New Rule: Bike helmets stay in the house instead of on a shelf in the garage. Thanks to the gnawing little teeth of our resident mice, our first bike ride of the season started with a visit to Art’s Bike Shop for new helmets.

Every time I ride my bike, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. There’s something so freeing about rolling along with the wind in your face. The fact that the bike path extends out to North Falmouth has been a real bonus for us. We use the path pretty routinely as a safe, pleasant dog walking venue, but being on the bikes allowed us to travel well beyond Daisy’s endurance (and interest.)

Traveling on bikes allows access to amazing views of the Great Sippewisset Marsh. As beautiful as it is in any season and at any time of day, we’re determined to return in the late afternoon to capture the best light for pictures. I managed to take a few shots with my phone, but the best is yet to come.

Autumn on the Cape is the golden time. Heat and humidity are banished. The sky becomes a deeper, brilliant blue. Bittersweet blinks by the roadside and cranberries redden in the bogs. A time to get out the bikes; strap on the (new!) helmets and hit the trail. Or, in our case, the bike path.