Northeast - Cape Cod Rail Trail

Anyone gonna tear it up this weekend? I might be able to hit it at sunrise Sunday. Gonna bring 2 bikes and try the whole thing twice.

Unless of course if I change my mind ... :-)

Anyone gonna tear it up this weekend? I might be able to hit it at sunrise Sunday. Gonna bring 2 bikes and try the whole thing twice.

Unless of course if I change my mind ... :-)

watch for me, my brother-in-law and nephew on Sunday. We make our yearly Memorial Boston/Provincetown/Boston (BPB) run this weekend. I'm just about to head out the door for the first leg.

I'll be on a big old dark blue classic steel frame with rack pack and front bag- yellow helmet.

I rode the trail on Friday, it was hot and pretty empty. Saturday the northeast wind and rain came up and it was a hard press out of Orleans to Wellfleet. I think the rain took most by surprise as there were many groups huddled under knots of trees to escape the quick downpours. Sunday was better, I rode from Eastham to Wellfleet, then back down to Brewster and ending back in Eastham. I only caught rain on the last 15 minutes of the ride. The trail is in good shape, not a lot of sand or root damage. Oh, but the pine pollen. In one spot it looked liked the yellow brick road.

Scott

You're right about the pollen! I was there Sunday. I tried for sunrise, hahaha LOL LOL ... but I didn't start riding 'till 9:30 ... oh well.

There's a full thread/report in "long distance cycling".

The pollen was so bad that during my last 10 miles or so the pollen when combined with water spray created a nasty combination that made me start hacking. Glad the whole day wasn't like that. It's a great trail but I did notice some new roots coming up and making washboard bumps. I'm surprised they didn't do something to prevent that from happening when they redid the trail a few years ago.

I did the entire length twice and then some on the highway twice to the S. Welfleet general store. BTW, this time of year the deli closes at 3:00 pm !!! :(

I was dressed for warm weather and iot was weird flying by in shorts and t-shirt when others were wearing jackets.

Hey Rum,

Where were you starting from? We must have crossed paths somewhere unless you were heading south when I went north. I was on my '73 Raleigh Competition with two old alloy bottles mounted on the handlebars and a spare tubular under the Brooks.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff142/Head_High_and_Glassy/1973%20Raleigh%20Competition/DSC01787-1.jpg

Scott

Scottryder - Nice setup! Don't recall seeing you, but I did see several riders together - looked like renters - who all had water bottles up on their bars. So far this season I have dropped my bottle twice going for it, or putting it back.

I was on the trail from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm with breaks in the parking lot and also the S. Wellfleet general store, a little past Marconi.

I think I'll post the next time I go as well because there seems to be some activity here with riders who like the trail.

I think I'll post the next time I go as well because there seems to be some activity here with riders who like the trail.

Please do, as I get down there several times a year.
Also check out the Old Colony trail that runs from the Rail Trail in Harwich out to Chatham.
Scott and I are old enough to have run the S.Wellfleet/Eastham portions of the trail on old beach crusiers back in the day when it was a cinder railbed with ties.
Top

top506 - OK will do. thanks for that other trail info. I've done the CCRT to Chatham, but that leg is not as new as the trip to Wellfleet.

When I was really young I remember my Dad loading me in the car and speeding up to Gertrude's Beach Box (now Arnold's) in Eastham to where the tracks crossed Rt. 6. We'd watch the locomotive lumber by at walking speed pulling five or six box cars. There were no railroad gates where it crossed the highway, just flashing lights and bells. Can you imagine that nowadays?

After the train would cross Rt. 6, we'd jump back in the car and race it down to the crossing at Samoset Rd. We'd always beat it and got a chance to watch it go by again. Not sure but I think the water tower was still there on the corner.

I've been discussing with the Eastham Historical Society and some others in the town to get that crossing spruced up a bit with a water station, some historical photos, maybe some nice benches. It's a slow process but it's it's moving forward. Lot's of different entities involved so the pace is slower than the trains themselves.

Scott

Wow, great info!!!!