Day 5: Camden State Park to Addison (90 miles)

Once the sun came up, I did not linger long at the park. Breaking camp is becoming much more routine and, without rushing, I can take care of all morning activities and have my bicycle ready to go in under and hour. Once on the road, my legs felt good after yesterday's easy pace and, best of all, there was a strong tailwind. I don't eat a large breakfast at camp and so usually stop for a bite not too far down the road, but today I covered quite a bit of distance before stopping.

Above is the site of one of the United State's worst defeats in the Revolutionary War. In what was the largest joint Navy/Army offenses, the American armies failed to capture a British fort and were utterly routed. You wouldn't guess it though, as the area is quite pleasant and hosts an attractive bridge. Approaching Ellsworth (last city before Hwy 3 turns South toward Bar Harbor and Acadia), Maine turns into a giant parking lot. Ample services are available, and one of the last things you'll see before exiting toward the National Park is a giant Wal Mart. I took a wrong turn (well, missed a turn to be more accurate) and had the pleasure of cutting across the Wal Mart parking lot to get back on course.

Once past Ellsworth, traffic almost disappears and distance between buildings dramatically increases. I turn off of Route 1 and take a course that, according to one of my maps, will bring me to some public reserve land where camping is allowed. I've not yet camped outside of a designated/fee-required campground yet, nor have I seen (and been in a good place to stop) a good place to stealth camp, so I am hoping that I can find a compromise between the two tonight. I stop for lunch by the Franklin Town Hall/Community Center. As I'm eating, a rafter of turkeys walk by the edge of the lake. I counted about twenty, but that's approximate.

It's getting to be later in the afternoon, but I'm making great progress and am contemplating going farther today than the reserve land. I haven't yet seen the turn off, and my maps/mileage say that I should have. I stop at what I later to find out to be Tunk Lake and talk to a guy who is just coming in from wind-surfing. Apparently I've already passed the lake I was looking for, and access to it is off of Route 1, any way. So that settled it for certain, and I decide to add more miles instead of camping.

I made getting to Addison my goal, which would put me under 60 miles from Quoddy Head and allow me a fairly easy day tomorrow. Winds continued to blow favorably, and I made it to the town before 5. There was a campground about 3 miles off of the highway, so I pedaled to it. Despite being an RV/Camper-only site, it was one of the nicest I had been to yet. It was owned by a delightful couple who not only let me hang my hammock despite the "No Tenting" sign, but also wheeled a picnic table up by where I was and brought me some tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden. So, if you're ever up in the area consider dropping Pleasant River RV Park, because they're good people. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful - talked with a few other people staying at the site, and star gazed for a short period of time. This was the first time I encountered mosquitoes in any quantity though, so I retreated into the protection of my hammock before too long.

Day 4: Pemaquid Point to Camden State Park (60 miles)

There was a small leak somewhere (I think due to how I set up my hammock rather than there being an actual leak) that allowed water to find my face every now and then. However, it was an intermittent disturbance and the storm passed without much fuss. 

I hung around in my hammock until the rain had mostly stopped, which wasn't much later than 8am. After breaking camp, I rode down to the lighthouse to watch the waves when the sun was out.

After the last night's spectacular showing, it was rather disappointing returning in the morning. My mood was slightly dampened by a $2 entry fee (I opted to view from outside the park instead), but there were also considerably more people and the ocean was subdued. 

It's a pretty neat spot, regardless...

Anticipating that I might start a little later to let the storm pass, my route for the day wasn't terribly ambitious. I took the scenic route from the Pemaquid peninsula back to Rt. 1 and stopped in Rockland to picnic.

The towns of Rockport and Camden weren't too much further up the road, and my goal for the day - Camden State Park - was just past them. I arrived early enough that I had time to take a quick hike up Mount Megunticook (in flip flops) after setting up camp.

Despite riding next to it for the past few days, this was one of the first times I really had an opportunity to see the ocean in a scenic setting. The summit also offered pleasant views of the surrounding countryside.

Later that night, after packing up for the night and crawling into bed, I forgot to bring a water bottle into my hammock with me. I tried to forget about it and fall asleep a little parched rather than go through the fuss of crawling out of sleeping bag and hammock, but finally capitulated to my thirst. Upon leaving the confines of my hammock, I was treated to the most abundantly starry sky I had seen since moving East. I tried to take a picture, but it looked like the camera went off in my pocket.

Day 3: Scarborough to Pemaquid Point (75 miles)

The campground I stayed at was the furthest inland I had yet been in Maine, but it put in a good position to go through Portland. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there, and I was a little concerned biking through an unfamiliar city with no clear directions (besides north), but I figured I'd play it by ear. The first bit, 22 and 9, was pretty typical suburb riding - 4 lane road, fast cars, something of a shoulder, massive sprawl. Once I got into the city it became lite-urban riding; lots of stuff crammed together, not much traffic, roads wide enough that cars can pass you, but with enough stop lights that you usually end up passing cars.

By the time I got into the heart of the city, I was on a street I didn't recognize heading in a direction that seemed northward (at least, the ocean was on my right).

Fortunately, Portland is a pretty awesome place to own a bike. Once I got down to the coast, there's a nice path that runs next to the water and eventually crosses under and over a bridge, bringing me north of Portland. From there, I picked up route 1 again (nicely marked by bike route signs) and continued north. At some point, unbeknownst to me, 1 turns into a restricted highway. Of course it does this without giving any indication that it is doing so until you're stuck on it. But, the shoulder was plenty wide and mostly clear of debris, so I kept going because there wasn't really any alternative. At some point a sheriff passed me without incident, so I figured it was OK.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had made the mistake, because I met this guy hanging out in the ditch by the side of the road. He was out doing a century, and encountered a malicious acorn that punctured his rear tube. Without the gear to fix it, he was stranded for the moment. I stopped, seeing an excellent opportunity to lighten my load a little bit. I gave him a tube and showed him how to change a flat (it was a good thing I stopped the other day to pick up the schrader/presta converter, because the valve stem wouldn't have been long enough to fill otherwise). Once the problem was fixed, we were both able to continue. I left him by the side of the road trying to call off the rescue, but later saw him fly by when I was stopped further up.

I made a few more stops along the way, including at the rest area seen above. But, a tropical storm was supposed to hit the coast pretty hard that evening, so I tried to keep moving on. Once I reached Damariscotta I called the campground at Pemaquid to see if they were going to stay open for the storm. They were, so I boogied down the peninsula so that I could get set up before it hit. I would have liked to save money by stealth camping but, at least off the route where I was, there was too much development to be particularly inconspicuous and I figured it would be better to be somewhere established during the storm. I also met a really creepy guy at the rest area, so a campground seemed like the best choice.

Once I got to the campsite, it was starting to get foggy. But, the rain wasn't supposed to hit until a little later in the evening so I decided to take a walk to the lighthouse. I'm glad I did, because watching the waves crash upon the rocks and the sea in tumult was quite spectacular. I was unable to capture it with photos, but it made traveling 200 miles through city and suburb and RV campground worth it. Later that night I made my first blog entry from the road while hanging out in the barn where the campground owners said I could keep my bike during the storm.

Day 2: Dover to Scarborough (50 miles)

As it turns out, Bicycle Bob has had his share of adventures (including numerous bike tours and sailing across the Atlantic) and, in addition to a bed and food, provided me with a wealth of knowledge regarding touring in general and potential routes/destinations for my tour specifically. After a quick breakfast, we both prepared our bikes and headed out.

We rode together for about 10 or 15 miles, and parted ways at a DD in Maine. Thanks for the hospitality and guidance, Bob! I proceeded to toward the farm that Anahita WWOOFed at this summer, located in Kennebunk and where I figured I would spend my second night. I arrived shortly after noon, and idled by their swimming pond and conversed with Stacy, the owner of the farm. However, I had barely put in 30 miles and, as nice as throwing sticks for dogs and watching ducks waddle around fields is, I felt that I ought to put in more work for the day. So I again set off and headed north on Route 1.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the farm, so it was already late afternoon by the time I was back on the road. I was hoping to find somewhere to camp, but the sites I passed by Old Orchard Beach weren't particularly appealing (RV Campgrounds off the highway, beach resorts) and as I approached Portland more of the area was developed. I stopped briefly in Rodgers Ski & Sport to pick up a part I forgot (schrader/presta adapter, so I could potentially fill up tires at gas station air pumps) and see if the staff had any recommendations for accommodations. They suggested a campground about 8 miles away, a bit more inland, that would be a bit more bike friendly than Old Orchard Beach. They also gave me my adapter for free!

After getting lost a few times, I finally arrived at the campground. It was, regrettably, an RV Campground, but I was assigned a site without neighbors and had access to shower, water, and electricity... so I guess there's not too much I can complain about (except for, perhaps, the fee). In the above two pictures you can see my camp set-up to be used for the first time. It was hot and the sky was clear, so I removed the hammock's rain-fly.

Day 1: Cambridge to Dover (about 75 miles)

Kennebunk is about 90 miles away from my Boston. While it is possible to ride that far in a day, I was wary to do so because of how my body reacted to the 104 mile day down to the Cape. So, I thought I'd split the ride into two to make the mileage manageable and to have a go at stealth camping, knowing that the next night I would have a guaranteed place to stay. I left my house about 10am - both to avoid morning commuters and because I wasn't planning on going all that far.

The ride to Revere Beach, where I picked up 1A (which I followed most of the day), went smoothly. Although, like I did so many times this summer, I still managed to get myself lost. Once on 1A, the ride was pretty easy-going. The road went through numerous residential, park and business areas so traffic wasn't a major issue, and scenery was typical Massachusetts suburbia.

I took the day easy, taking time to stop at the numerous parks (Hamilton above, Newburyport below). 

And by the time I crossed into New Hampshire, I was making pretty good time.

I had put on my desired mileage for the day and a little bit more, so I was starting to keep an eye out for potential places to camp out for the night. However, this part of New Hampshire is very developed and very touristy. But, there were a few state parks not too far ahead that I had mapped out, so I wasn't too concerned.

By the time I got to Rye Harbor State Park, I was around 60 miles and it was starting to get late. Rye Harbor State Park is very tiny. Probably smaller than a football field. It has a small peninsula of rocks that juts out into the sea and helps shelter a nearby harbor, and is otherwise a small field with picnic tables. Nowhere do I see "No Camping" signs posted, but nowhere do I really see anywhere one could camp unnoticed, either. There's another state park about 10 miles up the road, but if I decide to go there and it's worse, I won't have enough light to come back here, and I'll be approaching Portsmouth going further North. So, as best I can I try to start hiding my gear.

Pretending that I just want my photo taken by the water, I get my bike to a more secluded part of the park where I can later hide it in the rocks behind some tall grass. I figure I'll wait until the park clears out (although as it's getting dark more people - probably from the resorts and hotels a little down the road - are showing up) and then camp in the open by the sea and, hopefully, out of view.

However, as I hover near my partially hidden bicycle, a group of cyclists arrive by the park entrance. I go over to chat with them, and ask if they know of any good camping spots nearby. They state what I've figured out - there's nothing in the area very conducive for camping. Additionally, they say the police are pretty vigilant about checking areas due to drunks. One of the cyclists however, probably sensing my predicament, offers to put me up for the night. So, I go to retrieve my gear from behind the bushes and join up with the group. We ride to Portsmouth (at a 23mph pace, for a good chunk of the way) and have beer and tacos at a Mexican restaurant. Afterward I toss my bike in the back of Bicycle Bob's truck, and we drive to his home in Dover.

There and Back Again

Well, I've been back in Boston for a few days now. And I've been awfully lazy about updating, but I'll try to get on top of that right away.

Trip Summary:

Day 1: Boston to Dover (75)

Day 2: Dover to Scarborough (50)

Day 3: Scarborough to Pemaquid Point (75)

Day 4: Pemaquid Point to Camden (60)

Day 5: Camden to Addison (90)

Day 6: Addison to Campobello Island (Canada) (60)

Day 7: Campobello Island to Sullivan (80)

Day 8: Sullivan to Bass Harbor (50)

Day 9: Bass Harbor to Camden (75)

Day 10: Camden to Brunswick (70)

Day 11: Brunswick to Kennebunk (70)

Day 12: Kennebunk to Boston (112)

Eating while on a bike

Since most people like food, I thought I'd write an entry on what I eat on a typical day.

The first time I eat is in the morning after I've packed up, right before I leave. Most days I do something quick- bottle of gatorade and a clif bar.

I'll then hop on the bike and ride until I'm hungry. Some days that's 20 miles, other days it's 50. Today it was about 6. So for my second meal I had a pb&j sandwich. I finished up the jam, so the second sandwich I made was a peanut butter and fudge-dipped chocolate chip granola bar sandwich. I finished off the last of the gatorade too.

About 50 miles into the ride I stopped for another light snack: 2 more pb&f-dccgb sandwiches and half a roll of snack crackers with peanut butter.

The last meal I've taken, as of writing this at about 5pm, consisted of three peanut butter & peanut m&m sandwiches, a peach (gotta get some fruits in there) and a few bottles of raspberry-flavored sugar water.

There are farmer stands selling fresh vegetables, so I'll sometimes stop along the way at those, but otherwise the above is fairly typical. I'm guessing peanuts are on the menu for later tonight too!