Heceta Beach in Florence, Oregon, May 1, 2019
Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts, July 4, 2019
I have always loved riding on the morning of the Fourth of July. It is the quietest morning of the summer — it is almost as quiet as Christmas morning, but in Minnesota I didn’t do much riding on Christmas mornings. Few people are out at first, and those that are tend to be riding or running or otherwise enjoying the outdoors. As the morning wears on, it gets busier, but everyone is in a festive mood, often in small community parades.
I got an early start for the final ride of the trip, rolling out among the quiet suburbs of Boston about 7:00 AM. I was rewarded by quiet roads and peaceful scenery (though no barns).
Charles River, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
For the first half hour of the ride I saw more cyclists and runners than cars.
Traffic picked up a bit as I neared the Blue Hills Reservation (park) in Milton, as people came out to enjoy the holiday morning with a hike in the park. In the middle of the park, I got a glimpse of downtown Boston in the distance.
I continued into the southern suburbs of Boston, heading toward Hingham, the town I lived in until I was six years old. I reached Hingham about 9:30.
I rode on to stop by the house we called home in Hingham. Teen children of the family that lives there now were just heading off to the Hingham Fourth of July Parade, and they thought it was cool that I lived there in the late 50s and early 60s. Their family has lived in the house since 1997.
A short ride after that, Toni and I met Ryan and Kyle, who had flown from LA to ride the last few miles with me. Niece Karen and her mom Joan had picked up Ryan and Kyle at the Hingham Ferry, which they had taken over from downtown. Ryan, Kyle and I then headed off for the beach, about five miles away.
On our way, we passed by locals walking to the Hingham parade, and then dodged the beach-going traffic. We arrived at Nantasket Beach about 11:00.
Finally, I could go no further east without a boat. The ride was over!
I’ll be posting a few follow ups in the next day or two, including thanks to all who helped make this possible and perhaps a few reflections on what we learned.
We are flying back to LA next week, leaving the RV on the east coast until the fall. We plan to come back east in the fall and drive the RV around New England to see the fall colors, then drive it back to the west coast.
The Technical Stuff for Today’s Ride (info on the full ride follows below)
Natick, MA to Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA
40 miles
1,420 feet of climbing.
Average speed 14.2 miles per hour
Weather: Bright sunshine and humid all day. Temperatures around 70 to start and mid-80s at the end. Winds calm.
The Technical Stuff for the Entire Ride
Heceta Beach, in Florence, Oregon to Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts (excluding Wyoming and a bit of Ohio)
Total miles ridden since May 1 (including a few side trips not reflected on the map below): 3,383.8
Total feet of climbing (some estimated due to Garmin problems): 116,000
Total riding time: 233 hours
Average speed: 14.5 MPH