Cape Cod Capers - PP on the CCRT and other CCTs

Now, that title has you guessing, doesn't it??! As the 'passenger' in the back of Sue's car during the course of our travels was a bike, you may well guess that the above stands for 'Pedal Pushing on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and other Cape Cod Trails'!
I must say I was VERY impressed with the trails on the Cape, and really enjoyed exploring the countryside by bike. Sue was a supportive and encouraging 'coach', each morning suggesting a 'trail of the day', then dropping me off at the trailhead and picking me up at the end of the trail. Sometimes it took as long for her to drive to the pick-up point as it did for me to pedal there... Obviously, trains in the past took a direct route from point A to point B, along a gentle gradient, with NO traffic hold-ups along the way, so it wasn't difficult to see why that should be so....
For those of you familiar with Saanich Peninsula's Lochside Trail, particularly the stretch approaching Matticks' Farm, the Cape Cod Rail Trail is very similar, though somewhat wider, and paved the whole way - definitely the 'leafy lane' kind of trail, particularly striking with fall colours much in evidence. Along the way I encountered some interesting fellow-pedallers, several of whom had retired to their former summer beach cottages - now winterized - from other parts of the States. I gleaned useful local information from these regular CCRT pedallers, plus it was a good excuse to pause and rest awhile.
Head of the Meadows Trail was somewhat different from the CCRT, as it was just a couple of miles long, making its way among scrub-covered sand-dunes, interspersed with bushes sporting brilliant red berries. Once I reached the end of the trail, I noticed another 'trail' which seemed to be heading towards the beach, but as it turned out, it wasn't a trail at all and I was soon bogged down in the sand.. Returning to the official trail, it was an easy pedal back to the trailhead and Coast Guard Beach.
In addition to pedalling along the trails, I also enjoyed exploring some of the residential neighbourhoods, particularly any little lane that caught my fancy. (Who wouldn't be tempted to explore Uncle Abner's Lane, or Aunt Tabitha's Path??) As a result of my explorations, both by bike and on foot, I have a wonderful collection of pictures of Cape Cod cottages - and castles!
Province Lands Trail, at the top end of the Cape, appeared on the map to be a much more challenging trail, but I thought I was up to the challenge (!). Posted signs warned that some parts of the trail were under construction, and I learned later that the plan is to cut out some of the hairpin bends, and eliminate some of the steep hills to make the trail more user friendly. Not sure that I really would have been up to the challenge before the proposed modifications, but as it turned out, that was a moot point anyway;I was stymied in my efforts by a broken chain on the first hill!! Thankfully I was only about half a mile along the trail, so not too far to walk the bike back to the car, oily chain in hand. As the Cape is such a mecca for cyclists, a bike repair shop was easy to find.
The culmination of my Cape Cod Capers of the biking variety was another ride alongside the Cape Cod Canal. We parked the car at Buzzards' Bay, having once again driven across the Bourne Bridge, and enjoyed lunch in the sunshine, beside the rail bridge. The bridge is an unusual structure, bookended by turrets and of sufficient height for a tall ship to pass underneath, yet with the ability to lower the railway track if needed, to allow a train to run along the track to cross over the canal. As we were about to set off along the trail - I on the bike and Sue on foot - a train whistle alerted us to the fact that the bridge was about to lower the railway track, something that obviously doesn't happen too often, so we just timed that right!
Judging by the number of fishermen strung out along the canal bank, this was a good spot for dropping your line in the water, but...... not once did I actually see a fish being landed! Buzzards were much in evidence as well, socializing together on the waterside rocks, but again no sign of a fish ever being caught.... Whether or not they were successful in their efforts, sitting by the water in the sunshine was a pleasant way for both fisherfolk and buzzards to spend an afternoon!