Freeport to Belfast

When the topic of blueberries and cultivation in Maine came up at dinner the night before, Rachel had mentioned that blueberry pancakes for breakfast might be on the table, so to speak.  When I smelled them in the morning, I could hardly contain my excitement.  They were delicious and, after some last-minute bike geek chat in the garage looking at her various noble steeds, I headed off into the sunshine.  I had a second breakfast in Wiscasset of a peanut butter and honey sandwich Rachel had packed for me and enjoyed the company of several people in the vicinity.  I then managed to prolong this second breakfast by getting a large amount of hot chocolate and deciding that I had to drink it then and there to avoid risk of spillage.  A great morning stop.

Unfortunately they weren't open to go inside, but perhaps the mystery of the Bikeman is best

Morning hot chocolate and sandwich stop

The road was great riding when I finally did continue on my way, with lots of shoulder, not much traffic, and plenty of coastal nooks and inlets.  I did, however, note that my long break in the sunshine meant that even when it started to rain I really did need to keep on riding if I wanted to make it to Belfast in the daylight.  When rain turned to hail, I figured that there was no good place for shelter, so I put on all of the reflective gear I had with me and kept going.  After a good 15-20 minutes of this, I rode a few dozen metres past a dark building that said 'Pub', saw the giant hill looming ahead, and turned back to see if the front door was open.  Indistinguishable from a drowned rat, I asked if they had coffee, gave a big smile to the three people inside, and made sure Nancy had a spot out of the elements before sitting down.  I nursed my cup of sugar-laden coffee for nearly an hour while looking at maps, making a few phone calls, and talking to the folks around.  When the hail turned to raindrops, I figured it was time to be on my way and conquer the hill.  Thanks to the caffeine (a shock to body that is not used to coffee, especially at 3pm), the sugar, the low temperature, and the whole ridiculousness of the situation, the hill was not so big after all and I trudged along contentedly.  At one point, I passed a big outdoor store and went inside to "look around" aka drool over their gear, regain feeling in my soggy toes, and chat about routes with the bicycle folks.  If the retail in the area is any indication, Maine certainly knows how to have good fun recreating in the outdoors!

The last few dozen miles to Spencer's, my Warmshowers host for the evening, turned out to be filled with intermittent hail (thank goodness for reflective vests and solid helmets to deflect falling objects), patches of glorious sunshine, and deafening rain.  It certainly suited my mood for the day as, between bouts of squinting through precipitation to try and stay safe and moving on the road, I was flip-flopping between chomping at the bit to get home by the weekend and wholeheartedly savouring the people and places I came across throughout the day.  How's that for philosophizing?

Check out those blue skies and hail clouds.  Nancy certainly was decked out in raingear for the day.

After some very slow uphills and gleeful downhills between Camden and the green building just shy of Belfast that indicated a turn in Spencer's directions, I was happy to turn off of Route 1 and find the house address.  While I had thought I might wind up arriving in the dark thanks to my mood- and weather-spurred efforts of cycling procrastination, there wound up being daylight to spare.  Nancy was quickly set up for the night in the shed and I was lucky enough to arrive in time to have supper with Spencer and his housemates.  They were all wonderful cooks and, showing up with only a first-hand weather report from the day and an extra set of dishwashing hands, I was immediately made to feel comfortable in their beautiful home.  An evening of conversation about the joys (and challenges) of technology, travel, bicycles, and all sorts of coastal lore ensued, and I went to sleep feeling excited for the days of bicycling to follow as I near the end of this trip.

Durham to Freeport, Maine

Well rested and well fed (panniers laden with tasty Mexican dinner leftovers), I headed out from Joanna and Steve's house in Durham in the direction of Maine, my final state before heading back into Canada.  Though a bit chilly, the clouds brought no rain and it was a lovely day of riding thanks in part to the scarf wrapped firmly around my ears for frostbite prevention.  I crossed the state line just near South Berwick and, while it may sound silly, I was pleased to see a large, friendly 'Welcome to Maine' sign to greet me.

 For one of the first times this trip, I found myself looking forward to getting back to Sackville.  This was likely due to the fact that, while in Durham, I had lots of time to look at my route for the next few days and realized that home was only about a week away.  Much closer than I had thought based on my mental map.  I could feel myself getting into that 'horse headed back to the barn' mentality, and it certainly surprised me as it came out of nowhere!  I had a morning hot chocolate stop (see photo) and lunch was a bounty of food found deep in my panniers eaten in a Subway parking lot (riding into the downtown of Portland seemed daunting based on traffic). I was happy to just ride along and ponder all the way to Freeport.

The one thing on my to-do list for the trip (decided while I was watching the Food Network with my brothers at some point in Vancouver before departing) was to eat at a place featured on this show as it is central to my 'knowledge' and ideas about American cuisine.  Anyhow, I had almost forgotten, but luckily the Maine Diner had a big sign to remind me and, though I wasn't hungry, the jar of hot chocolate certainly warmed me up mid-morning!

Freeport certainly surprised me as I rode into town.  While I didn't stop as it was getting late in the evening and I was excited to meet Warmshowers host Rachel and her family, I didn't know anything about the town beforehand and simply gawked at this weird outdoorsy-esque, classy-ski-resort-resembling, yuppie-friendly downtown area that emerged off of the coastal scenic Route 1.  I kind of felt like I had been teleported to  Whistler Village as well-dressed families walked the streets adjacent signs for L.L. Bean, Patagonia, North Face, and several nice looking chalet-decor-style restaurants with outdoor patio heaters.  OK, I realize that may all sound overly-hyphenated and cynical, but it was really just a funny impression, especially at the end of an 80 mile day.  The road out to Rachel's house was beautiful, and it was made all the more enjoyable by a friendly man who was commuting home and glad for some companionship.  We talked about the joys of cycling, the route I had to look forward to the following day, and how much he loved the coast of Maine.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the day's ride.

I was warmly welcomed into the Farrington household and, after cleaning up and deep apologies for my near-dark arrival, I got to spend the evening enjoying delicious food and getting to know Rachel, Pete, and Ellie.  Each with their own passions, it was really neat to learn about Rachel's many cycing adventures, Pete's race-walking and love of SAG-ing (certainly a sport in itself), and Ellie's dancing, as well as their pursuits as a family.  Rachel also had some great route advice for the rest of my riding in Maine as well as other gems I might want to see in the future.  Thanks for a great stay!

Lake Shirley to Durham, NH

I was excited when Christie and Bill informed me that there was a paved rail-trail I could take for the first bit of my ride and even moreso when Bill said he would like to join me on his bike.  We rode together most of the way to Nashua, and I enjoyed spending a bit more time with him (especially as it took awhile to warm up and rain was threatening).  My legs were certainly feeling a wee bit shocked from the hill-iness of the day before, so it was simply a day of trudging.  Content trudging, certainly, but I'm pretty sure I took in more of the scenery than an observant tortoise would.  I took a nice long break at the Derry Public Library for lunch, partly as I could do some wifi-using and enjoy the indoor warmth, and partly because a mid-day rest was much needed.

One of my close friends, who I know from university, had put me in touch with her family in New Hampshire and, based on the status of my leg-energy-juices (low) and the impending rain/sleet/hail (forecasted for the late afternoon), I wound up picking her parent's home in Durham as my destination, which meant about ten miles less riding than it would be to get to her sister's place.  It started to hail about twenty minutes from Joanna and Steve's place.  When I decided to take a short break and see if it would pass through, I happened to run for cover under some trees and, lo and behold, the man who's property I was on was standing right on the other side of the fence!  He, too, had been outside smelling the roses and was now huddling quite close to them to avoid bruising his bald head.  We had a nice chat, I got to verify my directions, and I was on my way much cheerier than before.  

I wound up spending two nights at Joanna and Steve's.  While it was prompted by the sleet that showed up outside the day after I arrived (no winter tires on Nancy), they certainly made hanging around an easy decision for me!  Getting to spend time with the two of them, Lyddie (the resident hound), and Zoey's sister Haley who came over to visit, it was a lovely rest day in Durham.  I sometimes make jokes about my loaded bicycle being one of my 'homes' at the moment, there's nothing better than being welcomed and being made to feel 'at home' in a new place.  Thanks, Joanna, Steve, Haley, Zoey, and Lyddie, and see you all soon!

Nashua rail trail

The Derry Public Library...perhaps my longest solo lunch stop yet at nearly 2 hours

Steve and Lyddie accompanying me down the road the morning I rode out