Bicycle Tour: Dune's Edge Campground, Day Four

On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, I traveled home to Somerville from Dune’s Edge Campground on Cape Cod. (For the third day of this tour, see Dune’s Edge Campground, Day Three).

There was no rain overnight, and when I woke up at 2:00 a.m., I could see beautiful stars and a very bright Jupiter. I slept until about 6:00 a.m. None of my clothes dried out because of the high humidity.

Because the weather forecast for the remnants of Hurricane Lee predicted high winds gusting to 50 mph on Friday and Saturday and heavy rain (one to two inches) on Saturday, I abandoned my plans to ride south to Nickerson State Park and one or two days later on to Shawme Crowell State Park. I considered staying another night at Dune’s Edge Campground, but overnight rain was forecast, and I didn’t want to have to deal with wet gear on Thursday morning. So I decided to return home.

It took me two hours to pack up. I did not have time to cook breakfast, so I ate cheese sticks and Clif Bars. While disassembling my tent, I discovered that water had collected between the footprint and the tent bottom. A little wet mud and sand were stuck to the footprint and tent. I used my rag to clean away the mud and sand before packing, and this slowed me down. In the future, after it rains, I should separate the tent from the footprint to let both dry.

I loaded my bike (everything fit nicely into the four panniers) and left the campground at 9:30 a.m. I arrived at MacMillan Pier fifteen minutes later (distance: 1.5 miles from the campground). The boarding line was still short. I picked up my ticket and got in line. The ferry arrived at 10:10 a.m.

Provincetown Harbor

The Provincetown Fast Ferry arriving in Provincetown

When I boarded, I locked my bike to one of two bike racks on the front deck. I sat on the upper deck for the ride back. I should have put on sunscreen, because I got sunburned.

The ride to Boston was smooth, with good visibility.

Arriving in Boston on the fast ferry

I rode home using bike lanes in Boston, crossing the Charles River at the locks, and bike lanes in Cambridge and Somerville. It began raining just before I reached the house. I was able to take the panniers off my bike very quickly, so only my bike got wet.

The shimmy from my bike and rear rack flexing under the heavy load continued to be worrisome and possibly dangerous. I rode slowly and carefully. My derailleurs were shifting correctly today.

Since I had a reservation for two nights at Nickerson State Park, I called the park to cancel.