I’ve made it to Massachusetts! Let’s celebrate with a bit of Bee Gees, shall we?

• Today’s Distance (miles): 48
• Time in saddle: 4h 20
• Max/min temp – in sun (°c): 45°/21°
• Climbing (feet) :690
• Calories used: 3,800
• Today’s 2nd Breakfast: Sandpipers Cafe, Ocean Blvd, Jenness Beach
• Cafe time: 3h 44

(The stats always tell a story. Today, it was already getting warm when I poked my head out of the tent at 5.30am. By 7am down at the shore it was toasty. Also no map today, because I forgot to buy a new one)

I know, here I am posting the song for Massachusetts when I haven’t even done New Hampshire. There were some fine suggestions overnight (for NH that is), from Mick S, Jake R and most recently Paul Sherman (Hi Paul) who WhatsApped me directly . The three songs suggested were:

• From Jake, Bill Morissey Live Free Or Die, which is the NH state motto.
• One from Mick that has mysteriously disappeared off the system – sorry Mick!! I’ll keep an eye out for it, or just remind me.
• And this great fit from Paul – ‘What Key Is This In?’, by the New Hampshire Gentlemen

I said a very early goodbye to Ryan as he left for work in Boston, his daily commute I think. Once I was packed up I went straight down to the coast, all of 1.4 miles away. The sea was calm and beautiful in the rising sun:

I kept going until I couldn’t resist the sea any longer, and pulled over to cool off with sea swim No.4 at Jenness State Beach, followed by coffee and a roll at Sandpipers Cafe, which opened in 1944

Another day, another US State line crossed. No sooner had I been welcomed to New Hampshire by the woman on Google maps, than she was welcoming me to Salisbury, Massachusetts, first incorporated way back in 1640

I followed the A1A along the seafront for a few miles, then followed some of the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. I crossed the Gillis Memorial Bridge into Newburyport, where a couple from Quebec took my photo at the entrance to the Clipper City Rail Trail

I stopped at the Piatto Cafe in Rowley to get a break from the heat, and spoke for a while with the waiter once I’d ordered a salad and some ice cold root beer. He was originally from Albania, his name was Al, and was great company, I’m really sorry Al, but when you told me your name, I thought ‘Tas from Tasmania’. The food was super (note the delicious lemon dressing in the dish).

He was curious about my trip, and then visited the website after serving me – he reported back that he loved the look of it, and wanted to know more about it. He’d recently been handed the job of redoing the diner’s site, but said he knew little about it. Just as I was finishing up, brought me a complimentary dessert , an Albanian Tre Leche (sp?) ‘three milks’ his mum had just made. Cold and absolutely delicious:

Then I just pressed on through many old and pretty towns, including Ipswich and it’s old thatched barn:

I cycled right into downtown Salem to have a look around before heading out a couple of miles to meet Beth, my host for the evening courtesy of Warm Showers, the website for touring cyclists. She was very welcoming, and couldn’t have done more to make me feel at home in her lovely place. She headed out for a family meal and I got a takeout and accepted Beth’s offer of a beer from her fridge! Now my mind is a bit preoccupied with trying to work out how to dodge the next weather system heading our way – if it’s even possible to dodge it. I so enjoyed having more settled, hot weather, but it looks set to change again. My leisurely ride through Boston may have to be something a little different. Let’s see…

ARTS & CULTURE:

SIGNS THAT ARE OLD AND GREAT: One area where I would say America is the world leader, at least in my experience, is signage. Something about the American temperament produces incredibly clear, intriguing, funny, bright signs, everywhere you look. Even the most lowly local business run from the back of an old barn will have a full sized signboard out by the highway, making them appear for the all the world like a major corporation. This can get confusing when I see a sign up ahead and think “Ah, that must be a supermarket or food outlet!’, only to find it’s lawnmower service. My favourites are the old ones, worn out and often on the site of a business that no longer exists. I’m going to occasionally broaden the Signs That Are Funny to Signs That Are Old And Great.

SIGNS THAT ARE FUNNY: