Sunday, July 20, 2008

Newburyport to Kittery Point - 70 Miles

Another Tri-State Cohen Classic is in the books! Saturday's annual trek from Newburyport, Massachusetts to Kittery Point, Maine, promised to be another scorcher. We lucked out, however, as scattered clouds kept the morning temps along the coast nice and cool -- sometimes even chilly! Only nine of us this year -- I think the forecast kept most of the Cyclopaths home. We cruised up to Portsmouth, through the beaches and New Castle, for a great breakfast at Cafe Espresso, just beyond the city center.

Loved riding along the coast in the morning, blasts of cold air off the ocean, Ethan singing the Belgian Waffle song, the white egrets and lily pads in the wetlands, the side loop through New Castle, the rolling hills to Kittery Point. REALLY loved the morning ride.

It was a hot return trip to Massachusetts after reaching Maine, as the sun burned off the cloud cover, and swarms of people (and cars) crowded the streets from Hampton Beach down to Salisbury. (Could have done without the craziness of the beach traffic/crowds. Tough to bike through. Guess you take the bad with the good.) The temps, while in the mid 80s, increased as we traveled south -- though never quite got as hot as it was back at home. A great day -- a great ride.