Bourne - On The Shores of Cape Cod Canal

Bourne Scenic Campground is located on The Cape Cod Canal. This morning I spun my bike into the wind coming from the waters on Cape Cod Bay and cruised back to the campground on the same breezes that pushed me along. A 14 miles ride. Numerous water craft cut the waters in the canal which were surprisingly turbulent. I watched the sailboats motor through the canal and felt a long distance between the time I once sailed and now. I can’t get over how much I think I want to sail again. I better get to Kansas fast, to let this feeling die.

I worked most of the afternoon on a plan for the week that will result in some cash sales. At least, I hope. The biggest event is the Hyannis Farmers Market on Wednesday. Tomorrow I will wind around Sandwich, Mashpee and Osterville introducing myself to bookstores and libraries.

I managed without any effort except by the advertising banners on the RV sell two books to seasonal residents of the campground. Pete saw my Author On Board sign and went on line to look up this author. Sort of impressed with my excursions, he came over after I finished my bike ride and asked if he could buy a book. Then he told Karen and Steve, a couple across the street, about me, and they asked to buy a book. Word of mouth advertising.

This covered one night’s camping fees. I’ll have to sell a lot more books or start staying in WalMart parking lots, an idea that is having less and less appeal. The amenities of the campgrounds are nice, but not necessary. However, there is a security in them. Maybe as I grow more accustomed to being on the road, or poorer, which may come first, I’ll turn to the parking lots of America.

I have enjoyed the beautiful, comfortable weather. Good thing the weather broke too, as air conditioners or heaters are allowed in this park. Is that weird or what?

A comment about road rotaries.

“The history of the modern roundabout, and in particular its evolution from the old traffic circles and rotaries built in the first half of the 20th century, explains to a large degree its current status in the United States, and particularly the negative perception of roundabouts held by many traffic engineers and the general public.” If this particular sentence piqued your interest, then go to Alaska Roundabouts for the history of this weird traffic management system prevalent in the northeast and obviously Alaska, where most of us think dog-sleds are the common mode of transportation.

The reason I bring this up is because at the ends of the two bridges that span the Cape Cod Canal are roundabouts or rotaries. On the summer weekends these are nothing more than parking lots with curves. Yesterday, I spent two hours sitting in traffic as I moved less than six miles from the north end of the Canal to the south end. I managed to keep my cool, worried about the cats overheating and thankfully the campsite was worth it. Road Tip: stay away from this stretch of road during summer weekends! Plan ahead if coming to the Cape. Thursdays would be good.