I recently took a bicycle tour of five Portland Lighthouses. This is an experience that allowed me to stretch myself in the terms of riding a modern bicycle and becoming a tourist for the day. I have not ridden a bicycle with a skinny seat and skinnier tires ever. Thankfully I picked up a very comfortable pair of biking shorts that had a skirt attached which took care of the skinny seat issue. The tires were not nearly as intimidating as I had expected. So after a healthy breakfast at Holy Donuts on Exchange Street we met Andrea and the tour at the Cruise Ship terminal.
My friend Andrea leads bicycle trips for a place in Portland called SummerFeet Cycling and because I have total faith in her skills I signed up. We had a delightful day visiting Bug Light near the Willard’s Beach area and the Portland Breakwater, Spring Point Light and Ft. Preble, Portland Head Light and Two Lights State Park, ending at Kettle Cove. We spent about 5 hours with stops and all. The tour provided us with a safe journey, lobster rolls for lunch and interesting historical facts along the way. We met other folks who were interesting, everyone went at their own pace. I think about the women in Winter Harbor who were members of the “Women’s Bicycle Club” and wonder how they felt about the introduction of the bicycle into their lives. Did it offer freedom and adventure? Was it comfortable to ride in long skirts and fancy hats as opposed to biking shorts and a helmet? What were the roads and traffic like?
I do recommend biking as an activity that offers fun, adventure and a great way to see new places!!! Frankly I’m glad to have the option of modern day bikes and gear but I might prefer that the traffic be much lighter.
Women’s Bicycle Club
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Hometown Memories 