day trip to Nauset Beach Cape Cod

[cb400four_imp]

Work has been busy lately but I managed to fit in a day trip from Rhode Island to Nauset Beach, Cape Cod (about 100 miles each way) on the CB1100. Many of my relatives on my mom's side of the family live on the Cape, and I recall going to the Cape to visit grandparents when I was quite young.

Woke up at sunrise and took a pic of the bike at a boat launch in the neighborhood.



Poorly composed selfie, the sun already getting in my eyes.



Rode the 195 E and 495 E slab, heading due east with the low in the horizon sun in my eyes (next time I get up this early I'm heading west!) until I got to the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod_Canal]Cape Cod Canal, where the road is more interesting. The canal is crossed by two (almost) identical bridges, the Bourne to the south and the Sagamore a couple miles to the north. The history of the building of the Canal and these two bridges makes interesting [url=http://capecodcanalcentennial.com/history/]reading.



The main road into and out of the Cape is Route 6, known as the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Cape_Highway]Mid-Cape, which is a four lane divided parkway until the town of Harwich which is about half its length; at which point it becomes a two lane undivided road. People drive quite fast along the Mid-Cape, and years ago it was pretty dangerous as passing was allowed. Now it still is a bit nerve wracking, as the undivided road is bumper to bumper cars forming a convoy going 50+ mph and no shoulder (sand in parts!) on the right and head on traffic on the left. The pucker factor increases as those vacationers in Volvo station wagons get up close to my rear license plate and there is not much one can do about it.

I stopped for breakfast at [url=http://www.dailypapercapecod.com/]the Daily Paper Restaurant in Hyannis; this place serves a great breakfast and frequently there are motorcyclists at the place. I visited relatives in Orleans, and in the Orleans police department parking lot they had an old 1946 Chevrolet Stylemaster four door police cruiser. I think this is the first time I eagerly pulled over to a police cruiser to get a closer look.





I was planning to go to Provincetown at the end of the Cape, but the traffic was like a parking lot about 15 miles before the town, so I decided to see [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauset_Light]Nauset Beach Lighthouse and turn around.



The return trip was back along the same roads. About 200 miles round trip.

[CB4ME_imp]

Great write-up, pictures and trip map. I enjoyed your excellent ride report! Is Mid-Cape bad evry day of the week in season?

How would you rate the bike's overall comfort?

[cb400four_imp]

I'd say that any day during the on season (roughly memorial day to labor day) the mid cape is going to be busy, and the weekend traffic is the worst. The minute school starts again for the kids, the Cape empties out pretty quickly and the traffic jams disappear. I actually like the Cape on the off season the best, early fall or early spring.

The comfort question is harder to answer. I used to make this trip often on my tiny 400 four, and I was not uncomfortable at all, but on the CB1100 (three times bigger displacement, smoother engine, etc!) I was squirming a bit on the way home. Probably one of the bigger seats would fix this in a minute.

[the Ferret]

Nice pics and write up. Enjoyed it very much. Thanks for posting. I'm not much of a coastal area kinda guy, I like mountains, but I can sure appreciate the beauty of the area as long as I dont have to be in the crowds or smell the ocean smell

[BuffaloBill_imp]

VERY nice ride and report!! Thanks for sharing! Great pics! Thanks.

[Rolls_imp]

Fine ride report and photos. Enjoyed it very much!

[CA200_imp]

I really enjoy seeing and reading these ride reports. It is so different then life here.

[Guth_imp]

Thanks for sharing, great photos and a real nice write up.

Another nice little slice of life of time spent on the CB1100.