To the End of the World and Back/To Hull in a Handbasket - August 2, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 2 August 2017, "To the End of the World and Back" / "To Hull in a Handbasket"
Ride Leaders:  David Wean, Bob Apsler
28 and 40 miles, 10:00 am start from Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA

Riders - 28 mi (9):  David, Barry Kaditz, David Kobes, Greg Tobin, Marie Keutmann, Nancy Cahn, Richard Vignoni, Ron Beland, and Susan Broome.
Riders - 40 mi (8):  Bob, Butch Pemstein, Dave Balaban, Dmitry Gorenburg, Francie Sparks, Herb Kavet, Kevin Donnelly, and Ray Komow.

We rode together for the first ten miles, through Great Esker and Bare Cove Parks, on either side of the Back River estuary that divides Weymouth and Hingham.

After the split, the longer riders took off for the tip of Hull, leaving no water unviewed, nor hill unclimbed.  Who knew that there would be 13% grades on a beach ride?  The beautiful day provided gorgeous views from many vantage points.

The shorter riders substituted three miles on the carriage paths of World's End, enjoying water views as well as the mirror labyrinth, "A New End" (photo attached).

Both groups continued along Jerusalem Road in Cohasset, passing "some ok houses," and about half of us ate sandwiches on the deck at Fresh Feast in Cohasset Center.  We returned via a couple of miles of paved roads through Wompatuck Park, with plenty of time to miss the afternoon thunderstorms.

Thanks to David Kobes, the (first time!) sweep for the short ride, to Butch for sweeping the long ride, which was managed without arrows, as well as to those who volunteered to arrow (on the short ride).  We'd be lost without you!

Safety notes - we successfully broke two of the three cardinal rules of Wednesday Wheelers, one on purpose and one inadvertently:  "Single file, single file, single file" (ask Butch) was suspended as we took one of the lanes of the Rte 3A bridge and, again, as we climbed Summer Street after Hingham Center (both are narrow-laned four lane roads without shoulders).  The second violation ("Regroup off the road") occurred when we regrouped on the path at the bottom of the Great Esker, not realizing that one of people coming our way was walking with a seeing eye dog.  Oops!

Report by David Wean and Bob Apsler.