Ellsworth Maine – Exploring by bicycle

Day 3 — 43 miles from Ellsworth to Bangor

Tough hills, filthy fries.

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.

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. — 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!

Someone else went healthy…

Where’s the fun in that?

A Maine food tour by bike: Blueberry and lobster … pies

I bet someone has found a way to combine the two, but for me, it was blueberry pie for breakfast and lobster pie for dinner.

Not together!

Though I bet someone in Maine has come up with a way to combine them.

Pie is an important part of bike riding, as you can see here and here.

I finally did get my own slice at Helen’s Restaurant in Machias — that was called breakfast. Like the one I had drooled over on Sunday afternoon, it was a thick helping of blueberries that spilled onto the plate. None of that gumminess in cheap grocery-store pies.

On the other hand, that slice cost a touch more than Clive’s proper breakfast of corned beef hash and two eggs. Worth it!

The day ended with lobster in Ellsworth. Instead of lobster roll, I went for lobster pie. So rich! Lots of lobster chunks drenched in a cream sauce, with a layer of fine bread crumbs as the “crust”. It plus the sides left no room for dessert. Not that the ice cream shop stayed open until 9 p.m.!

Some of the others went for a full lobster, and Chris, who calls himself a newcomer to Maine since he’s only been living here at least part-time since 1976, gave the tutorial in how to twist and crack it open.

A happy rider:

And if you didn’t want that, there was lobster stew, lobster dip…

The Union River Lobster Pot is one of those seasonal restaurants that fills up early. So we had a bit of a wait. But here, the “bar” is chairs on the lawn, with a view of the river. And yes, you can get beer.

Day 2 — 68 miles from Machias to Ellsworth

We biked 68 miles today — it should be our longest day of the week.

We biked 68 miles today — it should be our longest day of the week — and climbed an estimated 3,212 feet, also the most of the week. We’re now at the gateway to Acadia National Park. The closest we’ll get, though, is this view from the road. I think Cadillac Mountain is the one on the right.

And while we left Machias after 8:30 a.m . (local newspaper wanted a group photo), we were in just after 4 p.m. Admittedly, our stops were relatively brief — while others opted for a sit-down lunch, we stuck to Clif Bars and the like. (Thank you, Steve, our five-star SAG, for keeping us plied with water and snacks.)

One of our stops, however, involved Columbia Falls and Rosa, who I wager is in her 80s, grew up in the town and now just summers here. She spotted a trio of riders taking a picture and clearly decided talking to them was far more interesting than washing the beet greens for dinner. Then more of us stopped. Among the tales she told us were of ice-skating to high school in the winter, the timber and fishing industries that once kept the town alive, and how in the 1940s there was no meat to be had and they ate venison in season — and out, she pointedly added. These sorts of encounters are one reason why exploring by bike is so interesting.

Our route along the East Coast Greenway was essentially the same as U.S. Bicycle Route 1. The hills just kept coming, but once again they weren’t too bad. The worst stretch was U.S. 1 and all the traffic, followed by the road we took to get off U.S. 1 that lacked a shoulder. But that’s why the Down East Sunrise Trail is there, right? Just too bad we didn’t have the right bikes (or at least tires) for it. It would have been the better choice for the second half of the ride. Plus the almost-finished extension goes right to the back of our hotel in Ellsworth.

A look back at Machias:

And I stand corrected on how those blueberries get harvested. It’s with a rake that shovels them into a box, and then eventually put in other boxes like these. Rosa told us her friends from down South who had helped their parents pick cotton said they;d never complain again — blueberrry harvesting is harder!

One week to go!

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!

THANK YOU once again to all who have supported the East Coast Greenway through this ride. If you’d like to donate, you can do it online here. If you prefer to support Clive, go here.

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