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?