Day 76 Belfast, ME-Bar Harbor, ME

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Jo Day 76 (Oct 15 = Last Day): Woke up to a frosty morning at Alex's House in Belfast, Maine.  Blue skies, but very cold!  We all enjoyed chatting with Alex and his buddy Luther this morning.  Got a text from Vince...he's a day behind us, he said he's been cranking up the heat in his motel rooms and starting later...but hopes to see us in Bar Harbor on Sunday.  Kevin, Alan and John took off for their last day of riding.  Janut, Bob and I stopped at Young's Lobster Pound for an early lunch...we had to go back to try their lobster rolls...they were giant lobster rolls...must have been stuffed with meat from about 3 lobsters!  Yummy!  Bob got a small piece of lobster, again...he's so cute, how could I refuse?  After 4 days in Maine, I think I've finally had my fill of lobster!  We drove over the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, a beautiful bridge with an observation tower.  Today was one of the few times we called the van an RV.  We drove down Main Street in Bar Harbor and couldn't find parking until we got to the end of town where there was a designated area for RV parking. Score!  We walked down the main drag and got tasty handmade ice cream (I got cinnamon cardamom and Janut got boiled coffee).  We gazed at the harbor (it was very cold - Bob was shivering so I warmed him up under my down jacket) while waiting for the guys to finish their 4,445 mile ride across the northern tier (157,280 total elevation gain).  When the guys rolled down the hill to the pier in Bar Harbor, heads turned to look at them...mostly because Janut was yelling "Jo, they're here! They're here!" The guys went to the water and dipped their front tires in the Atlantic Ocean!  This 76 day cycling adventure is over...been there, done that!  We toasted to their awesome achievement with a round of duck fart shots followed by margaritas.  And thank you to all of you for following us on our adventure, you made it fun to stay up late each night to create a slideshow and write about the day's events.  Thank you!
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Kevin Day 76-Our last day on the road. Belfast to Bar Harbor, Maine 60 miles, 3,473 elevation gain. Total miles pedaled: 4,445. Total Elevation gain: 157, 280 feet (that's almost 30 miles up!) ( all mileage and feet gained per Garmin Edge Explore 1000 GPS and RideWithGPS.com.). Another great day on the road. A leisurely start to the day, enjoying coffee with our host Alex-by the warm fireplace! It was a chilly morning with frost on the bikes, so we waited for things to warm up a bit. Blue skies and no wind made for pleasant riding, even though the temperature never made it above 44'. We rode on US Hwy 1 ( the Atlantic Coast Highway) 38 miles to Ellsworth and along the way crossed the Penobscot Narrows Bridge (opened in 2006) a unique cable stay bridge with a single row of stays down the middle of the bridge. In Ellsworth we stopped for lunch at Finns Irish pub, had some good food, a couple of beers. One local at the bar was impressed with our ride and bought us all a beer. After lunch we had only 22 miles left to ride, and soon we arrived at Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor is a zoo! It looks like Roche Harbor on San Juan Island on mega-steroids! People and cars everywhere! Janet, Jo, and Bob the beagle met us by the city pier, and we dipped our front tires in the Atlantic Ocean. We took 5 days off during the trip, so we rode 71 of the 76 days, for an average daily mileage of 62.6. Our longest day was 102 miles, our shortest 27. It will feel odd tomorrow morning without getting on the bike! I'm already thinking of where the next ride will be. I'll post some additional observations about the ride later.

Day 76 - Belfast to Bar Harbor - and Done!

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161015-1003
Ride Time: 4:24:57
Stopped Time: 2:33:57
Distance: 60.06 miles
Average: 13.60 mph
Fastest Speed: 36.91 mph
Ascent: 2227
Descent: 2343
Calories: 3194

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 75 Nobleboro, ME-Belfast, ME

Kevin Day 75 Nobleboro to Belfast, ME. 46 miles. A short day today! Clear skies greeted us this morning as we left our camp at the Duck Puddle Campground. First stop of the day was at the factory and showroom of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren. We spent some time and some money here, and I exercised restraint and kept my purchases to under $200. From Warren we stayed on the ACA route until Camden, where we stopped at the Sea Dog Brewing company for lunch and a beer. Along the way we had really nice riding and saw a small herd of Belted Galloway cattle. We also reached the Atlantic Ocean today. Camden is a very attractive city, but very busy. Must be due in part to it being peak leaf peeping time! After lunch, we left the ACA route upon the advice of Alex, our host for tonight. He is a cyclist also, and after getting clipped by trucks twice on Route 52, he believes the ACA route is more dangerous than the busier Route 1. Turns out the ride on 1 was quite good. When we arrived in Belfast, our day's destination, we found the Front Street Pub-a locals place and relaxed with a beer. Janet and Jo were across the bay eating lobster, so we were on our own for dinner and ate there at the pub. We had good conversations with the locals, including Walter, a 25 year lobster fishing veteran. We learned all kinds of stuff about the trade! A quick ride took us to Alex's house where he provides camping, bathrooms and showers for traveling cyclists. Alex is an interesting guy, and loves to talk. Fast cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and a bad divorce have been the main topics of conversation so far. We will see what the morning brings! Haha. Tomorrow is our last day on this ride. Another 60 miles or so, and we will dip out front wheels in the Atlantic, marking the end to this part of the adventure, and the beginning of another!

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JO Day 75 (Oct 14): After a rainy night we woke up to a bright sunny morning at the Duck Puddle Campground on Pemaquid Lake in Nobleboro, Maine. Alan and John pitched their tents under the red pavilion last night...it's nice to have a solid roof over your head when it's raining...and it's nice to wake up to bright blue skies. We were parked under the oak trees so in addition to the rain drops we occasionally heard loud "pings" from the falling acorns...loud enough to wake me up! Last night John couldn't remember where we had started from that day, but he said he felt much better when no one else could remember either! LOL. Kevin, Alan and John took off for their 46 mile ride today. This morning when I was taking pictures, one of them was either bending down or looking down, so it took four tries to get my group picture. Sheesh, you'd think after 74 days they'd know the paparazzi routine. Today was the first time Janut and Bob saw the Atlantic Ocean. We enjoyed more spectacular fall colors along the road. Janut and I ate lobster rolls at The Zach Shack in Thomaston, Maine. They were good, but nothing special (are we becoming lobster roll connoisseurs?). We drove through the town of Camden, a cute looking coastal town but the awful traffic made you want to high tail it outta there...so that's exactly what we did. The guys said they'd be at Alex's House in Belfast, Maine at 4:30pm, so we had an hour to kill. We decided to drive around Belfast and look for...look for...lobster rolls! I found a place called Young's Lobster Pound that wasn't too far away, just on the other side of the bay. We talked to a man in line and it turns out it's where the locals go for lobster. The first floor has the fresh seafood tanks and giant boil pot and picnic tables outside, the second floor has picnic tables inside and outside. Instead of lobster rolls, we decided to get 2 boiled fresh whole lobsters (1-1/4 lb each)...we watched them take our lobsters out of the tank. We told Kevin, Alan and John that they were on their own for dinner! Hahaha. Our lobsters were mmm...mmm...good! John ate lobster rolls for both lunch and dinner today, what a riot! We are staying at Alex's House tonight in Belfast, Maine. Alex has opened up his house and yard to traveling cyclists. He's a really nice guy with a gray coon cat named Misty. Alex has many stories and talents (army medic during the Vietnam War, woodworker, mechanic, formula fords & 5000 race car driver, cyclist, motorcycle dude, etc). Alex, we thank you for your hospitality and generosity! Vince: Where are you? Vince was going to try to meet us here tonight, I hope Vince makes it to Bar Harbor this weekend. Our last night is a chilly one, we are all bundled up...might even get frost in the morning. Bar Harbor, here we come!



 

Day 75 - Nobleboro to Belfast

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161014-0904
Ride Time: 3:48:44
Stopped Time: 6:20:50
Distance: 46.53 miles
Average: 12.21 mph
Fastest Speed: 35.10 mph
Ascent: 1917
Descent: 1868
Calories: 2388

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 74 - Naples to Nobleboro

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161013-0838
Ride Time: 6:59:30
Stopped Time: 2:21:50
Distance: 91.65 miles
Average: 13.11 mph
Fastest Speed: 37.91 mph
Ascent: 3127
Descent: 3262
Calories: 4833

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 74 Naples, ME-Nobleboro, ME

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Jo Day 74 (Oct 13): Cloudy morning at the KOA in Naples, Maine. John was carrying his tent...looked more like a spaceship or wave runner. Kevin, Alan and John took off for what they thought was going to be a 77 mile ride today...but it turned into a 91 mile ride due to construction detours and inadequate Adventure Cycling Association map info. Vince took off with a running start (he's fully loaded, although he said he lightened his load and gave away some books he never read and sunglasses he never wore)...we saw him along the road double checking the route on his ACA map. We hope to see Vince in Belfast and/or Bar Harbor (he is trying to pace himself with 60 mile days)...we think he might have underestimated his remaining miles. The fall colors in Maine are simply beautiful. We stopped at Runaround Pond (City of Durham), had lunch (yummy leftovers), and watched the leaves fall off the trees when the wind blew by. While driving through Brunswick, we saw "Cameron's Lobster House", so we stopped to try their lobster roll. We weren't very hungry after eating lunch 45 minutes earlier, but we had to try their lobster roll. We said we'd just share one lobster roll but we couldn't decide between the hot or cold lobster roll, so we got one of each! Janut liked the hot (lobster sautéed in butter on a toasted buttered roll), I liked the traditional cold (lobster with mayo on a toasted buttered bun). And yes, we still want to eat more lobster rolls! The lobster roll we ate yesterday at the Maine Lobster Express in Bridgton, Maine is still our #1 pick (they will be hard to beat). There was a lot of road construction and detour signs that went nowhere in the town of Bath. We where happy to get out of that area. We have a campsite at the Duck Puddle Campground on Pemaquid Lake in Nobleboro, Maine. A nice size lake...it looked like it was going to be a pretty sunset, but the rain clouds rolled in and the sky turned gray. It started to rain during dinner (we made a tasty chicken enchilada casserole in the slow cooker - the latch on the slow cooker broke, so we keep the lid closed with a nylon strap...only gonna replace it if it stops working). Alan and John pitched their tents under the pavilion, so they should stay relatively dry, plus the rain is subsiding. Only two more days left...bitter sweet!

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Kevin Day 74 Naples to Nobleboro, ME 91 miles, 5527' gain. Today's ride is best summarized by the word hilly. Lots of ups and downs, and some quite steep. Lots of 10% climbs, some at 14%, and a couple at 15%. The day started out fine-relatively warm and dry, albeit under gray overcast skies. Riding was fine; at mile 24 we stopped for our second breakfast. Trying to navigate through Brunswick and find the Androscoggin River Bike Path was a challenge; the ACA detail map was almost useless. After finding our way to the path, the next challenge was the road closure of Old Bath Road. The signs said local traffic only, and all other previous road closures we had successfully got through, we went around the barricades. At the construct site, a surly and completely unhelpful road worker told us to turn around. We pled our case, he was unmoved. He said take the detour-we said there was not a marked detour. He just grumbled, and did not offer any suggestions for a workaround. So we turned and retraced our steps. We asked a couple of local people about alternates-one answer was literally"take that road and then the other one". We figured out a way around Bath, and then figured out a way through the road construction on the US Hwy 1 bridge over the Androscoggin River. What a mess! With time spent routefinding and riding detours, we knew our ride was gonna be extended beyond the planned 77 miles. Turns out our day was 91 miles long! We rode 67 miles without a break! Tommorow should be a short day: Not quite 50 miles are planned, and a stop at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren too! That should be fun! Saturday should be only 60 miles or so to Bar Harbor, our endpoint.
 

Day 73 Conway, NH-Naples, ME

Kevin Day 73 Conway, NH to Naples, Maine. 48 miles. Our last state! A fairly uneventful ride, with nice weather. We are riding through the Lakes Region of Maine, and it was hilly, with lots of ups and downs. I didn't take many photos today, I was I lazy. More tomorrow. Tonight's campsite is at the Naples Campground KOA, where the owner Conrad is very friendly and told us all about his self-fabricated smoker/cooker/steamer that can hold 140 1 1/2lb lobsters! Tomorrows ride is to Damariscotta.

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Jo Day 73 (Oct 12): Bright sunny chilly morning at the Eastern Slope Camping Area. Kevin, Alan and John took off for their easy 40 mile ride. In the Pacific Northwest we would say that that they are dressed in bright safety colors: green, yellow, orange, red, etc. However, here in the New England area, they are dressed in camouflage because they blend in well with the fall colors! We told them that they should wear bright fluorescent pink so they can be seen better on the road. It wasn't long until we left New Hampshire and crossed over the Saco River and entered Maine. Janut, Bob and I enjoyed the sunshine and the fall colors. As we drove through Bridgton, Maine, Janut spotted the "Lobster" sign and woke me up (I told her that the first place that we see that has lobster rolls, we're stopping). So Janut turned the van around and parked it at the "Maine Lobster Express". We waited in line for our fresh Maine lobster rolls...OMG...they were yummy tasty...we hope to devour another one tomorrow! Might even have to try a crab roll, too! Bob really liked the lobster, too! Bob wanted more...sorry Bob, you only get the lobster that falls on the ground! We kept seeing Dunkin' Donuts in about every state, so we finally stopped for a donut & cup of coffee...a nice break in the afternoon. We met the guys at the KOA in Naples, Maine. We have a nice sunny campsite close to the showers and laundry. Alan got the folding chairs down, but most of them were a little stinky from getting wet while stored on top of the van. So the folding chairs got a nice "airing out" in the sunshine this afternoon. Vince rode up...just in time for dinner - taco night (he times his arrival quite well, hahaha). We were glad that he made it. Another night of witty conversations and reflections of highlights during the past 73 days. Only three more days left of our 2016 northern tier by bike (and van) adventure. Looking forward to more lobster rolls! Yum! Hmm, I wonder how many I'll eat in the next three days?

Day 73 - Conway to Naples

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161012-0902
Ride Time: 3:40:54
Stopped Time: 2:23:11
Distance: 47.86 miles
Average: 13.00 mph
Fastest Speed: 43.28 mph
Ascent: 1363
Descent: 1353
Calories: 2564

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 72 Orford, NH-Conway, NH

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Jo Day 72 (Oct 11):  Frosty morning at the Pastures Campground in Orford, NH.  There was frost on the bikes and tents!  36* outside, 46* inside.  Kevin turned on the heater in the van and it warmed up to a toasty 65* inside the van. Outside warmed up slowly, very slowly.  Everyone welcomed the sunshine. Alan stood guard as the sun dried his tent.  Super John wore his red jersey like a cape.  My long down jacket is warmer than my 25 year old sleeping bag, LOL!  Kevin, Alan and John took off for their 78 mile ride.  Not much sightseeing today.  We pulled into the viewpoints and took pictures of the fall colors,  a couple rivers and water falls...we saw the guys on the road quite a bit today.  We had beautiful blue skies!  It actually got pretty warm, we didn't need our jackets when we walked the streets of Woodstock, NH.  The guys had lunch at the Truants Taverne and Restaurant in Woodstock, NH.  Janut and I ate sliced cheese and bread in the van...we are very thrifty!  We are camping at the Eastern Slope Camping Area in Conway, NH.  They charged us $75.99 for a campsite...geez, for $75.99 we should get a cabin with a view...instead we got a view of the lawn and the shower doors at the bathhouse closest to us are zip-tied shut.  What a joke!  I guess the joke is on us because we paid for it.  We enjoyed a tasty dinner at the Black Cap and had a fun time talking to the bartender and Nancy and Steve, a really nice couple from Boston.  The weather is improving, it won't be as cold as last night...thank goodness for that!
Jo's video 

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Kevin Day 72 - 10/11/16: Orford to Conway, NH. 77 miles, 5,071' gain. A cold morning start-frost on the bikes, but sunny and clear. The first couple hours on the bike were pretty chilly-frozen toes! We stopped for coffee in North Haverhill, then off towards the Kancamagus Highway. Rolling terrain, blue skies and near peak color on the trees. A pretty good climb before North Woodstock ( fairly consistent6-8% grades for nearly 1500 of gain), and a fast descent into North Woodstock for lunch at Truants Taverne- a funky place down in a basement. After lunch we rode through the tourist/ski town on Lincoln and the climb of Kancamagus Pass begins right away. It was a beautiful ride through a corridor of fall color-and lots of car traffic because of it. The climb itself wasn't too difficult; maybe because we have ridden over 4000 miles to get to this point? Some great views along the way-probably great hiking too. Soon we were at the summit, and another long fast descent towards Conway. There are some nice looking crags around Conway that look like good rock climbing. Tonight we are camped at private RV park just outside Conway-with crazy stupid pricing-$75 for the night! But options are limited this time of year. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant- good food and good conversation with some folks from Boston. Today we passed our last mountain hurdle of the trip, tomorrow we enter Maine, and expect to be in Bar Harbor on Saturday.

Day 72 - Orford to Conway

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161011-0925
Ride Time: 5:54:53
Stopped Time: 2:49:10
Distance: 77.47 miles
Average: 13.10 mph
Fastest Speed: 37.23 mph
Ascent: 4447
Descent: 4258
Calories: 4076

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 71 Hancock, VT-Orford, NH

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 Day 71 (Oct 10): Cold cold morning at The Gathering Inn in Hancock, Vermont. We bundled up and walked over to the Old Hancock Hotel for breakfast at 8:10am (that's 8am-ish). Not open. So we waited outside, more hungry customers arrived so we talked to them while we waited. At about 8:25am the owner/chef/server arrived to let the crowd in. She was very nice and appreciated our patience. We waited an hour to get our blueberry pancakes, but they were delicious! We gave goodbye thank you hugs to Kathleen at The Gathering Inn, she is one special lady...the world needs more Kathleens! John was a fashion diva this morning, with his fancy hairdo and flash dance tights! Kevin, Alan and John took off for their chilly 67 mile ride today. Janut, Bob and I saw the birthplace of Joseph Smith (the Mormon prophet)...there is a tall granite shaft monument and a church...the message on the sign when you leave the park says "Thank you. We hope your visit was worth-while". Seems funny to say that. We saw Vince riding up a hill (he made it to our campground tonight, and joined us for dinner and witty conversation). We drove through a covered bridge on Tucker Hill Rd in Vermont (yay, we fit!). We passed the guys on the road and then crossed over the Connecticut River on a bridge and left Vermont and entered New Hampshire. But there was no "Welcome to New Hampshire" sign so we found another bridge and went back over to Vermont (we needed to get fuel and ice anyway). We crossed over the Connecticut River (again) on a bridge that had a "Welcome to New Hampshire" sign on the other side (we wanted a picture, and there was a big fat black cat next to the sign that came over to us and purred and rubbed against our legs...I think he wanted a ride in the sprinter van). We have a campsite along the Connecticut River at the Pastures Campground in Orford, NH. John's bike tights fell down so he had to show off his flash dance moves! There is a frost warning tonight, so we are layering and bundling up...burrrrr! Thank you Kevin for man-sewing the insulated curtains!
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Kevin Day 71Hancock, VT to Orford, New Hampshire 58 miles, 3,378 feet gain. This morning started with breakfast at the Old Hancock Hotel restaurant-last night we are dinner there, and asked when they opened for breakfast - the reply was "8ish". 8ish in Vermont is around 8:30, and service was less than speedy, so we finished breakfast and got on the road about 10. A chilly 38* start with a brisk north breeze of about 10mph. Skies were blue- a beautiful fall day! The miles went quickly and soon we were at the bottom of the day's big climb between Sharon VT and South Strafford-about 1,500 feet-a couple pitches at 14%, but not too bad overall. We bought some sandwiches at the general store and ate them outside, soaking up the warmth of the sun-high temps were in the mid 40's today. Then on to the towns of Thetford Center, Thetford Hill, and East Thetford. The climb to Thetford Hill was probably a mile or so of 8%, then down to East Thetford, the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire. A few miles of great riding along River Road brought us to tonight's campsite in Orford. The forecast calls for a low temp of 31' tonight-it will be chilly tomorrow morning when we start the day. The Kancamagus Highway and pass is tomorrow's ride.

Day 71 - Hancock to Orford

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161010-1001
Ride Time: 4:29:40
Stopped Time: 1:23:08
Distance: 59.02 miles
Average: 13.13 mph
Fastest Speed: 46.13 mph
Ascent: 2184
Descent: 2665
Calories: 3158

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 70 - Hague to Hancock

Explorer Link: http://cyclemeter.com/a0571f7a21831ccb/Cycle-20161009-0825
Ride Time: 4:11:04
Stopped Time: 4:27:34
Distance: 47.64 miles
Average: 11.39 mph
Fastest Speed: 39.35 mph
Ascent: 2914
Descent: 2359
Calories: 2396

http://www.cyclemeter.com

Day 70 Hague, NY-Hancock, VT

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 Day 70 (Oct 9): Very chilly morning at Rogers Rock Campground in Ticonderoga, NY. John and I looked at the reflection in the van window, it looked like we were on the Haunted House ride at Disneyland. There was a false start for Kevin, Alan and John....they rode about 20 feet but had to turn back because Kevin had a flat tire. Kevin fixed his tire and off they went for their 48 mile ride today. Janut, Bob and I sat in the Walmart parking lot for about 2.5 hours...again...good cell phone connection to secure campgrounds and motels and to buy groceries (Janut bought a bunch of mini pies...looks like we could open our own pie shop!). Vince rode up to the van in the Walmart parking lot to say hello, and we saw his famous "bike security system" in action = Vince dries his underwear by hanging it on his handlebars...he figures no one would want to touch them or ride off with a bike that has underwear hanging from the handlebars! We crossed over the Lake Champlain Bridge leaving NY and entering Vermont. The old 1929 bridge (cost $929,627.06) closed in Jan 2010, and the new bridge (cost $80 million) opened in Nov 2011. The new bridge has five foot wide shoulders to accommodate bicycles and farm equipment. The fall colors seem to be on the tail end in Vermont (lots of trees with no leaves left). We saw the woods where the poet Robert Frost liked to walk. We arrived in Hancock, Vermont about mid-afternoon and found the guy's bikes outside of the Old Hancock Hotel (est 1788). Our camp spot was just around the corner...The Gathering Inn, right off Cemetery Rd. Alan and John are sharing a room, while Kevin, Janut, Bob and I are in the van right next to the cemetery...our view from the van is quite nice...a hill of fall colors. The Inn has chickens and ducks...they had to check out the van to see what all the commotion was about down by the cemetery. They stared at the van for a while, then decided the big stone gray thing with four wheels was not a threat and waddled about their merry way. We walked to the Old Hancock Hotel for dinner...very tasty...can't be in a hurry to eat there, but very tasty. We asked what time breakfast started...the waitress said "uh, 8am-ish?" We'll go back for breakfast at 8am-ish...hopefully we'll eat before noon!
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