July 16 - Nantucket Island

The high speed ferry to the island was great - but very expensive. The harbor is full of sail boats. Tourists and residents are everywhere. By 9:30 we started our epic cycle across the island. Getting through town was a challenge. Cars continually jump onto the pavements to pass each other. The roads are too narrow to pass the cyclists so one always has a motorist right on ones tail. The main street is cobbled and very bumpy to ride along. The burley sounded like it was going to fall apart. Once we were out of town there are proper bike paths and that made it easier to relax. Our first goal was to get to Siasconset. We passed a pretty cottage covered in rose bushes.(pic) After 10 miles we were overjoyed to find kids selling lemonade. The beach at 'Sconset was steep and waves were pretty rough but once again Mike headed straight in. The water was 65 F - not too cold. After a swim and sand digging we discovered that there were no showers to rinse off in. We improvised showers in the public restrooms using a water bottle. The local grocery store had good fudge and ice cream. We saw an article about a great white shark someone found on the beach the day before. The town of 'Sconset was pretty.(pic) The bike path back to the harbor was quite dull but we did find more ice cold lemonade stands. After a rest in the shade we decided to find another beach. We rode out to Surfside. We got there just as they were clearing the water of swimmers - there was a "big fish" nearby. Somebodies overactive imagination I think! After half an hour we went back into the water and enjoyed the surf. This time there were showers but they were freezing cold. Rob was the only one brave enough to use them. The rest of us used warm water from the restroom basins. We returned to the harbor and a quick burger before catching the last ferry off the island.(pic) We were all exhausted after cycling 27 miles. On our way back to Cape Cod on the ferry our view of Jupiter and the moon, rising in the east, was spectacular.(pic)