Pogwatigue Perambulations: Cape Cod

As mentioned in my previous post, I brought my bike with me on my August trip to New England. To use it, I had a couple options in mind, including a 20 mile railtrail at the base of Cape Cod and a shorter trail at the tip. Another idea was to park of at the National Seashore Headquarters and ride between the two. The rangers at the headquarters advised against that last option due to the heavy traffic on the only route to the tip. I really wanted to drive length of the cape so I headed in that direction and thinking, time permitting, I could catch the other trail on the way back. Driving the same route I would have biked debunked any safety concerns--I ride on less friendly roads around Philly--but I'm glad I took their advice as it gave me more time to do other things that day.

The trail at the tip of Cape Code, officially Province Lands Bike Trail, was positively splendid. A paved loop travels about ten miles through pleasant woods, past lily pad-filled ponds, and among formidible sand dunes. The dunes were particularly appealing as sand and biking don't often go together. One spur off the loop lead to a beach on the very eastern tip of cape cod, while another poked north to a historic light-saving station along the Atlantic Ocean. Near the end of the ride, an observation deck at the visitor center offered a sweeping panorama of the landscape I was just riding through.

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Packing the bike in to the trunk, I drove the short distance to Provincetown, primarily to visit the Pilgrim Monument, a soaring, granite tower that commemorates the locale where the Pilgrims first landed to recoup from the voyage before settling on Plymouth for their permanent colony. I climbed the stairs up the 252-foot tower and was rewarded with a 360 degree view of cape, bay and ocean. After descending the tower, I ventured in to town in search of a good cup of calm chowder. The chowder I found didn't meet expectations, but I did enjoy walking through the quirky town.

Leaving Provincetown behind, I headed for another bike trail, but misread the map and ended up hiking Small's Swamp Trail first, before finding the proper trail head. The Head of the Meadows Bike Trail paled compared to the earlier bounty, but I was glad to have a second chance to ride. Continuing back toward the mainland--I think that is a proper term to use here--I stopped at the Marconi Station Site, the location where the wireless pioneer erected the first antenna to send and receive transatlantic transmissions; Nauset Beach Lighthouse; and to the park headquarters where I started the day, where I enjoyed a late afternoon hike along Salt Pond.