OVERVIEW: This ride is a repeat of the successful September 2008 Cape Cod and the Islands tour. Information on that ride can be found in the Tripper Report. Due to popular demand, the ride is now one day longer and includes two additional group dinners. The locals know that September is the best month on the Cape. The summer crowds are gone, but it's still beach weather. This 1A-rated ride has been planned with maximum flexibility in mind. Longer and shorter ride options will be offered whenever possible. If you'd prefer to take advantage of the many sightseeing possibilities, on many days you don't have to ride at all. The terrain is mostly gentle on this ride. There are a few hills, but they are short. We meet on Friday, September 10 for a two-night stay in Hyannis, the hub of Cape Cod. Our hotel overlooks the harbor and the ferry docks, where we will board ship Sunday morning for Martha's Vineyard. We spend two nights there at the harbor-side Wesley Hotel in Oak Bluffs, the last of the grand old Victorians. Oak Bluffs is best known for its picturesque gingerbread cottages, located just behind our hotel. The lovely old whaling town of Edgartown is a quick six-mile ride away. Other choices include taking the “on-time ferry” (it's always on time because it doesn't have any schedule) to Chappaquiddick and Mytoi gardens or doing the long route out to Gay Head cliffs at Aquinnah. On Tuesday afternoon the inter-island ferry takes us to beautiful (and upscale!) Nantucket. We have three nights there at the Jared Coffin House, a former sea captain's mansion, giving us plenty of time to visit the famous Whaling Museum, as well as to stroll the cobblestone streets of the historic town. Friday brings us back to Hyannis to ride the Cape Cod Rail Trail out to the beaches along the National Seashore in Eastham. Our route takes us past the Salt Pond Visitor Center and its interesting exhibits. Saturday, September 18 is the last day of riding. That day we continue on the paved Rail Trail to our final destination, Provincetown, which is a world in itself. Settle in to our hotel fronting the bay and enjoy the town, or continue riding through the dunes on the paved bike paths. Departure is Sunday morning after breakfast. Although traffic can sometimes be a problem, we have made every effort to find quiet roads and paved biked paths whenever possible. LOGISTICS: Boston is the closest major airport. Hyannis has a small airport (Barnstable Municipal Airport) with frequent flights from Boston on Cape Air. There is also convenient shuttle bus service for you and your bike from Logan (BOS) to Hyannis on Plymouth-Brockton Bus Line. Our first hotel is within easy walking distance of the Hyannis bus terminal. (We will transport your luggage to the hotel.) If you drive to Hyannis, weeklong parking is available at the hotel. Those flying in should plan to take the water taxi directly from Provincetown to Boston at the end of the ride. We will transport your bike box to Provincetown in the van. If you have left a car in Hyannis, we'll take you back there at the end of the ride. Hotels on the Islands are within walking distance of the ferry docks. COST, ADMINISTRATION, SIGN-UP: The tour price includes nine nights lodging, four group dinners, one full and six continental breakfasts, daily social hours, maps and cue sheets, and luggage transportation while on the Cape. We welcome singles and will make every effort to match roommates. If there is an uneven number of singles and no one chooses to upgrade to a single room, we plan to rotate roommates so that the single supplement can be shared among them. To register for this ride, use the sign-up links below. Upon acceptance to the ride send your $500 deposit check made out to Ida Nystrom (not BAC). The full payment will be due April 1, 2010. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description. CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellation fees are based on the principle that no one else will incur additional expense. If we can fill your spot from the wait-list, you will receive a refund of $1500. The $50 BAC registration fee is non-refundable. If there is no wait-list person available, we may still be able to recover some of your lodging and meal expenses. In this case, you would receive a refund after the ride is completed.