North Shore Adventures and a Sighting of the Bike Coach!!

It's been a long time since my last post. I actually wrote and published one last week but took it down because it was too negative (basically I was complaining about the MBTA).

At the beginning of this weekend's bike adventure I was tempted to put it back up. My sister and I took the Newburyport/Rockport Line out of the city to Lynn, where we got off to bike to Nahant. The MBTA advertises: Summer weekends you can enjoy our Greenbush and Rockport Line bike coaches. For the second time in a row I tried to take advantage of this (last time was Greenbush) there were no such bike coaches to be found. We made do but I was all ready to lambaste them for false advertising.

There was still space for our bikes but there weren't any of these bike racks to speak of. My bike only fell on someone once.

We got off in Lynn with plans to bike to Nahant.

Lots of people think Lynn is really sketchy. My sister told me though that one of our relatives got lost in Lynn a while back and when she asked an old lady for directions she replied "You're in Lynn - get out by nightfall." Hilarious. Actually Lynn is not that bad - they have some cute restaurants and nice old fashioned streets. I haven't been there after "nightfall" though so I guess I'm not a fair judge.

In Lynn

 From Lynn it was pretty much a straight shot to the causeway that leads out to Nahant. 

Before you get to the rotary you want to make sure you cross to the left side of the street so you can 1) avoid biking through the rotary and 2) get on the paved path by the beach. You do NOT want to bike across the causeway with the cars! 

 This is from the other side looking back, but coming out you want to make sure you get over to the left side of the street so you don't end up in the rotary and on the causeway

 

Unless you are a resident of Nahant, the only way you can park there is in one of the lots along the beach, which costs money and requires waiting in line. 

Like these guys 

 

Fortunately drivers there is a Dunkin' Donuts right there so you can get some while you're waiting to park.
 

 Biking is the other option.

Or running like this group of Marines

 Doro biking out

Some people think the bike path is too crowded, with walkers, bikers, roller-bladers etc., but it's actually fun to see the all the other units on the path. It's an eclectic group to say the least.

 

Once you get to Nahant on your bike you can swim at Short Beach, which is a lot less crowded than the one along the causeway people drive to. 

Short Beach

You can also go to Seaside's, Nahant's pizza and subs joint, which is worth the trip in and of itself.

Seaside's - really tasty pizza and best Greek Salad ever

In total it took us about 20 minutes to bike from the commuter rail station in Lynn to Nahant. Not the most satisfying workout, but if you're looking for something longer you can keep heading north along the ocean through Swampscott and Marblehead.

The point sticking out to the far right was hollowed out during WWII and used to house Nike missiles! Now it's a park.

Doro and I spent the day there, went swimming and picnicking with some family. The water was freezing! Don't expect Cape Cod temperatures.

THEN...

On our way back into the city later that day we got to ride on the bike coach! It was pretty packed - all the seats in the bike car were taken. I was really excited to finally see and use it after all this build-up.

The long awaited bike coach - there is a rack there with straps so you don't have to worry about your bike falling over

All in all it was a nice ride and a fast, easy way to make it to the beach. I highly recommend it!

Commuting 3.0

Even has a cup holder for your Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee! 

Greenbush and Beyond: Biking off the Commuter Rail

On Saturday my sister and I took the Commuter Rail to the end of the Greenbush line for some biking along the south shore. Having learned my lesson the previous weekend, I planned out the route the night before. I wanted an improvement over paper directions so I used Google Maps bike feature, took a screen shot, and sent it to my iPhone (unfortunately the iPhone Google Maps app doesn't have the bike feature yet - can we have it please?). If anyone knows a better (yet free or very inexpensive) way of doing this that's please let me know!

Part of my interest in doing this route was I had read that "summer weekends you can enjoy [the MBTA's] Greenbush and Rockport Line bike coaches" on the MBTA website. Maybe mid June doesn't count as summer, but unfortunately there wasn't a bike coach and the conductor hadn't heard of such a thing for the Greenbush line.

A little disappointing, but not a big deal as the 7:48 train wasn't crowded. We arrived at Greenbush Station and set out on this route at about 9:00 AM:

**There is a Dunkin' Donuts (hereafter referred to as DD) near Greenbush Station that made a great staging point! 

There was a 15 mile Fun Ride going on at the same time so there were a lot of other bikers out and about. The weather was beautiful and we found ourselves cruising along the shore in no time!

We stopped for a picture opp at the first sight of ocean - Ocean Bluff in Marshfield

The roads were in great condition for the most part, with a few small hills but nothing too daunting. After a nice cruise along Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock we quickly found ourselves in Duxbury.

Brant Rock

Onward!

We tried to make it all the way out down Gurnet Rd. on the peninsula that reaches out into Duxbury bay, which would have added a good 15 miles onto the trip, but the road was too sandy and when I wasn't lying on my side under my bike it felt like riding over a washboard. After a mile or so we turned around in search a more fun surface.

Shortly thereafter we stopped for lunch at a nice little cafe called French Memories at 459 Washington St. We also grabbed some french fries from the Snug Harbor Fish Company next door. The rest of  their food looked delicious but we weren't feeling salmon or lobster rolls at the moment, and mainly bought the fries so we could enjoy their lovely outdoor seating.

Tasty lunch at French Memories in Duxbury: One pesto sandwich, one egg salad sandwich, some tasty fries, and a cranberry juice (probably not the best choice as it's a natural diuretic I've heard)

We decided to take the straight shot back to Greenbush along 3A. Very doable, not too busy or dangerous feeling on a Saturday. It started to rain, which really put a damper on things (sorry), and we were in a hustle to get back. However, we arrived back at our DD only to find that we had missed a train back into the city by 15 minutes and would have to wait another 2 hours for the next one.

Savoring a nice warm coffee at our DD in order to keep warm and dry!

After waiting about 30 minutes we decided we would continue on 3A to the red line in Quincyand make up for the mileage we lost by not doing the peninsula in Duxbury. This ride made for some nice views until we got through Hingham, at which point it became much less pleasant and much more dangerous a ride. Cars also going fast along this road. We do not recommend this!!

All in all it was a great 50 mile ride. 

Lessons of the trip:

• Check when the trains are going back into Boston so you don't get stranded!! 
• If you're willing to carry a backpack, bring a change of clothes if you think it might rain!