Belfast to Bar Harbo(u)r

Just as I am starting to fall into thinking in terms of days left, miles to cover, and the shortest route home, some wagging finger seems to magically appear telling me that this is no way to go about spending my time.  So, as I ate breakfast and said farewell to Spencer and his housemates, I headed off towards to Belfast Food Co-op.  Joanna and Steve in Durham had expressed that this was a must-do activity, so I was sure to time my departure so it would be open when I rode into the main part of town.  I found all sorts of treasures and replenished my panniers before riding over the bridge out of town.

Belfast Co-op treats

While I had planned to bypass the well-known Acadia Park on this trip and take a more direct route to the home of a CouchSurfing host in Cherryfield, the sunshine and desire to shake things up made me phone with regrets and head instead towards Ellsworth, the 'gateway' towards Bar Harbour, Mt Desert, and the park.  I must say that the ride into Ellsworth was nothing if not slow-paced and poor Nancy must have thought I was literally dragging my feet.  It was just one of those days and, after going through Ellsworth and heading towards Bar Harbour, I was starting to question if I would even get any daylight hours in the park itself once I made it there.  Relief might be the best way to describe the feeling when I realized that my back tire was suddenly failing to hold air and, well, my back-of-head thoughts of hitch-hiking turned into a perfect opportunity.  A friendly soul in a big van pulled over and, laughing and shaking his head (he has a similar-aged daughter of his own), he helped me load up my gear.

Beautiful scenery

I think that the snails were using the passing lane to go around Nancy and me.

There was no second guessing my decision when I was treated to a guided tour of the area, the gorgeous views of the park in the late afternoon, an explanation of services available around town, and several leads of places I might enjoy camping for the night.  This was the sort of coincidence and experience that I live for on this trip.  I was dropped off in Bar Harbour after our many detours, with a promise to phone if I was left without a safe spot for the night, and Nancy and I walked around town a bit.  I chatted with a few people, had a snack, and decided to have a go at finding an alternative to the obvious choice of fixing the flat tire and cycling to the campground open in the middle of the park.  I happened to walk past a beautiful library building with an 'Author Reading Tonight' sign outside and wandered in, as casually and inconspicuously as one can when wearing noisy cycling shoes and a bright red reflective jacket.  As it turned out, the library was not actually open at the moment, rather some lovely ladies were preparing for a volunteer reception before the author event.  Without outlining every great moment that ensued as you, the reader, fall asleep at the screen, I will just say that I sure am glad to have drifted in that door.  I was warmly greeted, given some grapes to wash as my "volunteer service", handed a phone with a lady named Sass at the other end who offered me a bed to sleep in, and spent a good hour getting to chat with all sorts of people.

I was starting to wonder if what started out as a slightly dreary day could actually get any better, but when I did meet the mysterious Sass it was confirmed that, yes, it could.  We headed up to her house and I got to learn all sorts of things about life in Bar Harbour, Maine, travelling, word puzzles, and, well, the list goes on.  I even got to meet her brother, who lived next door, and Sass made some tasty dinner before I crashed contentedly into the bed in her spare room.

All in all, the day was a prime example of not ignoring a gut feeling, the beauty of throwing plans out the window, and the fact that libraries are full of goodness.  Thanks to everyone who brightened my day south of Ellsworth!