Day 62. Bath to Brown's Cove, ME

 

THE FINISH LINE - BROWNS COVE, BRISTOL, MAINE

I had great couple of nights at my brother's and sister-in-law's.  Most of the time was spent visiting and catching up.  Syd (my niece) and her two children were there which was a bonus.  Tuesday I visited my mom in rehab in Portland.  She is making a slow and steady recovery from her hip fracture.  Wednesday morning came, time for the final push to the finish line. 

I left Paul & Nancy's and went to the little kicker's soccer practice for Lindsay's (Sydney's sister) kids.  Small doses of "new" things is a part of my reentry process.  After practice I crossed the Kennebec River bridge in Bath before getting onto back roads from Bath to Wiscassett.  The backroad traffic was minimal in part due to road construction so the ride was great!

Bath Iron Works, a naval contractor.

Woolwich Town Hall

Wiscassett to Damariscotta was on busy Route 1, but the shoulder was wide and the distance short.  I needed to pick up a gift at local distillery on RT 1, courtesy of friends at Gray & Osborne!  Thank you!  Next town Damariscotta, the local "metropolis" for us.

Damariscotta

As I was crossing the bridge my sister called.  She and my brother-in-law were in town, and tracking me on my Garmin.  We had a lovely lunch together on the river waterfront.  On to the bike for the last 10 mile push.  My Garmin (Ralph) went "dark".  No more communication between Ralph & Alice (RidewithGPS on my phone).

The finish line 

The greeting party 

The Wheel dip

The Swim

The Conclusion

The sermon on the Deck

The view from where I will be for the next couple of months

The Final 500  video link

 

Lessons learned:

1. With few exceptions everyone I met was kind, considerate and nice.  This trip renewed my faith that we all have much more in common than not. This trip renewed my hope that the USA is fundamentally a good place full of good people.   
2. Unplugging from politics was wonderful and a great stress reducer. (Maybe we could send the political talking heads out into the countryside, unplug them, and the USA would be better off.) 
3. I lived on my bike for 2 1/2 months.  We really don't need all the things we think we need.  I started with about 40 lbs of gear.  I shed about 10 lbs in Missoula and did not miss it at all.
4. A good bike and GREAT TIRES, are essential.  I have a Surly disc-trucker, and once I got new tires in Montana (an upgrade from the stock tires that came with the bike) I had zero flats.

To all of those who supported me on this trip, thank you.  You support kept me going.  To all of you who rode with me, thanks for keeping me going.  To my wife, Nancy, your unflagging support, especially when I had my doubts, kept me going.  Thank you for having faith in my ability to complete this trip, even when I did not.

Last plea for donations.  As of this writing I have raised $9,175 for the Granite Falls Food Bank.  If you have not contributed, now is your last chance.  I would love to get the donations into the 5 figure range, i.e. $10,000 or more.  Thank you for your support. Links below.

Granite Falls Community Coalition & Food Bank

Pledge to Food Bank.

By the numbers:
Number of States - 13 - Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Dist 38.8 miles
Elev Gain 2,528 ft
Elev Loss 2, 607 ft
Moving Time 3:22

Total Dist 3,955.3 
Total Elev Gain 114,352
Total Elev Loss 112,688 (I guess the Atlantic Ocean is higher than the Pacific)
Total Moving Time 323:43 

Total Pedal Revolutions 970,840 (estimated)
(Based on 60 RPM and some coasting - 3000 rev/hr)

Day 61. Peaks Island, Portland to Bath, ME

BATH MAINE & FAMILY

I had a great night with Jean on Peak’s Island overlooking Portland Harbor. I believe the salt air acted like a sleeping pill for me. I was out cold with no interruptions all night. These “friend/family of friend” connections across the country, and Warm Showers, have made this trip much more enjoyable and interesting, and are truly appreciated.

I left Peaks Island on the 8:15 ferry for the 20 min ride across the harbor in the mist. The Eagle, the Coast Guard’s square rigger was parked at the waterfront.

After a rather bad cup of coffee, and somewhat stale doughnut, I pushed on along the waterfront eventually arriving in Falmouth an hour or so later to visit a good friend, Dick Henriques' mom (See day 56). After a cup of tea and a nice chat it was time to put in some miles and get a good chunk of the day’s ride done. 

The countryside was mostly rural residential with some corn fields and nautical related businesses: marinas, boat yards, sailmakers, etc. occasionally there were peep holes views of the bay between homes and through trees. Rolling hills dominated the terrain.

I arrived in Brunswick, home of Bowdoin College around 2:30. Bowdoin is a highly rated D3 college.

Arts Building

On campus Chapel

College offices, may have been a sea captain’s home?

Onward into town stopping at the Little Dog Cafe, where one of my nieces, Sydney, worked for awhile, then the final push to Bath.

Biking around the corner on the bike trail and surprise, my brother & sister-in-law were waiting to escort me the final 10 miles to their house!

I am now feeling quite content after a good dinner and chat with Paul, Nancy and Sydney, and with Syd’s two young kids (4 yr and 8 mo) keeping us (Ok not me so much, the joys of being an uncle) fully occupied.

This trip has pretty much been all consuming for me. Get up, get going, bike all day with a few stops, shower, dinner, review/revise the next day’s route, write the blog, go to bed, rinse, repeat.  The blog has been great for me to help my addled brain remember all the places I have been, the people I have met and the highs and lows of the trip.

Now (after Wednesday) onto a new chapter of life, which I have yet to figure out. In the immediate future is helping to take care of my mom as she recovers from her hip fracture.  

Lay-day tomorrow (Tuesday). Final ride on Wednesday. Next, and final, post likely Thursday.

Stay well and don’t get COVID.

By the numbers:
Dist - 42.1 Miles
Elev Gain - 1,915 ft
Elev Loss - 1.856 ft
Moving Time 3:59

Total Miles 3,917
Est miles remaining 34. (Original estimate 3,765 miles)

Day 60 Exeter NH to Peaks Island, Portland, ME

 THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!

I had a pleasant evening with Davis and family. I spent most of the evening reading to his 4 year old daughter and then we helped each other remember the story of Cinderella, which I somehow - for awhile - confused with Beauty and the Beast. We sorted through it though.

Up early and on the road before 7 for the ride to Portland. My route took me by the Exeter School Boathouse. Here I had my first glimpse of saltwater from the Atlantic on a tidal estuary. This was unexpected but somehow fitting that it happened at a boathouse.

The ride was quite nice mostly on back roads and Rails to Trails. Eventually I came upon this sign. Enter the last state on this trip.

I picked up the Maine Eastern Bike Trail No. 1 at the  state line and rode it all the way to Portland. Very nice. The ocean came closer and closer as the ride progressed. 

Salt Marsh south of Portland

I stopped for lunch at a local market - lesson relearned from yesterday (eat & drink). As I was getting back on the path I noticed this road sign, which I thought appropriate.

Eventually I arrived in Portland about 3:30. I spent an hour visiting with my mom at New England Rehab where she is recovering from a broken hip sustained last week. Fortunately she had a life pendant, which summoned 911. She asked how I thought my rentry into “normal” life would be. That is a work in progress.

I am staying tonight with a friend on Peaks Island in Portland Harbor. As I was riding through Portland I was stopped at red light, traffic to my left, sidewalk to my right. A bad drug deal goes down and a fight breaks out a few feet away. I ran the red light to get out of there - welcome back to City life!

A couple of views of Portland Harbor

Onward tomorrow, no wheel dip yet!

By the numbers:
Dist 76.8 miles
Elev Gain 2,958 ft
Elev Loss 2,984 ft
Moving Time 6:52
Total miles to date 3,874 miles

Est miles remaining. 73 
Original predicted miles 3,765

Day 59 Hancock to Exeter, NH

RAILS TO TRAILS, BONKING

Yesterday’s lay-day was wonderful. I was with Harry, Nina and Emily (uncle, aunt and cousin). Emily lives in London so it was icing on the cake for her to be there. We had a morning swim and an afternoon kayak on Lake Nubanusit, a quintessential New Hampshire lake. On the sunny afternoon kayak outing we found blueberries, hanging from the vine like bunches of little grapes, overhanging the lake edge.  Nothing like getting your fill of fresh blueberries without ever getting out of the kayak.

I left Hancock about 8:45 and was on back roads for the first third of the trip. The Goffstown Rails to Trails (RTT) started about 20 miles into the trip. Like other RTT in NH it was a gravel trail. 

The trail carried me to Manchester NH where I crossed the Merrimack River. The Merrimack used to power many mills, mostly textile mills particularly in Lowell Mass, a bit further downstream. From the 1820s until the Civil War, Lowell was the textile capital of the country, at great environmental cost to the river. Link below.

Merrimack River

The Merrimack in Manchester

Since this was a Saturday I reverted to what I used to do on Saturdays and listened to Car Talk, a former NPR radio show. Unfortunately it is no longer on; I did enjoy it. Link below.

Car Talk

After Manchester, which I passed through about noon, I was on the Rockingham RTT, more gravel and a bit rougher, but the steel steed handled it just fine. 

There were a couple of low clearance underpasses, about 5’6”, which required a very stooped walk.

A problem with the RTT is that many towns are bypassed by a short distance, perhaps a few blocks. But since these small towns are only a few blocks long, I miss them. Upshot - I ride on promising myself to stop for a bite to eat at the next town; didn’t happen.

Today’s high temp 88. Humidity, “way high” compared to the west. Around mile 55, recognizing I was tired and bonking, and had had nothing to eat since breakfast but some M&Ms and not much to drink I stopped. Leaning against the power pole I noticed it was spinning. 

Warren haven’t you learned ANYTHING?? You must eat and drink! 

Fortunately I had some Gatorade (though I should have drunk it long ago) and homemade granola (thank you Sally!). After a bit of a break the pole stopped spinning and I continued on to Exeter and the home of Marshall and Becky, classmates at Harvard and ‘76 Henley boat mate. Their son Davis, his wife and grandchildren were here, great to (re)meet some of the family.

By the numbers:
Dist 65.1 miles
Elev Gain 2,338 ft
Elev Loss 2,954 ft
Moving Time 5:50

Total Dist to date 3,798 miles 
Est miles remaining   -33  (Revised  to 145)

Day 58 North Sutton to Hancock, NH

MOSQUITOS & BACKROADS 

Today’s ride was blessedly short. To make it even better some last minute rerouting avoided some climbs. New Hampshire and not climbing hills - hmm - maybe I am in dreamland.

After a swim, a pleasant evening, suppa' with Harry and Emily, and a restful night at the Follansbee Inn, a comfortable old style New England inn, I pushed off about 9 AM.

The ride was mostly on backroads, with classic New England views. I did of course have a Dunkin Donut Stop!

Notice removed dam in this pic

After my success yesterday on the Great Northern Trail I opted for the Peterborough-Hillsboro Trail. Big mistake. I got about a mile onto it and the trail surface got too deep with soft sand to ride. The mosquitos took advantage of my misfortune and attacked with a vengeance. With one hand pushing my bike and the other swatting mosquitos I stumbled on until the next road crossing, rode superfast for a bit too escape the bugs and then rerouted. (My bug spray was somewhere at the bottom of my panniers and I did not want to stop to dig it out.)

Fortunately the rain held off, though the clouds lingered. Eventually I arrived at Harry & Nina’s (uncle and aunt). Another lay-day tomorrow, Friday; next post Saturday.

By the numbers:
Dist - 37.5 miles
Elev Gain - 1,732 ft
Elev Loss - 1,731 ft
Moving Time 3:19

Total Dist 3,733
Est miles remaining 32 - Actually about 200 +/-.

Day 57. Lebanon to North Sutton, NH

RAILS TO TRAILS, DINNER WITH FAMILY 

I had a wonderful evening last night with Ellen, her daughter, niece, nephew and partner.  Cole and I went over the bike route for today, local knowledge is good. He recommended a shorter route, looks good. 

I left Ellen’s around 9:30 after a good breakfast and more catching up time. The red carpet was on display!

After a brief period on City roads I ended up on the Great Northern Trail, a converted rails to trails. It is a gravel trail, much  like the Erie Canal trail. The riding was good so I decided to stay on it, though about 8 miles longer than the road recommended by Cole. Asphalt, cars and better speed vs. gravel and a low pitch (<2%). This time I went for the gravel, though not I am entirely sure why. 

Morning Trail

Afternoon Trail

The ride was quite pleasant, the trail in reasonably good condition. I saw people sporadically but generally I had the trail to myself as it wandered along between roads and hills. Some trail side views below.

Empty mill, note power diversion in middle of pic.

Note: I woke up in Lebanon and had lunch in Canaan. Names like this keep an old guy scrambled as to where I am in the world.

All in all a pleasant day, nice temps, some sun, no rain.

Tonight I had dinner with Uncle Harry and cousin Emily. Great and Wow! When I was in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota I thought this date and location were on the other side of a time warp. But it happened, one day at a time and here I am in home territory.

By the numbers:
Dist 46.8 miles
Elev Gain 1,959 ft
Elev Loss 1,473 ft
Moving Time 4:27

Total miles 3,695
Est miles remaining 70 - this is low, revised est about 250 miles

Day 56. Warren, VT to Lebanon, NH

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

What a wonderful respite with Dick & Sally.  Always a good time, and I was able to earn my keep a little by helping stack the wood pile. I shipped a bunch of stuff to the finish as well, tent, sleeping bag, clothes, etc.  Bye bye 16 lbs. George & Ellen came for dinner with their son Carl and his wife Katy, and of course the grandchildren. A good time was had by all. 

I departed Dick & Sally’s around 8:45 to head south to Lebanon, NH. There was of course a mandatory stop.

My Garmin was not working today so I was riding with an invisibility cloak to the outside world. Generally my route was south, climbing up the Mad River valley, which flows north, and then continuing south, downstream, in the White River valley, which I followed to the Connecticut River and Lebanon, NH.

There were some lovely views,  quintessential northern New England settings and a great waterfall.

                               White River

Of course after riding along the White River for a few hours I had to take a plunge. Temperature  - Invigorating but not intolerable.

The riding was a combination of mostly state routes with narrow shoulders and quiet back roads, with sunny skies and moderate temps. All in all a pleasant day for a solo ride.

I am now in Lebanon, NH at Ellen’s, a life long friend of Nancy’s.

By the numbers:
Dist 65.4 miles
Elev Gain 2,444 ft
Elev Loss 3,358 ft
Moving Time 5:01

Total Dist 3,648 miles
Est miles remaining 117

Total vert feet climbed 100,922

Day 55. Cornwall to Warren, VT

 APPALACHIAN GAP

After a wonderful breakfast we departed Lisa & Miles’ (Cornwall Orchards B&B) for the ride to Warren, VT. under threatening skies and with rain forecasted (8/1/21).

The ride was quite pleasant to Bristol, about 13 miles. Beautiful scenery, rolling farmlands (you have seen the scenes in earlier posts) giving way to mountain streams and woodlands as we started to climb. 

The rain caught us outside of Bristol for about an hour but fortunately stopped for the rest of the ride. 

We saw this road sign as we began to climb which we took as an omen of what was to come. 

Our good friend, Hank from Seattle, who was on this trip for the first two weeks, loves to seek out and assault any and all hills on his bike. 

The Appalachian Gap (App Gap) is a significant climb, and today scores third on the list for elevation gain in one day, 3,850 ft.  To date, the most elevation gain in one day was home to the Snoqualmie Summit (4,729 ft) and day two by rank was going over the Bitterroot range west of the Rockies (4,101 ft). Unlike those days however where the ascent pitch (grade) is generally not too bad, the majority of the elevation gain for this ride is squeezed into two short pitches; 4.7 miles at 4.6% (961 ft, not too bad) and the summit pitch 2.7 miles at 8.8% (1,171 ft). The maximum pitch was 14.9%, which mercifully did not last long. As George says “It was a worthy climb!”

Peer pressure kicked for the summit climb as we alternately kept each other on the bike, as opposed to walking. There is a narrow speed band which we operated in for a good stretch of the summit climb, any slower and we would have tipped over and any faster just wasn’t happening. Eventually we made it to the top, bucking slope and strong headwind. Note the road in the lower middle of the photo.

After a short, cold, and windy break for lunch we descended down. Road construction and uneven pavement on the east side kept us from going too fast down, probably a good thing.

Near the bottom Ellen, Katy and Ruth met us, George’s wife, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Great smiles and joy all around! Katy & Carl (George’s son) live nearby.

Onward to Warren, Vermont and the home of good friends Dick & Sally, our final destination of the day.

Today was George’s last day of riding with me. For George it is time to visit with family, especially grandchildren. Having his companionship since Niagara has been wonderful, and made the Erie Canal ride immensely more fun. 

The rest of the trip I will be riding solo (there may be some cameos by family members near the finish)  but I should be at friends or family homes every night, save one.

Monday is a scheduled lay day, and rain is forecasted. Next post Tuesday. 

By the numbers:
Dist - 39.2 miles
Elev Gain - 3,850 ft
Elev Loss - 2,988 ft
Moving Time 4:06

Total Dist to date 3,583 miles
Est Dist remaining 182 miles
Total vertical feet climbed to date 98,478.

Day 54 Ticonderoga to Cornwall, VT

VERMONT!

We (George & I) had a pleasant ride to the fort at Crown Point, skirting a portion of the east end of the Adirondacks and riding through pretty farmland. Those aren’t Midwest hills.

The Crown Point fort’s strategic location blocked the movement of any shipping north or south on Lake Champlain.  The French built it to protect from British invasion from the south. The fort was the site of many battles, and was a key staging ground, in the French and Indian War and later in the Revolution.

Crown Point Fort

However, looming large in the background of the picture below, look carefully,

is the Crown Point Bridge to Vermont! 

After crossing the bridge the welcome sign!

Very quickly the Vermont hills hit us; I had not used my granny gear for weeks until yesterday, and with repeat use today. As a friend said “ I'm sure on your trip that you've seen some challenging roads, but in Vermont all roads are challenging.” So I am finding.

However, the beautiful, bucolic countryside is spell binding. Note the hills in the distance - there just is no easy way over them.

A “bit” of climbing and we found ourselves at Middlebury College and having lunch in town. Middlebury is, as you might imagine, a picturesque Vermont town with a creek through the middle of it.

After lunch, onto my cousin’s, Lisa, B&B (Cornwall Orchards) in Cornwall, Vermont. This is a wonderful spot, come and visit!  We had a great dinner, 6 of us, and caught up on many old times, and new.

The ride has been long, and the mountains big, but here I am, in New England. I left Seattle two months ago today, June 1. That date seems like ages ago. Many miles have gone by, some hard mentally, some hard physically but all an unforgettable experience.

By the numbers:
Dist.  37.6 miles
Elev Gain 2,396 ft
Elev Loss 2,175 ft
Moving Time 3:36

Total Dist  3,544 miles
Estimated Dist Remaining 221 miles