Today we woke up for the second morning in Chatham. Last night we made a gluten free rhubarb crumble, so this morning we used the remaining flour to make pancakes which we then topped with raspberry preserves and the remaining crumble. YUM!!
After doing some final bike maintenance with the help of Dr. Fuller, we said our thanks and farewells. We set out for Onset around 10:30 am. In contrast to our arrival to Chatham, we were able to avoid the harrowingly narrow roads by hopping on the rail trail. We’ve joked that trail miles don’t count because they’re so flat and bike friendly. So if we don’t include them in the tally, today we only biked 28 miles (but if we do, it was 46)!
As we departed, the overcast clouds turned to rain and so the first 2 hours were fairly damp and chilly. Although that may sound unbearable, the rain kept us cool as we chugged along. The water kicked up by our tires, however, did make us the dirtiest thus far in our travels.
About halfway through the day, we stopped at a bike shop so MK could purchase a bikers bib to reduce the digging in by bike shorts that quite commonly plagues us. Shortly after the shop we rejoined car trafficked roads with rolling hills and made our way to Sandwich. We stopped for our obligatory afternoon ice cream and met Sarah’s aunt and uncle.
After a chat and photo op in Sandwich, we set out for our last 12 miles. We crossed the monstrosity that is the Sagamore Bridge. Luckily there was a four foot wide walking/bike path raised a foot or so off road, so we were safe from aggressive Masshole drivers.
On the other side of the Cape Canal we rode our last several miles on another bike path. We crossed under the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges while facing extremely strong headwinds. I honestly think the wind made that stretch the most difficult portion of the day.
As we approached the end of the trail our timing was ever so perfect: we watched a bridge lower down to the canal allowing safe passage of a train. We rode the last 2 miles to Sarah’s Uncle Jeff’s house where we were greeted by him and her grandparents.
After biking all day with soggy feet, we stripped off our shoes and socks. We ran down the street fully clad in bike shorts and sport bras. Grandma Joyce, Papa Dick, and Uncle Jeff were certainly surprised by the strange sight as four grown women frolicked into the bay. We swam around just for a moment and returned to shower and set up camp. Within minutes our bags, as usual, exploded onto the patio.
We then set up tables on the corner and Sarah’s family ordered us salads and pizzas (thank you so much and thank you whoever invented gluten free pizza). For the first time I experienced a Shabbat, which was so heartwarming to see as Sarah and her grandmother recited prayers and broke bread. This was definitely an energy we needed.
After dinner, we munched on homemade rice crispy treats and said so-long to Sarah’s grandparents. But before they left they made sure to stock us up with snacks, supplies and weasel piss (a family special)!
To end the day we took a stroll around the quaint town and waterfront. We stopped in at a candy shoppe and hopefully we will sleep soundly on patio.
Cheers,
Kelly
Coast to Coast for a Cause 2020 
Ahh! The 2 H’s, Hills and Headwinds. They build Character and Quads! 😉
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