Bicycle Tour: Cape Cod 2025, Day Six

Monday, September 8, 2025, was the sixth day of my tour of Cape Cod. (For the fifth day of this tour, see Cape Cod 2025, Day Five).

The rain had stopped by the time I woke up in the morning. The skies were still cloudy with a comfortable temperature of 64 °F.

My campsite in Area 7 of Nickerson State Park

Mushrooms growing near my campsite

Flowers growing in Nickerson State Park

Little Cliff Pond in Nickerson State Park

I needed to deal with my bike’s failed brakes. Using my water bottle, I rinsed the sand out my brake calipers and pads, and I adjusted the brakes by turning the barrel adjustors until they worked fairly well again. The rear brake was still weak.

I had a list of Cape Cod bicycle shops, and I decided to ride north on the Cape Cod Rail Trail in a quest of a shop that could repair my brakes. My choices in that direction were a shop in Orleans and another one farther north in Eastham, both very close to the rail trail.

Cape Cod Rail Trail sign on Salty Ridge Road in Orleans

But when I arrived at the Orleans Cycle Shop on Main Street in Orleans, I saw a sign outside the door, “No repairs until October.”

I continued north to the Little Capistrano Bike Shop in Eastham. I had a nice conversation with Mark, the owner, who took a quick look and said my brake pads were very worn and needed to be replaced, but he couldn’t get to the job for a few days. After Mark understood my situation — a touring bicyclist with unreliable brakes who needed to be home in two more days — he was kind enough to offer an appointment the next day at 11:00 a.m.

I rode back to the campground on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, making a short detour in Orleans to find the Shaw’s Supermarket at Skaket Corners Shopping Center between Route 6A and Route 6.

One would think that bicycle infrastructure would be excellent on the Cape, but there is only one low-capacity bike rack in the shopping center, located near the liquor store. I guess that’s where a liquor store customer can park their “DUI bike” (also known as a “sobriety cycle,” the bicycle you use for transportation when you’re no longer allowed to drive because of a DUI conviction).

The only bicycle rack at Skaket Corners Shopping Center in Orleans

After charging my watch and phone today, I had completely depleted one power bank. On my ride to Eastham and back, I used the opportunity to test my charging setup for the first time. With 21 miles of riding, the power bank’s charge increased from 4% to 36%. From extrapolation, I estimated that a ride of about 35 miles would store enough energy to charge my watch and phone.

I needed to get lunch and buy groceries. I walked four miles from my campsite to Orleans via park trails and back roads.

I found Viv’s Kitchen, a good choice with lots of customers, delicious food, good outside seating (which was full, so I sat inside), and good music (an eclectic mix, kind of jazzy).

My delicious lunch at Viv’s Kitchen in Orleans

I walked from Viv’s Kitchen down the horrible sidewalks along Route 6A to the Shaw’s Market, where I bought groceries. Then I walked back to my campsite, completing another five miles and making nine total walking miles for the day.

In the evening, I met my neighbors across the road, Bernadette and Paul. We had a nice conversation while drinking tea.

For the seventh day of this eight-day tour, see Cape Cod 2025, Day Seven.