HOMG. What a night, what a morning. : )
Day 1
So, the morning of July 4 was filled with busy-ness. I cleaned up my apartment somewhat, passed Puzzle off to my co-worker (she was surprisingly calm about it once she'd gotten into the cat carrier), grabbed a shower, and packed up all the things I thought I would need.
Thus prepared, and with a decent breakfast in my belly, I set off to complete my goal for Day 1: from North Andover to Boston.
I had a room -- a very small room -- reserved at the Oasis Guest House. The place has a nice atmosphere overall, but it is surprisingly tiny. However, for someone on a budget, it's a good solution to needing to be in Boston for the following morning. More on that later.
smallest hotel room I've ever seen, honest!
the Oasis guest house on Edgerly Road
Having gotten down to Boston and settled my heavier effects at the Oasis,
I went over to grab lunch and take in the festival atmosphere.
me grabbing lunch at a great Italianesque deli (off Mass Ave.) called Cinderella's
boats out on the Charles
and the huge fireworks barge out in the middle of the river
much has been said about the heavy traffic in Boston on the 4th, and it's mostly true...
... though there are often quite obvious causes, like letting all the boats into the segment of the Charles where the fireworks were to be set off.
of course, there was a substantial police and National Guard presence, which completely made sense and which I found strangely reassuring... probably having to with the National Guard being here in the U.S. *grin*
there were all kinds of attendees at the celebration
... and the main roads around the Charles were blocked off to
all vehicular traffic, making it a bicyclist's paradise
the south bank of the Charles had been jammed since early morning, I'm told
I went north across the Harvard/Mass Ave. bridge, and was once again glad that I had my bike.
there were all kinds of boats showing up on the Charles,
even those the participants had clearly built themselves
... or, ahem, "borrowed". : )
though the crowds on the north side of the Charles were
much sparser than the southern at first...
... they grew...
... and grew and GREW. The estimate was that there were better than
half a million people on the north and south banks of the Charles.
we were treated to a gorgeous sunset, staining the clouds in magnificent colors
The fireworks display was one of the most astonishing and impressive things I've ever witnessed. I tried to capture the entirety of it on my digital camera, but my 2-gig memory stick ran out of memory after the first 20 minutes or so. *grin* In all, it was something like a near-continuous 30-minute pyrotechnic display of absolute win. : )
I ended up getting back to my hotel past 11:30, and tried to do a little research for the next day before conking out around 12:30 am.
Day 2.
I slept unevenly in the tiny room at the Oasis. Maybe it was the unfamiliar bed; maybe it was the anticipation of the travels of the next day. Whatever it was, I kept waking up every hour and compulsively staring at the time on the room's alarm clock. I was up at 6:30, grabbed a quick shower in the shared bathroom, and hit the road before 7:15. I knew the ferry to Provincetown left at 8 am, and I wanted to make sure I got there in plenty of time.
the streets of Boston are strangely beautiful, deserted in the morning fog
the Boston-Provincetown ferry terminal and our fastferry
Boston harbor, the morning of July 5.
I got to the harbor terminal around 7:35, and we set off at precisely 8.
I hadn't been on a ferry in ages, but this one was a treat, muscling its way
through the waters of the Atlantic and Cape Cod Bay at better than 30 mph.
a last look back at Boston, which I'll not see for a week or so
a cute lesbian couple brought this adorable puppy along with them on the ferry. *grin*
a 90-minute ride later, we arrived in Provincetown
I love eyecatchers and follies like this. I have no idea what it's for, but it LOOKS cool.
Provincetown has the atmosphere and feel of what it basically is -- a small, touristy, more or less laid-back bit of rural suburbia. I quickly set off from the Provincetown docks, and was on my way south via Route 6 within a half hour.
looking out over Provincetown towards Cape Cod Bay
Provincetown city streets
(Amusing side note: in reading Kerouac's On the Road, he mentions Route 6 -- apparently it goes all the way from Provincetown to a city in California, some 3,205 miles away. Thankfully I'm not going anywhere near so far.)
I should note here that the ride is fairly pleasant, but that the pleasantly green, rolling hills of the Cape which are lovely and picturesque while in a car are HELL on a bicyclist -- particularly one hauling a 40-lb. pack and a tent. They're pleasantly green, rolling, grueling, teeth-gritting mile after mile of effort. Thankfully, it's most hilly towards the northern tip of the Cape. Regardless, there was enough up and down throughout the course of the ride down that my legs got an amazingly challenging workout. Still, I was able to make my way south from Provincetown to Hyannis in a litle under four hours -- a distance of some 48 miles or so. It rained a bit while I was heading south, so I was very glad of the waterproof pack slipcover I bought.
I have acquired a much healthier respect for hills, but the weird thing is it wasn't my legs that were sore -- it was where the bike seat chafed my inner thighs and butt. For shorter rides, I've hardly noticed this, but today -- Ow, majorly. I made my way to a Burrito Bistro that's a neighbor of Panera Bread, and here I am, swiping Panera's broadband access to blog as I feast on a well-earned lunch. I'm taking a several-hours break here as I linger over lunch and recover from the morning's exertions.
Burrito Bistro -- warm, dry, and with free wi-fi, yaaaaaay!
Of course, I can't stay here forever. I'm hoping to make it to my chosen campground in Wareham, some 28 miles away, before sundown. I'd like to set up my tent and settle in, hopefully to get a great night's sleep and be on the road relatively early tomorrow morning. Tomorrow's goal, in theory, is to make it all the way to Norwich, CT -- some 90 miles down the road. I think that'll largely depend on how the terrain is between here and there, but if I fall short I don't mind too much. Norwich is only about 15 miles from New London, where I'll be catching the ferry across Long Island Sound to Orient Point Monday morning/midday, so if I fall a bit short I can grab a hotel somewhere short of there.
I'll try to get in a post tomorrow from somewhere near Providence, Rhode Island, but no promises -- wifi is a fickle thing. : )