Bicycle Tour: Dune's Edge Campground, Day Two

On Monday, September 11, 2023, I stayed at Dune’s Edge Campground on Cape Cod in Provincetown. (For the first day of this tour, see Dune’s Edge Campground, Day One).

I slept six and a half hours, waking at 7:00 a.m. No rain fell overnight, but but water and dew dripped onto the tent all night. There was a little traffic noise from Route 6 that started at about 4:00 a.m. Because of the warmth and humidity, I slept on top of my sleeping bag until near sunrise, when I climbed in and zipped up the bag.

I had a good phone signal here. I set up a Wi-Fi hotspot for my Kindle, and I purchased the Moon book about Cape Cod and read the section about Provincetown. I had an electricity outlet in my site, and I used it to charge my devices.

It was partly sunny this morning and about 71 °F, and I was too warm in my Baltimore Marathon shirt, which has long sleeves. I put on dry socks. I adjusted the tent stakes, and I attached a guy line to the rain fly at the head of the tent to separate it from the inner tent wall. More rain was predicted for this afternoon and evening.

I figured out how to use my stove, and I very quickly boiled a cup of water for a breakfast of 1/4 cup muesli, 1/2 cup granola, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa mix.

I rode north from the campground and discovered the Provinceland bike trails. I rode part of a trail for 4.37 miles and then returned to my campsite to get more food and water for a longer ride.

I rode through Beech Forest over to Provincetown and Herring Cove Beach, northeast along the beach to Race Point Beach, and back to camp, arriving at 12:15 p.m. after riding 15.71 miles.

Shark sculpture at Herring Cove Beach

Downtown Provincetown

During my rides, I was having problems shifting gears on my Trek Valencia. In the afternoon, I walked about a mile over to Shaw’s in Provincetown for groceries. At the bicycle shop across the street, I asked about bringing my bike in to have the derailleurs adjusted. I walked back to camp, ate lunch, and rode my bike to the bike shop, dropping it off at about 3:00 p.m. I walked around downtown Provincetown and back to the bike shop. The mechanic was adjusting the set screws, and he said I should avoid cross chaining (3-1 or 1-8 gear combinations). He said the position of the front derailleur needed to be adjusted because of the smaller crankset that I had had installed a week ago. His adjustments improved the shifting. He did not want to charge me, but he accepted $20 for his time.

For the third day of this tour, see Dune’s Edge Campground, Day Three.