Newburyport to Salem, Massachusetts


Our morning started off sharing sweet memories of yesterday’s ride.  While today couldn’t be better, it was almost as great.  Our B&B included breakfast and we were greeted by Catlin, our lovely and charming innkeeper. She provided several fresh fruit choices (in yogurt or plain), yogurt, breads and muffins, and poached eggs with a hollandaise sauce.  We ignored all the cereals, and other stuff except for the coffee.  We met her 5 year old daughter and 4 year old son. It was tough leaving there.  


We quickly arrived on a trail that took us out of town.  However, it took us a long time to cycle that short trail.  The first mile must have had 20 sculptures and other artsy things.  It was full of trail art and Joe wanted a picture of each item.  No sooner did we get off the trail and onto the road, we came across a classic car restoration shop.  More pictures were taken of the cars, trucks, and hot rods.  Our first 4 miles took us 40 minutes.  Another day of smelling the roses.  It wasn’t much later that we stopped at a lake with dozens of swans, thus more pictures.    The terrain so far was gentle with slight ascents and descents.


We had another “art” stop before we got onto the trails that took us to Salem.  This artist created neat things out of propane tanks and other junk.  Our pictures provide a panorama of the display as well as focused shots of some of our favorites.


Overall, about half the day was spent on trails.  The first was only 200 feet long but was not much more than a goat trail.  We had to walk our bikes down a steep decline to get on it and then walk our bikes up a steep incline to get back on the road.  The long trail was a network of connecting trails that ranged from single track to asphalt surfaces.


Once we got to Salem, our good fortune ended.  We had to cycle on some roads that had heavy traffic and were in terrible condition.  It was hard to cycle along the edge of the road because of the rough conditions but we could not move to the smoother surface because of the traffic.  While this lasted just a few miles, it was very unpleasant.  We have a hotel in the heart of downtown (yes, it was very expensive) that was convenient for a walking tour of its historic sites.  Many of the homes dated to the 1700 and 1800s but seemed out of place with the electrical wires and automobiles parked in front.  In addition there were many “witch” related things to see.  The town seems to have commercialized this aspect with the many shops selling witch related items. Joe took many pictures, but the highlight of our walk was the ice cream shop that called us to enter and partake.


Today's Map

Trip Map

Trip Bike Pictures

Salem Walking Tour Pictures

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