Jamestown Loop

The only thing disappointing about this ride is the distance. I looked at someone elseʻs route on Strava and quickly read "38 miles", and thought to myself, "thatʻs the perfect distance for todayʻs ride" because hopefully Iʻm going on a long mountain bike ride tomorrow. Come to find out, as I reread the other persons upload, the 38 miles was 2 laps! Oh well, my legs are now extra fresh for tomorrowʻs ride. Yes, I could have gone another lap, but it was mid day and pushing temps in the low 90ʻs. I definitely will come back to this ride now that itʻs familiar and do multiple laps another time, in cooler weather.

Itʻs a nice island ride, but not quite the same as my favorite ride in Seattle - Vashon Island. It actually had more of a Mercer Island feel with the amazing waterfront homes and lots of them. Despite the profile, I consider this a flat ride with a few nice inclines worth working hard for. Itʻs fairly exposed, mostly on the West side so heat is a factor. Road conditions range from newly paved to horrible. Thankfully the horrible is fairly limited to the Northwest side, but then is quickly followed by the newly paved. Shoulder widths also range, but never a problem. Traffic was only noticeable around the town of Jamestown.

The highlight of this ride is Beavertail State Park on the South end. An absolutely beautiful park on the edge of the rocky coastline and stunning views out into the Atlantic Ocean. There is plenty of space for picnics and exploring on the rocks. Thereʻs a beautiful old lighthouse and a naturalist on hand to answer questions. A really cool place - it really reminded me of Maine. There were really nice sights throughout this ride - killer homes, cool farms, marshes with eagles, beaches, and Jamestown harbor.

When we were shopping for homes, we considered living on Jamestown but cost and the fact that I cannot ride my bike across the bridge made the decision for us. At least I now know itʻs a great place to ride and only a 10 min drive away.