Wednesday, 17 May 2006

Quincy to Concord. (Massachusetts)

I didn't sleep great, but it was a beautiful clear sunny morning which immediately made me feel better. I strolled out to buy some bread and 'gas' (Unleaded petrol for my camping stove) It must have been the smallest sale ever at the gas station ($.043) I then went for breakfast at the "Egg & I" once again to fuel my self for the road. By 9am the first few clouds were appearing in the sky. I was feeling excited but apprehensive; excited to be starting out cycling, but a little apprehensive because I don't much like cycling in big cities and towns. I much prefer being ouot in the wilds.

The steps at Wollaston station proved to be the first obstacle and I nearly lost control of the bike rolling it down. More patience required. Luckily there was an escalator up to the platform. At Charles/MGH (Mass. Gen. Hosp.) station however it was even more tricky; 3 flight of steep metal stairs. There were roadworks and building work going on which made it a bit tricky finding the Charles River Bike Path, but once I'd found it, it was a pleasant and easy cycle. At one point further on I was advised to cross over to the cycle path on the northern bank of the Charles River, which meant that I lost the route in Watertown but met up with it a bit further on. It was quite a warm day and I was glad I had opted for shorts and sandals. From Watertown onwards the route became a bit more hilly.

By early afternoon it had clouded over and I was feeling a bit weary as I came to the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (http://www.decordova.org/) so I decided to stop for a few hours and then find some local accomodation. The park and museum are very well presented (and with a nice cafe which is always a bonus) and I spent the rest of the afternoon happily wandering around. The payphones in the museum didn't accept coins, so they kindly let the switchboard phone to find some accomodation. I ended up having to book in at the Best Western in Concord a few miles further on.

I was feeling a bit tender when I climbed back on the bike; I haven't been on a bike for 8 months! One compensation though was a bath in the hotel room to soak may aching muscles. (and bum!) I'm a bit over budget for my first few days, but hopefully I can recoup this later. (I saved a bit of money by eating in my room)

Distance: 27.6 miles
Cycling time: 3:17
Total distance: 27.6 miles