I have spent the majority of my 36 years living within walking distance of the Cape Cod Canal. Unfortunately, it took nearly 32 of those years to develop an appreciation of its beauty and recreational value. Better late than never! I rarely miss the opportunity to visit the canal now... even during the cold winter months.
To get onto Cape Cod by any means other than water, one must travel over the Cape Cod Canal via the Sagamore Bridge, the Bourne Bridge or the railroad bridge. The Cape is separated from mainland Massachusetts by the canal. Built in the early 1900's, the canal was built to afford ships the ability to bypass the trip around the Cape when traveling north or south along the east coast. The idea of a canal through Cape Cod was first entertained in the late 1600's, yet the concept was not realized until the Cape Cod Ship Canal (as it used to be called) was finally constructed more than 250 years later.
Today, the canal's natural beauty attracts many water-birds (Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Kingfishers, Mergansers, terns, various gulls, duck, geese, and the occasional Eider, etc. ) fish and human travelers (of the land & water variety). Water vessels of all shapes and sizes navigate the canal daily. The Cape Cod Central Railroad follows near its south side until reaching the railroad bridge that spans the canal's western end. The Sagamore and Bourne bridges allow motor vehicles access to the Cape over each end of the canal. Along both shores are former service roads that are now widely used for recreational purposes by walkers, joggers, roller-bladers, and cyclists. Measuring seven miles on both sides, the service roads are quite possibly the safest bicycle lanes in Massachusetts: no intersections, straight, flat pavement, marked lanes and wide enough for the safety of all its daily traffic. A fourteen mile in and out trip is more than adequate for the aerobic needs of most. One can easily add more laps if motivated. I often head to the canal for a couple of in and out trips after my daily commute.
I took the following pictures while cycling the canal. Most were taken at dusk, as this is my usual cycling time after work. Please click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
The Bourne Bridge at sunset: August 2001
The Sagamore Bridge: September 2001, shortly before dusk
The Bourne Bridge frames the railroad bridge (right hand of bridge under
tarps for
construction) in background: September 2001, at
sunset
The Railroad Bridge, July 2004
The Cape Cod Canal service road in winter: January 2002
April 15, 2002
A juvenile Right Whale navigates the canal, stopping all canal traffic for
several hours.
I just missed snapping a shot of its tail before
taking a dive. Unfortunately,
I was riding ahead on my bicycle as it dove. The local paper did get a picture
however:
Right whale, April 15, 2002
I have the opportunity to view plenty of nature on Cape Cod,
but this was my first whale
watching trip by bicycle.
Black-Crowned Night Heron, July 2004
More pictures may be viewed at: Photo Album
The canal is a safe and easy cycling adventure. The only hazards
I have encountered are
belligerent canal casters - fishermen who feel the need to fish from in
the road instead of from the shoreline. They rarely like to harass
cyclists (unless they are in a pack). Avoid packs of drunken canal casters...
give them a wide berth. Also, one must be aware (especially in winter) of
the sea gull diet of muscles and other shelled morsels. The means of breaking
into these tasty treats is dropping the shells from altitude so they break open
on the pavement (beware of falling shell bombs). Once eaten, the remaining
shells and fragments can quickly slice into road tires like a razor blade.
Fortunately, you become accustomed to the favorite spots sea gulls enjoy their
dining. Unfortunately, when it has become dark (it is against regulations to
ride after dark... but I am warning from experience) and especially when the
road is wet, the shells are difficult to catch sight of with a headlight. In
winter, on a cold and rainy night, this can be a freezing patch job, or a long walk. However, the
benefits greatly outweigh the hazards.
My only tips for an enjoyable canal trek are as follows: 1) Go into the headwinds on the first leg of your trip, and the return trip will be much happier (and much faster)! You will be more encouraged to return again when subscribing to this method. 2) Beware shells... look ahead, but look down as well. Especially in winter, you must pick you path carefully through the shells and sometimes the unplowed ice. Mountain bike tires are recommended in winter, slicks (road tires) are fine the rest of the year.
Related Links:
US
Army Corps of Engineers:
Cape Cod Canal Information
Site includes Cape Cod Canal history, a photo album,
etc.
If you have yet to view the bicycles that I ride on the
canal,
feel free
to proceed:
My Steeds
Drew Bryden * Cape Cod Cyclist's Escape * 2004
