Gloucester Trip

Another trip down.  So far, each trip has been a learning experience.  This time, I learned that my bike, specifically the seat on my bike, is absolute trash for highway riding.  Every vibration goes straight into my behind and causes this very dull, constant ache.  I know it was the highway, because as soon as I got off on Trapelo Rd, the pain went away.  It was impressive.

Now that I have that particular TMI moment out of the way, on to the trip.  Today was a little chilly, and I definitely noticed it while on I-95 and 128 while heading up to Gloucester.  That, and it was incredibly frightening at first.  The roads, far from smooth, weren't too bad, but the constant breeze pushing my bike around meant that I spent a lot of effort keeping the bike going straight.  Still, once I hit 128, I had basically gotten the hang of riding at highway speeds, so it wasn't as bad.  The upshot of this particular fear-inducing type of riding is that riding on back roads is no longer as frightening as it once was.  You still have to be on the lookout for assholes who think you don't exist, but that's part of riding.

The impetus for this particular trip was that I was dying for good seafood.  And what better place than Gloucester?  I found this small place (that was rather hard to find, once I got there.  And I was on foot at that point) called the Halibut Point Pub.  They had this deal for a cup of chowder, a burger, and a draft beer for $17.  The burger was awesome, but the chowder was "homemade" and one of the best clam chowders I've had in a while.

Still, I couldn't go and not take a few pictures.  Walking around afforded me the following:

 That building in the distance is the City Hall.  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  It was impressive.

The Sargent House museum...  Yeah.

These pictures are of the Fitz Henry Lane house and grounds.  It overlooks Gloucester Harbor.  The view is not quite as impressive now as it would have been at his time.

Can't go to Gloucester and not see the Man at the Wheel.  There was a large group (as you can probably see) standing near it, so I didn't get too close.  But, it is on a very beautiful seascape (as you can see in the picture above it).

For the trip back I spent most of my time on Route 127.  It runs, more or less, parallel to 128, but is far more scenic and opens out into several breathtaking views of the ocean.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to get pictures from a moving motorcycle, so I will have to go back with a better camera and my car.

Still, I had a great day on my bike.  It's supposed to be crappy tomorrow, so I'm glad I got a nice long ride in.

Catch you all later!