Plum Island - Beautiful

Today Judy and I took a 16 mile ride on Plum Island. Any ride or hike on Plum Island is always balm for the soul -- the soft ocean air, the shore birds, an occasional deer peeking over a dune, and the flora -- especially at this time of year, when the marsh grasses and shore shrubs come alive in a symphony of color.

We rode from the Parker River wildlife refuge headquarters on the road into the island to Hellcat Marsh on the refuge, back, and up along the shore of, by this time, a dark and brooding ocean, then jogging out along the dunes to the High Site at the Northern tip of the island, then back along the river side, with its quaint cottages and little boats, and, finally, back down to the start. No hills on this ride, but a stiff sea breeze challenged us when we rode into it, and filled our sails when we rode away.

Weather: 70°F, cloudy and windy, Wind ENE 18-24mph
Terrain: mostly flat
Distance: 16.3mi
Speed: (avg) 13.8mph; (max) 19.6mph;
Avg Cadence: 77rpm