Day 69. Ellsworth
76 miles 4,442 feet
The morning ride was so beautiful it is hard to believe what I saw was authentic. I joked with Judy that the Dartmouth campus and Hanover, NH, were created by Disney to look like a classic New England college town. Biking through Rockport (name alert: Rockland is the bigger town where I spent last night) and Camden I had the same suspicion, but they are totally authentic. I stopped every few minutes to take pictures, only a few of which I show below. This is Maine at its authentic, historic best.
I stumbled on a restaurant in Camden that lived up to the beauty of the region. Buttermilk blueberry pancakes with vanilla cream on top, while overlooking the beautiful, quaint Camden harbor. That is the way to start a bike ride!
Outside an older gentleman was looking longingly at my bike. We talked for a while. He said he used to bike a lot but his wife no longer wants him to do so. He is 87, and moved to Camden from east Texas long ago to be with his son. He likes it here. He's thinking of getting a trike, which would help with his balance problems, but says he's unsure that at 87 he'd get much of a return on investment. I encouraged him. He looked to be in great shape. Trikes are safe because fall risk is reduced and it is good exercise. But of course it is up to him and his wife.
The scenery continued to be stupendous and the roads quiet all morning, in contrast to yesterday. By afternoon, however, the ACA route reverted to US 1. There was the tradeoff: wide shoulder, gentle grades but with traffic incessantly passing me on the left. But that was the route so I followed it in to Ellsworth. I took my bike into my motel room for the last time on this trip.
That concluded the last long day of the trip. Tomorrow is a 22 mile ride into Bar Harbor with Gil and the finish! There is time to ponder and summarize later, and I plan to do so.
The morning ride was so beautiful it is hard to believe what I saw was authentic. I joked with Judy that the Dartmouth campus and Hanover, NH, were created by Disney to look like a classic New England college town. Biking through Rockport (name alert: Rockland is the bigger town where I spent last night) and Camden I had the same suspicion, but they are totally authentic. I stopped every few minutes to take pictures, only a few of which I show below. This is Maine at its authentic, historic best.
I stumbled on a restaurant in Camden that lived up to the beauty of the region. Buttermilk blueberry pancakes with vanilla cream on top, while overlooking the beautiful, quaint Camden harbor. That is the way to start a bike ride!
Outside an older gentleman was looking longingly at my bike. We talked for a while. He said he used to bike a lot but his wife no longer wants him to do so. He is 87, and moved to Camden from east Texas long ago to be with his son. He likes it here. He's thinking of getting a trike, which would help with his balance problems, but says he's unsure that at 87 he'd get much of a return on investment. I encouraged him. He looked to be in great shape. Trikes are safe because fall risk is reduced and it is good exercise. But of course it is up to him and his wife.
The scenery continued to be stupendous and the roads quiet all morning, in contrast to yesterday. By afternoon, however, the ACA route reverted to US 1. There was the tradeoff: wide shoulder, gentle grades but with traffic incessantly passing me on the left. But that was the route so I followed it in to Ellsworth. I took my bike into my motel room for the last time on this trip.
That concluded the last long day of the trip. Tomorrow is a 22 mile ride into Bar Harbor with Gil and the finish! There is time to ponder and summarize later, and I plan to do so.
An outdoor theater near Camden.
Rockport, perhaps my favorite New England town.
No Northern Tier cyclist should be permitted to finish the ride without at least one breakfast like this.
This was the view as I ate breakfast.
Among the many animals I saw on this trip were wild turkeys. I've never seen them in the West.
One should not have to choose. So I didn't—I took one of each.
Last time for this scene!
