH- a beautiful old renovated town by the sea. Some of you may have been following hurricane Hannah which had the decency to wait until after our arrival to make her arrival–it poured all night-5-6 inches or so and we awoke to a lovely warm sunny day-a real surprise. We had breakfast with my high school friend Linda Gaudes before heading south again. We rode by beach after beach-full of surfers hoping to catch a large wave due to the storm, with yet another root beer float stop at the Beach Plum ice cream stand–one of the best I must admit.
Still Life with Bike
Our next stop was in Newburyport MA- a gem of a town according to one of its residents and I have to agree. These eastern seaboard towns are much more beautiful than I remember them being. We stopped for the night in Beverly-about 25 miles from Boston.
Looking ahead to Boston
We figured we’d be able to make the 2pm ferry to Provincetown and did so easily with time to tour the Liberty Clipper Ship, owned by our friend Greg Muzzy, in Boston Harbor, and then had lunch on the wharf.
The Liberty Clipper in Boston Harbor
The day was spectacular-about 82 degrees, dry and sunny. The ferry trip was calm and warm enough for us to remain outside the “fast ferry” (50 mph) cabin.
Ferrying from Boston
Arriving in Provincetown
We spent the night in a campground in Provincetown and had dinner on the water–then ice cream, of course, in a local shop that makes its own product. We were there a few years ago with Dick’s sister and brother-in-law and the ice cream is just as delicious now.
Yesterday, Sept 9th, we rode from Provincetown to our house in South Dennis and, as I said before, it’s all in the timing. It was a beautiful day when we packed up our bikes and headed out after breakfast with our friend Jim Brygger and another old friend, John Hausner. We helped John and his wife Bonnie start their new home in Waitsfield, VT in 1972, camping for two months on their beautiful meadow with our two-year old twins. They are retiring to Chatham on the Cape at the end of this year. John rode with us much of the day, after Bonnie dropped him off in Provincetown. It was sunny and windy and we didn’t bother to check the weather-our first mistake! After we stopped for ice cream floats- yes again- and got a little turned around on the bike path, someone mentioned the fast storm moving over the Cape. We decided to have a very quick lunch instead of a sit down leisurely lunch, but we weren’t able to outrun the storm and got caught in a downpour. All the rain gear was in the bottom of the panniers since there had been no talk of rain for days. All we could get out was our rain jackets before the “wall of water” drowned us. We arrived at 58 Baxter Street very wet. My mom was waiting with the house open and towels in hand. As I said before-it’s all in the timing.
Durna girls in our Baxter St. living room
The storm was quick and we again awoke to sunny skies. We’re on the Cape for about a week before we head south to RI, Block Island, LI and CT–that’s all for now folks–We’re having the time of out lives!! Love Carol and Dick, Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa
