Hi Pam, I loved reading your post. Ever since we met you both in Orvieto, I have felt so inspired by your journey and philosophy on life and really enjoyed reading more about what motivates you. We have been home in Australia for almost six months now and can’t believe that you are both still travelling. We’re extremely jealous! We are not bikers but we adored doing 15-30,000 steps every day on our one month trip and 100% know that the physical activity was an integral part of the joy on our holiday. As you said it’s so hard to keep that up at home. Please keep writing! I would love to see regular guest posts or even your own Substack ❤️All the best Heather
Well told. In traveling, the highest compliment I have been paid is being mistaken for Canadian. "You can't be from the US. You're too quiet and polite." A part I love about bike touring is you become the most vulnerable person in any interaction. You hide nothing on a bike so you disarm everyone. You are usually a mess of sweat and grease and exhaustion. You probably stink and you're thirsty -- a pilgrim on a hajj. You are the opposite of a threat, so people feel safe bearing witness to you.
Oh yeah, we’ve actually been coming down here for a number of years so we’re pretty familiar with the area. Pam came here as a kid every summer to the Dennis area. I will check out the knob.
You never know what you might find! I do hope to do it, we’ll see. We are staying for two months here in East Falmouth, overlooking Bourne’s Pond. Moving over to near Chatham in May, then back to Maine. Our house is rented until that time. I just went biking in Woods Hole today. Love that town.
Nice short hike is The Knob in West Falmouth, esp around sunset: https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/places-to-go/the-knob/. THE pub in woods hole is the Captain Kidd. Water Street Kitchen is better food. I assume you found the Shining Sea bike path?
Hi Jim, I just wanted to pass on Pam‘s thanks for your kind comments. It is true what you say about being misidentified as Canadian or something other than American. In places where people really can’t distinguish between German and English or French or Dutch language we have often been mistaken as something other than American. Indeed, when they learned that we were American, they were surprised primarily because they see so few of us. Especially in that context of bike riding.
I have told her about our early childhood friendship, roaming the streets of Tilghman Dr and Chadwick Place. Not to mention Ellsworth Terrace. I was in Glen rock not too long ago and went by my old house, on Ellsworth Terrace, it is, of course not there anymore. A huge ugly McMansion is now occupying the space. Although central Glen Rock with its older houses is still preserved pretty well, most of the outlying developments are pretty horrendous.
We Rented our house out in Maine for the year in order to do the trip to Europe, so we are now just hanging out at a rental on Cape Cod For two months. We hope to ride again in May, along the empire Trail from Buffalo to New York City, have you done any of that? I’ve been looking at the history of the Erie Canal, and it’s really quite amazing. Best, Glen
Nice to reconnect. Where are you on the Cape? We lived 4 years in North Falmouth when i worked at Woods Hole— a story for another time.
My cousin, a recovering architect who now restores vintage bikes, has ridden all the way from westchester to Buffalo. Pretty scenic in places, he says, because it parallels the Mohawk River for a long way. In junior high my dad rented a houseboat in Peekskill and we went a bit beyond the Troy locks but not all the way. We had to anchor below Troy to let southbound traffic pass and i could not hit bottom with the anchor. Got a bedspring, a tire, a bicycle. I was hoping for Jimmy Hoffa.
Inspiring article for this 64 year old bicycle traveller! Don’t stop touring just because you have a bully in the White House; the rest of the world needs to see that most Americans are genuinely nice people, and Americans need to report back about the outside world and their place in it
Great read Pam, except when you briefly slipped into the politics. I envy your bike travels. If only I could get my better half to even attempt a fraction of what you and Glen are doing.
Hi Pam, I loved reading your post. Ever since we met you both in Orvieto, I have felt so inspired by your journey and philosophy on life and really enjoyed reading more about what motivates you. We have been home in Australia for almost six months now and can’t believe that you are both still travelling. We’re extremely jealous! We are not bikers but we adored doing 15-30,000 steps every day on our one month trip and 100% know that the physical activity was an integral part of the joy on our holiday. As you said it’s so hard to keep that up at home. Please keep writing! I would love to see regular guest posts or even your own Substack ❤️All the best Heather
Well told. In traveling, the highest compliment I have been paid is being mistaken for Canadian. "You can't be from the US. You're too quiet and polite." A part I love about bike touring is you become the most vulnerable person in any interaction. You hide nothing on a bike so you disarm everyone. You are usually a mess of sweat and grease and exhaustion. You probably stink and you're thirsty -- a pilgrim on a hajj. You are the opposite of a threat, so people feel safe bearing witness to you.
A great bakery in woods hole is pie in the sky, I’m not sure if that was here when you were around .
Yea, we got cakes from them! If you want a tour of the Oceanographic marine operations, the guy in charge of Alvin is a friend and i can ask. I see Alvin is now off the coast of Mexico, so he may be at sea. https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/explore/ships/ships-atlantis/ships-atlantis-tracker/
Oh yeah, we’ve actually been coming down here for a number of years so we’re pretty familiar with the area. Pam came here as a kid every summer to the Dennis area. I will check out the knob.
You never know what you might find! I do hope to do it, we’ll see. We are staying for two months here in East Falmouth, overlooking Bourne’s Pond. Moving over to near Chatham in May, then back to Maine. Our house is rented until that time. I just went biking in Woods Hole today. Love that town.
Nice short hike is The Knob in West Falmouth, esp around sunset: https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/places-to-go/the-knob/. THE pub in woods hole is the Captain Kidd. Water Street Kitchen is better food. I assume you found the Shining Sea bike path?
Hi Jim, I just wanted to pass on Pam‘s thanks for your kind comments. It is true what you say about being misidentified as Canadian or something other than American. In places where people really can’t distinguish between German and English or French or Dutch language we have often been mistaken as something other than American. Indeed, when they learned that we were American, they were surprised primarily because they see so few of us. Especially in that context of bike riding.
I have told her about our early childhood friendship, roaming the streets of Tilghman Dr and Chadwick Place. Not to mention Ellsworth Terrace. I was in Glen rock not too long ago and went by my old house, on Ellsworth Terrace, it is, of course not there anymore. A huge ugly McMansion is now occupying the space. Although central Glen Rock with its older houses is still preserved pretty well, most of the outlying developments are pretty horrendous.
We Rented our house out in Maine for the year in order to do the trip to Europe, so we are now just hanging out at a rental on Cape Cod For two months. We hope to ride again in May, along the empire Trail from Buffalo to New York City, have you done any of that? I’ve been looking at the history of the Erie Canal, and it’s really quite amazing. Best, Glen
Hi Glen—
Nice to reconnect. Where are you on the Cape? We lived 4 years in North Falmouth when i worked at Woods Hole— a story for another time.
My cousin, a recovering architect who now restores vintage bikes, has ridden all the way from westchester to Buffalo. Pretty scenic in places, he says, because it parallels the Mohawk River for a long way. In junior high my dad rented a houseboat in Peekskill and we went a bit beyond the Troy locks but not all the way. We had to anchor below Troy to let southbound traffic pass and i could not hit bottom with the anchor. Got a bedspring, a tire, a bicycle. I was hoping for Jimmy Hoffa.
Inspiring article for this 64 year old bicycle traveller! Don’t stop touring just because you have a bully in the White House; the rest of the world needs to see that most Americans are genuinely nice people, and Americans need to report back about the outside world and their place in it
An amazingly thoughtful and inspiring reflection on living life to its fullest. Thank you, Pam!
Great read Pam, except when you briefly slipped into the politics. I envy your bike travels. If only I could get my better half to even attempt a fraction of what you and Glen are doing.
Thank you for an inspiring post at a challenging time!