Out-of-season cycling

A clear Indian summer day with temperatures in the low 70s and hardly a breeze was forecast for the flat, rolling ride. In the morning, as the school buses rolled, Rockport's Front Beach attracted walkers with coffee cups and canine companions. A tad cool with low humidity, the time was right for about a 25-mile cruise around Cape Ann, with its rocky shores, salt marshes, maritime memorials, fisherman's shacks, and painters' easels. The way winds past ornate summer homes of Eastern Point and working-class digs of Gloucester, by Halibut Point's ledges by the sea, Rocky Neck's galleries, and Bearskin Neck's tiny shops. Sheltered coves and beaches dominate the panoramas where artist and aquaculture meet.

Drive around the cape in about an hour. Better yet, take a full day by bike along Routes 127, 127A, and local roads. Posted speed limits are relatively low and on a bicycle, resident parking restrictions don't mean much.

The curving road around the cape's northern edge leads to Halibut Point State Park and its plunging cliffs. No campgrounds here, just 440-million-year-old granite ledges and tidal pools for exploration. Off the coast, boats cut through the Atlantic. Self-guided trails lead around the Babson Farm Quarry, which was open until 1929. The visitors center houses interpretive displays, and in winter, seabirds feed offshore. Waves slap the shores. The air feels rich with salt. This is off-the-beaten-path at its best.

Travel a few miles of undulating hills with tree cover before taking the downhill on Leonard Street to the village of Annisquam, with its war memorial and historical society. Experience its charm from the wooden pedestrian bridge over the Annisquam River in Lobster Cove. Stand by the boats and perhaps find the same inspiration that guided writer Rudyard Kipling and artist Winslow Homer, both of whom spent time here.

Annisquam can mean complacency for a cyclist, but iron will is needed for the ride into Gloucester around a rotary and on busy Washington Street. On this day, not only did motorists yield in the traffic circle, they also stopped and waved two cyclists by.

Gloucester's seawall is part of the appeal for visitors.