I cannot pinpoint where the idea sprung, however, I became captivated by the idea of biking to far away places people normally travel to in cars. While living in Boston I used my bicycle to get around town, I would bike from school to work to anywhere else, I began to wear my biking shoes more than any other pair I owned. I love the idea of not only enjoying the destination but also the journey. When I have taken road trips in the past I was frustrated at the interesting sights I would pass by at 80 mph, too fast to take a picture, and traveling too fast to stop every mile or two. More over, the combination of not owning a car to go outside the city, and biking 20 miles or more a day I began to research bike touring with serious intentions.
One of my favorite trips was from Boston to Westport MA. The trip's distance was 60 miles, at a pace of 10 miles and hour plus stops, it took about six hours. I was lucky enough to have a friend that owned a house right on the beautiful Westport River and it had a view of our destination, Westport Rivers Vineyard.
Westport is a beautiful coastal town at the very bottom tip of Massachusetts South of Boston. The town has a river running through it and leads straight to its pretty beach and harbor.
We started somewhat early in the morning, getting together at around seven am, after adjusting and warming up, we hit the road at around eight. This leg of the trip was a challenge. The first part of the trip took us thought heavy morning commuter traffic, at that time of the day we were in a game of leapfrog with the morning busses going through Rt.138 and Rt.27 through Stoughton. Some miles down we got onto Summer Street where there are a paved bike/walking path makes the trek much easier and pleasant. Most of the terrain is level with peaks every 5 miles.
About 2 hours into the trip, the type of road changes, Rt.106, traffic on a 2-lane route with “Mega stores” on either side dusted by woods. Traffic went at a steady 50- 60 miles per hour with sporadic traffic lights. I have traveled on these routes, cars are generally polite and travel around you without making you feel unsafe. The first couple minutes are going to be nerve racking, but as you petal along you get more comfortable and adjust, I like to go at my own pace, take my time at lights letting the rush traffic go first if it feels safer.
We got off Rt. 106 and onto Rt. 138/ Broadway we were still on a 2-lane Route but with less intersections and “Mega stores” and getting closer to Tauton. As you get closer to a town the architecture changes to smaller buildings, within Tauton we got a little lost about Weir Street, going though the picturesque downtown and around the town green the fast paced traffic we were not able to check our location until we passed the downtown shuffle. This is where I stress the importance I find traveling with an Iphone, or GPS unit, can be. I would love to travel with nothing but a compass and a map but you can save a lot of time if you have an Iphone. We printed out bits of our pre-planned directions, detailed maps around certain turns and general Route map. After our trip downtown we made our way towards Fall Rivers State Forest.
Four hours into the tour we were on our way to Fall Rivers State Forest. We maneuvered our way though residential patches, some without sidewalks. While in quite areas of homes and hills it is nice to travel double breasted, while riding we were able to talk my riding buddy told me it was hard for her to navigate her gears; this is a great excuse to take a break.
Bike tools are also very important to travel with. A simple multi-tool is light weight and very useful, a travel pump, spare tube, and two tire levers, that and needle nose pliers is all that one needs on a short bike tour. If not, you are at the mercy of what is around you, cars passing by, how close you are to a helpful friend or your distance from a mechanic, walking.
My favorite, and most disconnected, part of the trip was through the State Forrest. We saw three cars the entire time we were there, nothing but gravel and dirt roads, beautiful vistas, and trees as far as you can tell. We bounced along the rocky road keeping our balance going downhill. Managing the dirt and rocks was a challenge for me, unlike my travel buddy, she had no problem breezing along the treacherous paths.
The final stretch Westport, a long way of homes, hills, and farms, we stopped at some grazing lamas. We passed by a scented chicken farm, and then up over and along the coast of the river. The north side of the river is a high rising road that provides as much aerobic exercise as pretty views. Although after 50 miles of riding, the uphill road was the last thing we wanted to do. It took us about an hour to get up to my friends home. But when we did we were greeted at the door with some cold miller high lifes’ and hot showers! Next onto the Westport Rivers Winery, we could see the rows of vines across the river.
