Another food day on the East Coast Greenway, plus a lake.
And that includes one detour for ice cream and a second detour for a dip in a lake.
Today was an easy day — officially just 38 miles on the East Coast Greenway and only 1,857 feet of climbing. So it was all about the food. I know — I kind of said that yesterday too. Sorry. And then we cyclists wonder why we come home heavier than when we left.
The hotel’s breakfast was skimpy, so we stopped at a Maine institution about 5 miles along the route for proper fuel. Dysart’s is a truck stop with a diner attached. There was this, for example:
(don’t freak out — it was shared among 10 of us)
.. and this:
So our blueberry cobbler was really quite modest by comparison:I can’t say the same about our $3.75 ice creams:
But hey, that was lunch! (The chocolate loves chocolate flavor is really good, by the way).
Others in the group are so jealous that they’ve gone — by car! — to get some just before dinner (don’t tell their moms!).
Oh … the lake? They were jealous of that too. Hey, bike tours are as much about the stops as about the destination.
It was soooo shallow that I got this far from shore before the water first reached my knees:
And the water was so warm, it felt like a bathtub.
This was a short day, but the hills were the toughest we’ve had so far.
It started with a long, steep climb out of Ellsworth and barely let up as we followed U.S. 1 to Bucksport… where we again faced a climb out of town. It got to the point where I inwardly groaned when I saw a descent coming up because I feared the ascent. Some of these hills were Anchor-House-worthy! You know what I mean, Ken Carlson!
(Yes, some descents were pretty awesome. I hit 39 mph on one hold-on-tight drop.)
Of course, all that climbing — the “official” estimate is 2,571 feet — means you can eat whatever you want, right?
So while others drank their coffee in Bucksport, I (kind of patiently) waited for the ice cream shop to open at 11 a.m. 45 minutes!! (I know! But it was a short day, and I figured this town needed my $2.50 more than Bangor, given that a paper mill and 800 jobs had disappeared about a year ago.)
I peered in the windows countless times. I even spotted someone in there a couple of times. I swear she saw me too! But did she open up early? Nope. By the time she did, just about every rider had taken off. But I finally got my Maine blueberry ice cream.
I’m happy!
Bucksport was the halfway point, and as we approached Bangor, Molly, the East Coast Greenway staffer responsible for Maine, said she wanted to check out a new riverfront trail in Brewer, across the river. The mileage was the same, plus there was a brewpub on the trail. Did we want to come along?
Of course!
Molly, Clive and the IPAs at Mason’s Brewing Co.
The food? Do you want your fries just dirty? Or filthy? We of course had to try filthy (think a Maine take on Canada’s poutine, down to cheese curds). Delicious!
Here’s our itinerary for the Maine ride along the East Coast Greenway.
Next Saturday afternoon we’ll be on a bus from Portland to Calais (pronounced cal-iss) and the start of our 337-mile ride along the East Coast Greenway. Calais seems to be not quite the most eastern point in the U.S. But it does have a border crossing — passport and Canadian dollars are packed. Dinner? Ice cream? Definitely a passport stamp!
We’ve gotten the cue sheets and here’s how it’s shaping up:
Sunday: Calais to Machias. We’re taking the road option — the Down East Trail looks rocky and we’d rather have our road bikes for the hills that come later. 46 miles.
Monday: Machias to Ellsworth. Once again, road over that rocky trail. Thankfully we have the option. This is our long day — 68 miles. I think we stopped in Ellsworth on our first trip to Maine 11 years ago (destination Acadia National Park) — there’s an L.L. Bean outlet in town. Looks like our hotel is a parking lot away.
Tuesday: Ellsworth to Bangor. This is apparently where the hills start. At least it’s just a 42-mile day.
Wednesday: Bangor to Unity. More hills? But just 38 miles. We’re spending the night in a college dorm. We did the same thing at the start of the charity ride I did for Anchor House three years ago (then it was Burlington, Vermont) — here’s the blog about that year.
Thursday: Unity to Augusta. A 43-mile day, and our hotel at the end has the word “spa” in it. Better pack a swimsuit.
Friday: Augusta to Lewiston/Auburn. The day includes an event with the Maine Department of Transportation just 2 miles from the start, at a trailhead for the Kennebec River Trail. It’s always great to meet local and state officials and help make the case for the East Coast Greenway. And to say thanks too, of course. It looks like we’ll ride most, if not all, of this 6.5-mile trail. I wonder if there are plans to extend it? We end the 44.5-mile day with a much shorter Riverside Greenway.
Saturday: Lewiston/Auburn to Portland. We’re ending the ride with another long day — 56.6 miles, with the option of another 3.5 miles for a victory lap with Maine Adaptive Sports. If people with physical disabilities are coming to ride with us, heck yes we can do another 3.5 miles!
Exploring by bicycle 