This weekend the bf and I rented a Zipcar and drove to P-town. Our goal was to get caught in Hurricane Danny (sadly later demoted to Tropical Storm Danny),  get rained on at a local campsite with other members of the Gozerian Society, and possibly get swept out to sea on my first visit to the homosexual capital of New England. Though we did plow through some pretty deep puddles on the highway, the storm sadly petered out as we were dining at Bayside Betsy’s (which I don’t really recommend, it being typical in the lobster/chowder/deck shoes way of restaurants on the seashore). What I didn’t expect, however, was the mindblowing number of bikes I saw there. There are bike racks EVERYWHERE, and even during this ‘hurricane’, people were pedaling up and down the main strip in flip flops, some even holding umbrellas! All the bikes I saw were of the beach cruiser variety, owing to the fact that there’s only about two miles of rideable area from one end of Ptown to the other.

the moustache helps him blend in

I'm also blending in, with my 'sloppy chic' duds

P-town people relaxin' by the pool.

Ultimately, I give P-town a 6 on the Biketastic Rating Chart, because there’s a ton of great parking, and (apparently) low bike-related crime, but it’s really an all or nothing geography – you have about 5 miles of road altogether in town, and if you live out of town it’s a huge undertaking to get there via bike.

This past weekend was possibly the most gorgeous of the year so far. If you like temperatures hovering around 85 in the shade, which I do, and if you like glaring, searing sunshine, which I do. At around 10:30am on Saturday, Chopper, Frenchy, and I left Goondocks Castle on a trip to beautiful scenic Gloucester, MA. Chopper and I on our Leisurenaughts and Frenchy on a hybrid that has seen better days. Here is our approximate route:

View Ride to Gloucester in a larger map

The first half of the journey was a tiny slice of Hell. Revere, Lynn, Swampscott…. these are not communities set up for pleasant cycling. However, we did not receive one death threat during the whole 30+ mile jaunt. I count this as a total win. We celebrated our escape from the gridlock of Greater Boston with some margaritas and lunch at the Edgewater Cafe in Salem, MA. From that point on  it was pretty smooth sailing up 127, though if you ask the guys, it was all choppy seas and huge rolling waves. Once we got to Gtown we discovered, sadly, that the place was overrun by tourists for the Waterfront Festival. We blew up Dadoo’s cell phone and met him at the Blackburn Tavern, which was mercifully empty at 4pm. After refueling with a few beers, Frenchy parted ways with us and the three amigos went on to boat to Lighthouse Cove, off Eastern Point. Lovely, clear water and entirely empty of people, this beach was total paradise. We swam for a bit and then went to dinner at the sketchiest hotel restaurant in the world. I can’t remember the name but there was a fiberglass cow standing outside, and the only dining area was outside on a back porch overlooking the marsh. Bugs a-go-go, but after a couple glasses of wine, we didn’t care. And then, home again on the train. Why the last train into Boston from Gloucester on a Saturday night is at 10:08 I have no idea. You’d think they were trying to strand people in the boonies, or something. Anyway, first thing that happens while we’re riding through Cambridge back to the Goondocks – you guessed it, we were honked at and menaced. Ahh, home sweet home.