I'M PEDALING IT ALL OVER TOWN

Even though Nantucket is a tourist destination for the summer, or a week, or sometimes just for the weekend for many people, their road signs are a joke. If you are driving a car, you come to countless intersections that have no signs indicating what road you are on or are about to turn onto. Maybe it is a New Englandism, or a matter of "my grandfathah didn't need roads signs", or maybe they find it quaint. BUT, when it comes to bicycling, they have those routes beautifully marked and have maps up the wazoo. The first thing you see after you get off the ferry is a few shops and a branch of Nantucket Bike Shop...walk another 100 yards and there are three more bike shops, two more branches of Nantucket Bike, and another. "Young's." Considering the numbers of people that have to deal with daily, I have NEVER heard a discouraging word come out of the mouths of any of the employees in either shop. Do yourself a favor and rent a bike from one of these places. Nantucket rents Specialized, and Giant, and Young's has TREK and Cannondale. A guy named Richard works at the Nantucket Bike Shop. He is a free spirit who has been all over the world following the perfect wave. As you rent a bike from him, ask him about Bora Bora.

The third generation owner of Young's, Harvey Young, is there all the time and also has good attitude. His entire staff goes out of their way to be helpful and there are no frowns seen anywhere. I bought my Bell Helmet from "Noah, like the guy in the Bible." When you talk to these folks, note that folks who work in and around bike shops are not only into physicality themselves, but tend to be smarter and more inquisitive than the average bear. Be sure to get Young's bike and road map of the island, it's the best and it's free. There is a nice coffee shop on Broad street, that separates the two bike shops. You can get a cup of hi-test there for under 2 dollars. Speaking of hi=test, Young's also rents scooters and jeeps if you are too lazy to pedal your own bike or you want to drive on the sand.

Now about that driving in the sand thing. All the real Nantucket people who have 4 wheel drives and particularly Wranglers, have permits to drive on the beach or sand or both. The Oversand permit lets you drive out on a long spit of sand that is basically a big sandbar that protects Nantucket Harbor. Jeep rentals usually include this permit already on the vehicle. The locals let the air out of their tires so that the sand traction is improved, then pump it back up when they get back on the road. The other permit, the driving on the beach one is gradually getting worthless as the areas you can drive get more and more restricted.