Michael Richardson
T-minus two days until we arrive in Bar Harbor, and this will be my last blog entry for the trip. We packed up camp swiftly this morning, waved goodbye to our WarmShowers host, and waded through the thick fog that surrounded Brunswick. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up in a college town, but riding through Bowdoin’s campus last night and this morning made me feel at ease. I love a good college campus, especially with all the trees in full bloom.
Brian heads to breakfast at the Bohemian Coffee House
We prepared our oatmeal outside the Bohemian Coffee House and sipped on some iced coffee. A friendly woman by the name of Mary-Ellen stopped to greet us while heading in for her morning beverage and was astounded to learn that we’d biked all the way from Oregon. She told us she was also a big cyclist and was envious of our adventure. Inside the coffee shop, she noticed Friend and, perhaps thinking he could use a few more calories, bought the four of us brownies and cookies from the display case. This kind gesture and sugar rush put us all in a cheerful mood for the rest of the morning.
Gifts for the road from Mary-Ellen
We started our ride on the Androscoggin Bike Path which kept us off the highway as we rolled out of Brunswick. Just as we crested the bridge over the Kennebec River, Friend glanced at three pedestrians walking the other direction and realized one of the girls went to his high school! He shouted some form of greeting at them, but we remained doubtful that she would recognize him with a helmet on and an MMA beard. A couple hours later, she texted him wondering why on earth he was biking in the middle of a random highway in Maine.
Androscoggin Bike Path out of Brunswick, ME
Soon after, we connected with the East Coast Greenway which will eventually run from Florida to Maine, although most of our route was still sharing the road with heavy traffic. Speaking of traffic, these Maine drivers like to get active! They will pass you quickly and closely, and through just about any blind corner or hill. We’ve had more scary moments in the last two days than we’ve had the entire trip, and it’s not appreciated this close to the finish. Even the intersections have been hectic, sometimes halting us for minutes on end before a break in the cars allows us to make our move.
Waiting for a break in the cars to cross Route 1
Fighting our way across US Route 1, we noticed Spear’s Farmstand on the side of the road and thought it might be a good spot for lunch. Spear’s offers myriad fresh produce items, dairy, and baked goods from their farm in this convenient shop as well as through a popular CSA program. As we perused the tables, another friendly woman, Delia, noticed our outfits and offered to buy us chocolate milk. We thanked her but said we had indulged in plenty of chocolate milk at a rest stop only an hour ago. She said that was unacceptable and told us to get the strawberry milk instead. In fact, Delia refused to pay for her groceries until we filled the counter with fresh milk, cheese, pea shoots, and baked goods. We are eating good today! After enjoying one of the best lunches of the trip, we returned our glass bottles inside and got to keep the $2.25 deposit from each one. Thank you Delia and the lovely folks at Spear’s!!
Bike Loud with Delia and their grocery haul at Spear’s Farmstand
After many, many more hills throughout the afternoon, we arrived at our campsite in Rockport, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. You heard that right—the Atlantic Ocean! Don’t tell our parents that we saw it yet. We made dinner together at some tables down by the water and recounted all the states we’ve traversed through up until now. This time, however, we didn’t talk about the challenging terrain or funny blunders from each state, but instead thought about the people we associate with them. For instance, when we think of Oregon, we think of Varun—who helped us reach the starting line and watched us fumble with our panniers, or Dana Gee—who entertained us to no end at the Spoke’n bike hostel when we needed it most. Today we met several people who will come to mind when I think of Maine years from now, and as I’m writing this, Friend is sharing the campfire with our neighbor, Bart, who I’m sure will paint his picture of Maine.
Dinner by the Atlantic Ocean