Looking Ahead: Pedaling Plymouth

And, its August already...

I've never been a fan of August.  For one, it was the month of Back to School.  Secondly, it was always miserably hot.  But, August for the past 11 years has meant a trip to Plymouth, MA.  And, that is a good thing.

I won't get into the details of why I go to PLY every August, but its mostly to do with old dusty archaeological stuff.  There's quite a bit of history in Plymouth.  That's all well and good, but the main reason I look forward to going is for the traditions.  While the day is spent doing dusty archaeology stuff, the evenings and weekends are spent exploring the town.  There are some things you have to do every year.  For example, whale watching shouldn't be missed.  The Thai place is exceptionally delicious.  You have to sit and watch the boats come in while having some ice cream at sunset.  And, you need to get breakfast from Persy's.

Most importantly, you must end every evening at the British Beer Company (mostly for the beer, but also because its the only place in town with free WiFi).

Spending a week in Plymouth has always been the highlight of the summer.  In fact, I can't remember a summer without it.  My husband and I have been going there since we met, even when that meant using up all our vacation time.

This year we're going to do things a little differently, though.  We're taking our bikes.

For those that aren't familiar with New England drivers, and more specifically Massachusetts driver, they're not like anything we have around here.  You think Ohio drivers are aggressive?  You haven't seen aggressive until you've been to Massachusetts.  There's a reason they call them Mass-Holes.  I hear Boston isn't bad for cyclists, but the smaller towns are probably more challenging than places around here.

I'm pumped.  First of all, driving in Plymouth is a pain and parking is even worse.  So, the bike lends itself nicely for ambling around town.  Secondly, it will be nothing like riding around here.  Sure, it might be a little more tricky with the drivers and congestion, but we've never ridden there before.  There's something tantalizing about exploring an old haunt for the first time by bike.

We're also planning to ride a portion of the Cape one weekend on the Cape Cod Rail Trail from Yarmouth to about South Wellfleet and then (hopefully) take the roads the rest of the way into Provincetown.  Of all the years we've come out to Plymouth, we've never explored much of the Cape.

So, as our upcoming trip rapidly approaches, we're looking forward to seeing our favorite spots again, but we're also excited to see new things.  This time we will be seeing them from a whole new perspective.