5/22/23 Free day in Portland, Maine

Of course our internal clocks still got us up and going by 6:00, but it felt very different knowing we had the flexibility to just lounge a little.  A list of “to do’s” to complete before exploring the town… with the priority being to pack up the bikes. 

It almost feels surreal that we started this journey on April 5th, peddled our bikes through 15 states, was blessed everyday with rideable weather conditions and saw so much along the way. We had 5 different home stays, only one being with someone we knew before the ride - Tim’s HS buddy that now lives in NY, one night  was Tim’s coworker’s sister in Miami and three were friends/ relatives of our Angels Camp friend - Bud.  Thanks Bud! 

This Gaia map shows each daily ride in a different color. (There are a couple spots the app didn’t work properly) 

After a nice, complementary hotel breakfast, we began the process of packing up… namely, locating our bike boxes and breaking down our bikes to box up. We were super lucky to use the hotel conference room for the task. Unfortunately, on both of our bikes the pedals were on so tight that our travel tools weren’t enough leverage to remove them. We jump on our bikes and road to the nearest open bike shop. 

At 11:11 we were finishing up the process. 

Once the boxes were taped up with appropriate shipping labels and our shuttle to the airport tomorrow morning at 4:15 AM was arranged,  we were ready to explore Portland by foot. 

We arrived at Austin Street Brewery where they had a farm to table food truck. We shared the special of the day.. and 2 small beers. 

Next we walked across the parking lot to Rising Tide Brewing Company. 

We saw a lot of diversity in the small section of Portland we explored. Seems there were homeless areas steps away from the Whole Foods market. 

We headed to Shipyard Brewery. By micro brewery standards. It’s an old one… established in 1994, almost 30 years ago! 

While there we also learned that Whoopie pies originated in Maine… so we had to try one! 

After wandering some more, in and out of shops and checking out the harbor we decided to have some New England seafood “chowdah”. To accompany the  delicious chowder bowl we also shared a short rib  poutine … very filling!  At that point… water was the perfect drink! 

6.8 miles of wandering and full bellies… it was time to call it a day.  Tomorrow’s alarm is set for 3:45 AM!  We’re excited to be homeward bound. 

 

5/21/23 Portsmouth, NH to Portland Maine

Our last day of cycling; cycling day #44.  It was exciting packing up and heading out today knowing it was our last time for the trip.  To sweeten the day, beautiful weather was in the forecast and we spent much of the day on quiet country roads and on bike trails. 

This photo is less than 2 miles from the hotel; the final state crossing. 

It was a day we decided to really enjoy and savor; smell the lilac and listen to the birds.  Tim has an app that identifies bird calls in real time.  

 

Maine is really beautiful, clean and friendly. For the most part, the yards are taken care of; annuals and perennials are blooming, large lawns/fields are mowed and we saw some vegetables gardens being planted. We had breakfast 20 miles into Maine at the Omelette Factory in Ogunquit. It is always fun eating at the bar and watching the nonstop action. 
In addition to country road we also enjoyed the designated bike routes: US1, Eastern Trail and the East Coast Greenway.We have a running total of miles since Key West; prior to starting today our mileage was 2427. Today was supposedly to be 65 miles, leaving us 8 miles short of 2500. 🤫We decided to visit a couple breweries listed on Google Maps that were not far off the route. The first one was not a brewery, it just served Lone Pine Brews and it was along the shoreline with all the crazy tourist attractions/traps.  We decided to keep going. 
The second one may be place they brew beer, but it most definitely was not public establishment. For about 2 miles we were riding on a well used dirt multi purpose trail made on a former railway track. Tim proposed we find an alternate route so we wouldn’t have to ride through muddy areas (after yesterday’s downpour).  It was not pleasant on the busy roads, and we had to stop to navigate multiple times, climb additional hills…Long story short… we ended up returning to the designated bike path further down the line and found our way to Foul Mouthed Brewing in South Portland across the Casco Bay Bridge from our hotel.  Again we sat at the bar, chatted with locals and got a flight of their brews while munching on brisket nachos. The bartend provided the flight “on him” as a congratulations to us on the end of a successful journey. 
It almost sounds made up, but when we arrived at our hotel our daily miles was 72.66 miles… rounded to 73…. Making our entire journey 2500 miles! 

Thrilled to be done! We cleaned up and set out to explore the cool touristy area near our hotel. 
Visited Stars and Stripes Brewery, where we shared a flight and got recommendations for sites and tastes of Portland Maine. 
One recommendation was also the place with live  music and patio seating. Portland Lobster Company was a great spot for a Lobster Roll and a crab salad. 
It was a wonderful day. Today’s stats: 73 miles, 2666’ feet of climbing, final state crossing, 2 breweries and  one happy couple excited to be done. 

5/20/23 Concord to Portsmouth, New Hampshire

What a day!  Yesterday the forecast for today was for rain all day and we deliberated about how to handle the situation.  By the time we went to bed the forecast had changed and it appeared rain would not start until the late morning. With that in mind, we decided to get an early start today. We were on our bikes by 6:45! It was a cool,  but no rain. First 7 miles were on quiet trails, with the exception of the many birds we were hearing. 

Once on roads, we were happy it was reasonably mellow Saturday morning. 
We stopped into a Dunkin Donuts for a pit stop and shared a sourdough breakfast sandwich. Honestly… we were impressed!  
Eventually another bike path with art sculptures along the way eventually took us over the Merrimack River by Newburyport.  
By 11:11 we had ridden about 45 miles, reached the coast and were almost at the boarder crossing.
 
A couple minutes later we reached the state line. 
The weather did not make for a good beach day, but we could see the boardwalk and shops around were just waiting for the sunshine. 
The ride along the coast was great, especially because the rain was holding off! 
We arrived in the very historic city of Portsmouth with the clouds getting heavy. Portsmouth  was first settled 400 years ago. 

We arrived at our hotel before 1:00 and before the rain! We were excited to clean up and put on our raincoats and set out to explore. First stop was Liars Bench Brewery for a flight and a lunch platter to share. 

Bundling up again, we made our way to the town, checked out some shops and another brewery…Earth Eagle Brewery ( it has a turkey on the logo) 



Upon checking out some more shops we met a longtime local artist Don Gorvett who creates wonderful fine art prints of nearby sites. It was fun chatting with him about his art and his cycling adventures.  We shared our current adventure with him and the gallery manager Vivienne and then told them why Portsmouth has special significance to us. 


Almost 23 years ago Tim and I met while riding across America with the company America By Bicycle. Needless to say, it was a very special and memorable trip that started in San Francisco and ended in Portsmouth NH!  We got married a year later.  In September we celebrated our 21st anniversary. Dinner tonight was at a special restaurant .. The Black Trumpet.  Wonderful small dishes and signature cocktails. A special evening. 


Today’s stats. 66 miles (before 1:00 😅)  1, 595’ climbing, one state crossing,  cool temperatures and we arrived before the rain. 
 

5/19/23 North Scituate to Concord, Massachusetts

It was kinda exciting to know that less than a week from now we will be waking up at home. Including today … we have 3 more days of riding with 3 more state crossings, a day off in Portland, and our flight home. We’re noticing that most of the roads we are on are just 2 lane highways that we would consider country roads. It  seems the infrastructure isn’t keeping up with the population growth, since the streets are super busy. We don’t take photos when on those roads. 

Our state crossing into Massachusetts was without signage, but we had it marked on our google maps.

Originally a saw mill was built here in the late 1600’s, now it is the Woonsocket Thumdermist Hydroelectric Plant. 

While in Woonsocket we also a great breakfast spot.  We were heading back on the road at 11:11.  

Notice the flag and our great tail wind. 

A little craziness navigating the construction areas. The new pavement was still too new to ride on. 

It was sweet to find a dedicated bike trail that was paved… it lasted about 5 miles then turned into a dirt path. This Rails to Trails  was a fun diversion from the busy roads. 

Some deer with really long tails…  these are White-tailed deer. 

While on the trail we crossed paths with this couple that was just starting their ride. They found out about our East Coast journey basically following the East Coast Greenway. We found out Pat King was the co founder of the  East Coast Greenway Alliance in 1991 and she continues to be on the Advisory Board. It was a fun surprise that we connected with her and her husband Tom.

 

There is so much history all throughout the  Northeast. Not only is Concord (our overnight destination) known as one of the first English settlements.. established in 1635, 

In 1775 “the shot heard around the world” triggered the American Revolutionary War happened here. It is also home to authors such as Louisa May Alcott ( Little Women) , Ralph Waldo Emerson (Self Reliance)  and Henry David Thoreau  (On Walden’s Pond.) 

We checked out the Walden pond and the visitor center there. 

The quaint town of Concord was fun to roam through. We eventually had dinner at the Colonial Inn. Our first course was a nice bowl of local mussels.

 

Todays stats.. 57 miles, 2010’ of climbing, one state crossing- into Massachusetts.