Day 70. Bar Harbor. DONE!
25 miles 1,480 feet
It hasn't yet soaked in, but I'm done! And what a way to finish.
Gil Kuperman joined me for breakfast in Ellsworth, not far from my motel, and after breakfast we headed east for the final 25 miles. It was hilly—this is coastal Maine after all—and spectacularly pretty. We headed straight for the boat ramp on West Street near the Main Street terminus of the Northern Tier, and took lots of shots to commemorate this big day in my life. A few are posted below. Gil took a taxi back to his car in Ellsworth to join his wife for a wedding this afternoon nearby. What an amazing coincidence that he had this morning free, and made the substantial effort to come to Ellsworth, bike to Bar Harbor with me, taxi back and return for the wedding. No small effort.
After the photos, I took my bike to Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop for them to pack it up and ship home. The drop-off was easy, and they will pack one of my 2 panniers in the box. So for the first time in over 2 months I don't have a bike with me. I had lunch, explored town and checked in to my motel. Tomorrow I catch a 7 am flight to Boston for a few days with my sister Bonnie and her family, then fly back home to Amy!
I had an amazing lobster dinner with a prosecco toast and blueberry cobbler dessert near the harbor.
I'm going to let all this settle and post a summary or 2 on this blog in the next few days. (For those of you planning a trip like this, I'll include a summary of what I learned, equipment and other stuff that may help you planning your trip.)
For now, I'll just summarize with the basics: 70 days, 4,568 miles, 161,447 elevation, 15 states, 2 provinces. And a lot of good luck.
It hasn't yet soaked in, but I'm done! And what a way to finish.
Gil Kuperman joined me for breakfast in Ellsworth, not far from my motel, and after breakfast we headed east for the final 25 miles. It was hilly—this is coastal Maine after all—and spectacularly pretty. We headed straight for the boat ramp on West Street near the Main Street terminus of the Northern Tier, and took lots of shots to commemorate this big day in my life. A few are posted below. Gil took a taxi back to his car in Ellsworth to join his wife for a wedding this afternoon nearby. What an amazing coincidence that he had this morning free, and made the substantial effort to come to Ellsworth, bike to Bar Harbor with me, taxi back and return for the wedding. No small effort.
After the photos, I took my bike to Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop for them to pack it up and ship home. The drop-off was easy, and they will pack one of my 2 panniers in the box. So for the first time in over 2 months I don't have a bike with me. I had lunch, explored town and checked in to my motel. Tomorrow I catch a 7 am flight to Boston for a few days with my sister Bonnie and her family, then fly back home to Amy!
I had an amazing lobster dinner with a prosecco toast and blueberry cobbler dessert near the harbor.
I'm going to let all this settle and post a summary or 2 on this blog in the next few days. (For those of you planning a trip like this, I'll include a summary of what I learned, equipment and other stuff that may help you planning your trip.)
For now, I'll just summarize with the basics: 70 days, 4,568 miles, 161,447 elevation, 15 states, 2 provinces. And a lot of good luck.
Scenes en route and in Mt. Desert Island.
I've been waiting a long time for this sign.
You're supposed to dip only the front wheel but this is the Atlantic Ocean after all.
My friend Gil, with me at the end of the journey.
And just like that, the bike is ready to be packed and shipped!
