"To the End of the World and Back" & "To Hull in a Handbasket" - August 21 2019

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, 21 August 2019, "To the End of the World and Back" & "To Hull in a Handbasket"
Ride Leaders:  David Wean & Ron Beland
28 and 38 miles, 10:00 am start from Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA

Riders - 28 mi (4):  David, Marie Keutmann, Moshe Werba, and Richard Vignoni 
Riders - 40 mi (9):  Ron, Bob Persons, Dave Balaban, Geoff Allard, Gerry Sheetoo, Greg Tobin, Joel Bauman, Patty Grasso, and Sandy Gotlib

'End of the World' - After the first few miles on the road, we began our tour de parks, beginning with Osprey Overlook Park (new to the ride this year), before climbing through Great ("more than just pretty good") Esker Park and meandering through Bare Cove Park, the three parks framing the Back River estuary which divides Weymouth and Hingham.  Exiting Bare Cove at the South Shore Conservatory, the two rides diverged.  Continuing by road through downtown Hingham, we made our way to World's End, enjoying water views from the Olmsted-designed dirt and gravel carriage paths, as well as a pinch flat at the end of our loop.  From there we cruised Jerusalem Road and Atlantic Avenue in Cohasset, passing "some ok houses," with two riders enjoying a leisurely lunch in downtown Cohasset, until we learned that the longer group, eschewing a meal stop, had passed us by.  We returned to the start via a couple of miles of paved roads through Wompatuck Park (our fifth park of the day).

Despite threatened rain, there was no precipitation until well after the ride ended - per the attached screen shot, I conclude that having Moshe along this year resulted in a "parting of the waters."
 

'Hull in a Handbasket' - The long and short rides parted after Bare Cove Park.  The long ride option proceeded to tour the curious Hull peninsula.  Sand on Beach Road, on the outgoing eastern portion, resulted in some group improvising of a new route, especially when the ride leader's phone stopped giving verbal route cues.  We then made our serpentine, short, steep hilly way to the glorious harbor island views from Fort Revere Park before going to the tip of Hull at Windmill Point.  There we got snacks at the Shipwrecked Restaurant and ate at a conveniently shaded bus stop that had the amenity of picnic tables.  Due to time and rain concerns we then rode straight down the peninsula, instead of meandering on the side roads, deferring our ocean views to those on Jerusalem Road in Cohasset.  Three of the riders at the rear, familiar with the area, turned on Nichols Road, rather than Beach Road (*), but we were able to phone communicate and meet up in Cohasset Village.  We then returned to Wompatuck.

We had one front tire flat, quickly repaired.  Thanks to all the riders for their forbearance with my uncertain route finding, given the fact that I was relying on my erratic smartphone GPS skill and had not had time to pre-ride the route.

Thanks to Richard and Patty for sweeping the two groups.

Reports by David Wean and Ron Beland.

(*) DW note to self - when you update the RWGPS route after the ride announcement has gone out, don't forget to tell people at the ride start to re-download the route.  Apologies.