It was hard to believe it’d been a whole year since our last PMC weekend.
If you need a refresher… check out the posts that were published in June of 2016- including Lessons Learned.
Basically, with two 9 month old little monkeys, we had to do some fancy footwork to make the weekend happen. With the amazing help of my parents (and my cousin!), we were able to participate in the weekend, in some capacity, without leaving them for the entire weekend.
It wasn’t the PMC weekend we had spent years perfecting, but I completed my two volunteer shifts, and TT Dad pedaled his 192 miles. Weekend complete.
When it came time to register for PMC 2016, it was also time for a conversation.
Once again, my parents would end up saving the day.
They came and stayed at home with the kids (and the pup!!) while TT Dad and I had a few days to pretend we were young and free once again.
We spent one night away from the kids in June, for a wedding. This would be the second time we would leave them overnight… but it would be for 2 nights (maybe 3, if all went well!)
A whole weekend. Together. Just the two of us.
Would we make it? What would we talk about? Do we even remember how to be a couple?
We left on Friday morning, hoping to arrive in Sturbridge early enough to beat the lunch rush at BT’s Smokehouse. We love BTs, and it has become the unofficial start to our PMC weekend. We were successful, and not to worry, we found plenty to talk about. Mostly about how excited we were for this weekend.
Even with our lunch stop, I had plenty of time to pick up my shirt, nametag, and make my way to the meeting room where our volunteer orientation is held. Normally, TT Dad would check into the hotel, and do some work while I was volunteering. He’d return to the Host Hotel around the time I was finishing my volunteering, I’d register him, and he’d check out the expo, until I was done.
After I was released, we would grab dinner, and watch some of the opening ceremonies before heading back to the hotel to get some sleep for our early morning.
This is a plan that was perfected by trial and error over a number of years.
Until last year. Our perfect hotel was sold, and no longer renting to individuals over that weekend. By the time that information was relayed to us, it was too late to book a hotel anywhere else in the area. Or even close to the area. We found a hotel in Worchester, MA, which was about 20-25 minutes away.
Quite a difference from our preferred commute of one mile.
Not wanting to spend most of my volunteer shift in the car, he decided to go for a run around Sturbridge, instead of checking in to the hotel.
If you’ve been following along, you realize he had just eaten lunch. At BT’s Smokehouse. If you know TT Dad, you know this means he was probably stuffed – and he was. Running on a very full stomach almost never ends well, and this was no exception. He was sprawled out on the lawn, feeling very ill, when I found him after my shift.
Luckily, he seemed to be getting over it, so I grabbed a plate, and ate while he relaxed for a few more minutes. We didn’t stick around this time, choosing to find our new hotel, instead. About a half hour later, we found the parking garage across the street from the hotel, and checked ourselves in for the shortest hotel stay ever.
First things, first, we decided to take full advantage of being young and carefree- time to go grab some apps and drinks at the Mexican restaurant across the street (under the parking garage!) We had a couple of margaritas, and some chips and salsa/guac, and quickly remembered that we do, in fact, enjoy each other’s company! It was lovely.
Before we knew it, it was time for bed… but not for long.
3:30am comes early. We had to be on the road by 4, in order to make it to the starting line with enough time for TT Dad to put his bike together, grab a banana, and coffee, and be lined up for the start.
Per tradition, we made sure to take our pre-ride selfie! Per tradition, I think TT Dad was still sleeping, and I’m not sure I was much better!
And then they were off.
I drove to Buzzard’s Bay, MA, which sits just before the Bourne Bridge. The Mass Maritime Academy is where the first day ends, and the PMC provides a relaxing afternoon for the riders, including a lunch (pizza, hot dogs, burgers, baked potato, clam chowder, salad, the list goes on!) music, massages, and more. There are bike mechanics available, for any help necessary, and many of the riders stay on campus, allowing them to sleep in as much as possible before it’s time to get back on the bike.
I volunteer with the snacks and beverages table at the MMA. I really can’t put into words the magic of this weekend. Unless you have participated in some way, it’s impossible to describe. There is so much hope. So much love. So much good. Incredible.
We’ll get to that in another post.
Once TT Dad arrives, and has had plenty of time to enjoy the festivities, we always make our way to the hotel for him to shower and change, and then we head right back out again. We’ve learned the hard way not to let him take a nap!
Our adventures almost always include some mini-golf… and this was was no exception.
We also had dinner in Falmouth, and before we knew it, day two of our childless weekend was coming to an end. All was going well back at home, so we were urged to take our time coming home, and stay that third night. Wonderful news!
There would be one more early morning wake up for us, and TT Dad was back in the saddle.
I leave almost immediately to get to Provincetown, since I made the mistake of sleeping in one year, and it took me longer to get there by car than it did TT Dad by bike. Whoops.
Once we reunite in Provincetown, depending on our mood, we sometimes walk around, and find lunch by the water, or we get in the car and start the trek back to our hotel in Bourne.
It takes us a whlie to get back because we have a few places we stop on the way. More mini-golf. More food. More mini-golf, and more food.
It always ends up being another early night, but finally we can sleep in a bit before heading home.
PMC 2016 was simply wonderful. It had been a few years since we had been able to PMC like we used to. Luckily, it came back to us, just like riding a bike!