I slept on the top bunk last night. I practiced getting down so that I wouldn’t kill myself going to the bathroom in the early morning hours. I learned 2 things: barefoot works better than sandals and face the bed when descending. I am getting old man privileges, the lower bunk, at tonight’s hostel.

After eating a greasy breakfast at a town diner with a really cranky owner, I headed for the day’s big test. Last night my friend Ursula told me that the climb over Kancamangus Pass isn’t nearly as hard as it looks. It turns out she was right.

As for the scenery, the Kancamangus Highway has to be one of the most scenic roads in the US. Even in the rain it’s gorgeous. I can’t imagine what it looks like with fall foliage.

Riding once again in rain gear, I found the first 18 miles of gradual climbing to be no problem at all. I couldn’t believe it. I knew some steep stuff was ahead but I put that thought out of my mind and enjoyed the cruise, even with a steady rain.

Who would have thought that today’s first two hours would be the easiest of the trip?

The scenery at the lower elevations was the bomb. Rushing water over rapids. National Forest land with dense stands of trees. More ferns than an 80s yuppie bar. Three covered bridges. Alas, no mooses. I did spot long chains of motorcycles, Jeeps, and Mini Coopers though.

After 18 or 19 miles the game changed. The climb into the clouds to the pass had begun. Instead of a 1 or 2 percent grade I was dealing with 6 to 9 percent inclines. Granny got a workout. My perineal nerve started to bark so I stopped now and then to unweight my bottom.

The pass came about a mile later than I expected. Regardless I was impressed that I made it to the top before noon.

It was cold and dank up there in the clouds. I took the obligatory selfie and had a snack. I had been running my red blinkie light but now I put on my helmet-mounted headlight.

The road was wet and the grade was -9 percent. I’d have loved to let The Mule run free but I couldn’t trade the chance of not making a sharp curve or hitting a pot hole. As it turned out the pavement was in very good condition. Even at 25 to 30 mph I had no trouble controlling the beast.

I did have trouble staying warm. Descending in the cold rain had be shivering by the time I arrived in Lincoln, 12 miles below the pass.

I had lunch in a restaurant more to warm up than to satisfy my hunger. (The burger, beans, and rice were mediocre, but the coffee was hot.)

After lunch I rode two miles to my hostel in North Woodstock where I took a glorious hot shower. I learned while washing up that I had left my razor in Conway. just another thing I don’t have to drag up a mountain.

I secured a campsite for tomorrow night about 35 miles away. It is supposed to stop raining sometime early tomorrow; my hope is that I won’t be camping in mud.

Today has given me more confidence that I can do three more climbs to get to Middlebury on Monday. Fingers crossed.

Miles today: 39

Tour Miles: 1,411.5

Super 8 Motels were once a reliable brand. The one I stayed in in Lewiston was pretty shabby. For my needs it was fine.

The motel breakfast was Raisin Bran, toast, and coffee. I ate my fill and headed out. Today marks my first full day on the Northern Tier route.

Lewiston to Danville to Shaker Village to Webb Mills to Naples to Bridgton to Sweden to Lowell to Fryeburg to Center Conway NH to Conway.

There were several steep climbs along the route. One, near the village of Sweden, required three stops to catch my breath. It was just too steep. Each uphill had a descent afterwards so it’s all good. Moreover, there were many stretches of a mile or two each they were flat or mildly inclined either +1% or -1%.

I stopped in Webb Mills for a second breakfast of sorts. A huge blackberry muffin, a small container of pasta salad with chicken, bacon, cucumbers, and carrots, and an iced tea.

In Naples I stopped to try to straighten out my eye drops prescription. It’s all a mess. Long story short, I’m going to go without for a couple of weeks. I’ll sort it out when I get home.

I also picked up a couple of bananas, a chef’s salad, a cherry pie, and two bottles of water at a grocery store. As usual I only ate a few of these so I’ll be carrying the rest for emergencies.

Clouds were threatening all day, about 40 miles into the ride, after some rumbles of thunder in the distance, it started to rain. with temperatures in the high 70s there was no need to put on rain gear. Once you’re wet, you’re wet. It was hard to see the road surface so the rain cut my speed a bit. The salmon brake pads that Mechanic Beth put on my bike are working very well, even in the rain.

I passed a sign saying “Moose Crossing Next 3 Miles”. They lied. Still no mooses. I’m staying at a hostel on the Appalachian Trail. The through hikers told me they have seen many piles of moose scat. But no mooses for them either.

I had a 10 inch pizza for dinner while waiting for the hostel to open. What a pig.

I had to keep reminding myself to take it easy. “You’ve got all day” was my mantra. The next three days will be absolutely brutal. Four huge climbs punctuated my so short steep stuff in between. I will be doing a lot of walking.

To make matters worse there is a stretch of 62 miles with nowhere to stay. The place I had planned on in the middle of that stretch is closed.

Tomorrow is a 2,200-foot climb over Kancamangus Pass. Ugh.

Miles today: 76

Tour Miles: 1,372.5

I’ve said goodbye to Maine. I’d rate it one of the best states to ride in.

I had no trouble finding my way back to the route.

Last night I supped on spaghetti and salad, prepared by Tom and Kate, my Warmshowers host. I had stayed with them about a week ago so we had a fun reunion.

Kate was interested in my 2018 ride across Washington state so she pulled out a road atlas and I brought her along down memory lane.

In the morning Tom and Kate fed me a huge bowl of Raisin Bran, some honeydew melon, and some much needed coffee. I hung around until 9:30 hoping that Walgreens would fill my prescription. Tom, a retired federal employee like myself, and I talked about our 401k plans, Medicare Part B, and investing in no load S&P 500 index funds. He’s my investing twin.

The drug store didn’t come through so I hit the road in shorts and a t-shirt, a nice change from the rain gear I’ve been wearing recently. I flew all the way to Bath where I stopped for lunch at the same ice cream parlor/deli that I ate at last week. A blackened chicken wrap, chips, a rather dry biscuit, and iced tea. No ice cream.

I couldn’t believe how strong I felt; there had to be a tailwind or maybe Tom put anabolic steroids in the marinara.

In Brunswick I left the Atlantic Coast route for good and headed west on the Northern Tier route. I spent a frustrating half hour trying to find my way out of town. Brunswick doesn’t put complete street signs at its intersections. Very frustrating.

Once out of town I encountered a very steep 200-foot climb. I had to stop before the top because my legs and lungs had maxed out.

After my punishment, I handled the rollers reasonably well.

I decided not to camp at a Warmshowers place off route past Lewiston. Instead I booked a room at the Super 8 south of Lewiston on the east side of the Androscoggin River. To get there I left the route to cross the river at Lisbon Falls.

I came to a traffic light on a bluff on the left side. Road work had closed the left lane, requiring alternating traffic going north and south. I followed a big black pickup through the green light and went down the steepest hill of the trip. Big fun.

In Lisbon Falls I took state highway 136 eight miles straight to my motel. It was a busy road leading to Lewiston and the Maine Turnpike (I-95). I rode with caution.

Storm clouds were building so I pulled into a covered bank drive-through (the bank was closed) and put on my rain jacket. It rained lightly for two minutes. Yeah, well.

The motel desk clerk (yet another Gujurati!) started chatting with me. He could not believe how far I had ridden. He was so blown away that he upgraded me to a room with a king sized bed.

Dinner at the restaurant next door was beef teriyaki stir fry, a salad, and iced tea. It was mediocre but filled the tank. I topped it off with a two-day old gas station cherry pie back at my room.

Tomorrow I enter New Hampshire. Because of my motel choice, I’ll need to ride 70 miles. I’m going to take my time and snack a lot. I hear there’s an excellent brewery pub in the town I’m staying in. Hydration is my middle name.

Miles today: 54

Tour miles: 1,296.5

I had a great stay with Peter and Emily, my Warmshowers host. Peter and I talked about running back in the day. Peter was quite the elite marathoner, once placing 30th at Boston. Emily, a sailor, is a school nurse at a small school on Islesboro, an island in Penobscot Bay. We talked about books and documentaries. I recommended Wasn’t that a Time, a documentary about the folk group The Weavers, and Say Amen Somebody, a documentary about gospel music that I slept through after running 20 miles in grad school.

Peter cooked dinner, a fish stew that was delish (I passed on the mussels, though) and breakfast, oatmeal with strawberries from the garden.

Peter advised me on my route. At about 8 a.m. I headed out in the fog for Camden. Instead of using the roundabout Adventure Cycling route, I simply rode US 1 along the shore. It was about 15 miles shorter and less hilly. It did have much more tragic but I put on my red blinkie and stayed alert.

In Camden I stopped at a bagel shop named The Bagel Shop for second breakfast, an everything bagel and an iced tea. By this time the fog had lifted.

Leaving Camden I took another shortcut, Maine Highway 90 goes straight toward Newcastle instead of meandering along the coast. It shaved 25 more miles off the Adventure Cycling route.

It was hilly from time to time but the road had brand new asphalt. Until, they is , I rejoined US 1 which was being repaved. I had to slow down to avoid gashes in the paved shoulder. Had I hit one at speed I could have blown a tire or bent a rim.

Near Waldoboro I stopped for lunch, corn chowder and a tuna salad sammie washed down with more iced tea.

By this point the temperature shad risen from the 50s to a relatively toasty 69 degrees.

I turned off US 1 to take US 1B to Damariscotta. The pavement was a mess along the shoulder so I had to be extra careful of vehicles passing.

I stopped at Round Top Ice Cream for a cherry vanilla cone., a bit of a self-treat for an honest day’s ride. A mile later I went into a Walgreens to get my eye drops refilled. My prescription had run out of refills so my doctor had to be contacted. I left empty handed but felt sure I’d get the drops soon.

I ended the day at Tom and Kate’s Warmshowers home again. We spent another fun evening talking about bike tours.

I made reservations at hostels in Conway and North Woodstock in New Hampshire for Friday and Saturday nights, respectively. Tomorrow I have a Warmshowers host booked but am considering switching to a hotel in Lewiston, Maine because the Warmshowers house appears to be off route in the mountains.

My son is coming home the morning of my last scheduled tour date. I will either take a day out of the schedule or simply take the train home from Pittsburgh which will shorten the tour by five days. (I’ve already done Pittsburgh to DC several times so it’s not a big deal.)

Still no moose but I did see a snapping turtle laying her eggs off the side of the road.

Miles today: 52

Tour miles: 1,242.5

I think today was the first time I’ve backtracked on a bike tour. With the exception of a few miles along the coast road on Mount Desert Island, the route was exactly the same.

I waited for the early morning fog to lift. It did, but I eventually ran into more on the road. I have a red blinkie light on my helmet so no worries.

Todays ride featured a tailwind making the ride a literal breeze. The weather apps called for a rainy day, But for 20 minutes of sprinkles, the weather was dry.

The rest in Bar Harbor did me good. I covered 54 miles by 2 pm. No problem. I stopped for breakfast after 15 miles and a snack after 35.

I had hoped to get lunch in Searsport but the cafe was closed. So I opted for ice cream but the ice cream shop was closed. I suspect a conspiracy.

US 1 becomes Main Street in Searsport. It’s insane. The crosswalks advise pedestrians to wave. Personally I think a single digit salute is preferable.

Miles today: 55

Tour miles: 1,190.5

How’s the bike? So far The Mule has been doing quite well. I’ve been attentive to the chain, cleaning and lubing it every third day or so. Likewise the tire pressure. I’m keeping the tires inflated to 70 psi which most people would disagree with as being too high but it’s worked for me in the past so that’s what I’m sticking with. I’ve thrown the chain twice doing awkward downshifts to my granny gear. Not bad for three weeks and 1,100+ miles. A couple of days ago the chain became entangled but I fixed it and the problem hasn’t recurred. Occasionally it feels like the front wheel or tire is out of round but I can’t see any problem. I think there’s something about the pavement that is causing this sensation.

How are the roads? I’m getting used to the irregularities in the road surface. Every so often I get a road that’s all messed up like the Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap. Repaving operations often involve milling, roughing up the surface for the application of new asphalt. For some reason eastern states don’t seem to mill as aggressively as western states. As often as not, I get fresh pavement which is a joy to ride on. Yesterday the roads I was on had expansion joints. Ugh. Thud. Thud. Thud.

How’s the rider? To be completely honest I never thought I’d get this far. I’m feeling very good now that the tree pollen levels have fallen. There is some haze today from the fires in Canada but it only seems to be affecting the higher elevations. If need be, I’ll use my N95 mask while riding. Despite valiant attempts to eat mass quantities, I’m losing weight. I guess about five pounds. Mentally the first week was hard. It always is. I’m very much in the bike touring groove now. My age and the terrain are keeping me from very long days in the saddle. These are necessary out west where the towns are 70 or 80 miles apart. I’ve done one 80-mile day but half of that was on a rail trail.

Where are you staying? I’m using Warmshowers much more than ever before. (Warmshowers is a voluntary service in which people host bicycle tourists.) I’ve stayed with Warmshowers hosts seven times. I’ve used hotels and motels six times. I have camped three times. I stayed at my daughter’s apartment for two nights. I stayed one night each at my friend Mark’s house, a B&B, and a hostel. I already have Warmshowers hosts set up for the next three nights. It looks like I may be doing another hostel after that. I expect to camp more after the Adirondacks.

Am I seeing other bike tourists? Ive seen six or seven bike tourists along the way. We exchange info about good and bad places to stay, road conditions, detours, etc.

Are you going straight back home? No. The plan is to head west across New Hampshire, Vermont, and upstate New York. There will be walking. I think the next ten days will be very hard. After that I will only have two or three hilly days.

Did you pack the right things? I pretty much nailed my gear. I’ve used my rain jacket and pants far more than any other tour. I’ve been carrying two spare water bottles but there are so many towns along the way that I’ve never needed them. The one thing I forgot was my eye drops for glaucoma. I’m pretty sure I can get my prescription filled at a Walgreens so no worries. I’m glad I brought a cable lock. Bike theft isn’t much of an issue where I’ve been riding but the lock gives me peace of mind.

What have been the best and worst parts so far? The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and the Walkway over the Hudson were both fantastic. Not having to do a nasty detour in Pennsylvania was fortunate. My Warmshowers hosts have all been truly wonderful to me. For every slog up a hill there’s been a screaming downhill. The worst parts have been the tree pollen and the cool, wet weather.

I hope this answers the questions I’ve been getting. Feel free to ask more in the comments.

Belfast to Searsport to Bucksport to Verona to Orland to East Orland to Ellsworth to Trenton to Town Hill to Mount Desert to Bar Harbor

Last night Meg, my Warmshowers host, made bean burritos and salad. It was very tasty.

At around 9 we both retired to our bedrooms. I slept well and woke up around 6:30. Once again I couldn’t tell if my host was sleeping or out for a walk. After hanging out for a while, I headed out for the day’s ride. I sent Meg a big thank you message. She was a great host.

I retraced my way to Belfast. This involved a couple of mikes on a rail trail along the Passagassawakeag River. A very chill way to start the day.

I crossed the river in town on a bike/ped bridge. The route then joined US 1 which was not particularly busy on this Sunday morning.

In Searsport I stopped at a cafe for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, potato hash, coffee, and some truly delicious blueberry bread.

I think I had a tailwind going up the coast. The road was in pretty good shape too. (Later in the day I endured expansion joints. I hate them.)

As I approached Bucksport, I saw a huge cable stayed suspension bridge. This bridge design is very popular these days. This bride had two towers, the western tower had an observation deck some 40-stories above gas bridge deck.

I had to check it out. Visibility was good. For $5.50 you take an elevator to near the top. The observation deck has three levels. After my visit I rode across the bridge in a very wide shoulder lane. I get the sense that Maine thinks about more than motor vehicles when they build things.

In Bucksport I stopped at a Circle K gas station convenience store. The clerk inside was singing and saying excessively cherry things to the customers. It felt like a Candid Camera moment. The store actually had my favorite bike foods, bananas and cherry pies.

Just after finishing my snack on a bench outside, a bike tourist pulled up. Nick is from the German-speaking part of Switzerland, just like Martin Arnold whom I met in North Dakota on my 2018 tour. Nick started on Key West and rode the entire coast except for New York City to Boston where he took Amtrak. He was frustrated that so many camping places turned him away. He blamed it on his poor English. His English was actually quite good; the campground owners were just assholes.

I said goodbye to Nick and hit the road. A few miles before Ellsworth, as I was riding up a long gradual hill, I saw a bike tourist zoom down the other side of the road. I can’t blame him for not stopping. A few minutes later a second bike tourist came zooming down. This one crossed the road to chat. Matt began in Bangor (pronounced banger) and was headed to Florida. The other rider was also named Matt, and he was going to Oregon. Florida Matt and I exchanged info and said out “safe travels”.

Ellsworth is a car sewer with all the charm of US 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia or Central New Jersey. I think Ellsworth is where I-95 traffic and US 1 traffic merge to go south to Mount Desert Island. After 20 minutes in car paradise (that’s sarcasm, folks) I pulled over and had a soft serve vanilla ice cream.

After my snack, it was time to finish the ride. The next twenty miles took me onto and through Mount Desert Island. It’s somewhat hilly but the route I took was lightly trafficked and pleasantly verdant.

Down I flew into Bar Harbor town. It’s a very quaint place that would be much nicer without a gazillion tourists. Bar Harbor is the northern terminus of Adventure Cycling’s Atlantic Coast Route. I have now ridden in its entirety from Key West to here.

I walked around the waterfront for a while then went into a bar and had a fried haddock sandwich, a bowl of clam chowder, and iced tea and water. All was good. The bartender must have refills my two glasses three times. I walked out water logged.

The ride to the motel was a mile farther than I expected. The motel advertised views of the ocean so I was expecting it to be down near the shore. Nope. It’s on a bluff. The last half mile was a pretty challenging climb.

My room is nice and clean. On my way here I bought a beer and

On the east side of the bridge the route goes up a seriously steep hill, presumably to avoid an intersection on US 1. Not fun.

On the way to the motel I picked up a tall boy and a bag of Dot’s pretzels. I am all about healthy eating.

Tomorrow is a day of active rest. I will probably spend the day riding unloaded on the carriage trails in Acadia National Park.

Mikes today: 69.5

Tour miles: 1,117

My Warmshowers hosts, Peter and Christie, were terrific. Christie even found me a motel near Bar Harbor that was reasonably priced. I’ll have to bike a few miles into town but I’d have had to bike farther to town if I had camped instead.

When I woke up my hosts were nowhere to be found. Thinking they might be sleeping in, I slipped out quietly and went downtown to get breakfast. (I found out later that they had gone for a walk, Peter’s back pain having calmed down.)

Breakfast: 2 eggs, sausage, home fries, rye toast, and coffee.

After breakfast the climbing began. Whenever I leave the coastline I have steep-ish climbs. I think I was eventually up around 500 feet. Once at elevation I found myself doing rolling roads. It was cool and overcast; same weather, different day.

There was no rush. Today is a short day, setting up two days in the Bar Harbor area.

Since Belfast is on the coast, my ride into town was downhill.

I am glad I modified my schedule. Doing today’s ride and yesterday’s ride in one day would have been brutal.

Once in Belfast I bought lunch. Burger, fries, coke slaw, cup of clam chowder, and iced tea. Decent but pricey.

My Warmshowers host, Meg, is a doctor. She looks vaguely like and has similar mannerisms to my ophthalmologist back home. They could be siblings.

While she tended the garden, I started feeling drowsy. I took a two hour nap during which a thunderstorm passed through. I’m glad I was off the road.

Miles today: 31

Tour miles: 1,047.5

Boy, did this change in plans work out well.

I started the day with waffles and coffee with Tom, my Warmshowers host. Kate had left for yoga.

After filling my tank (6 waffles, don’t judge), I hit the road. Before leaving I marveled at the amount of firewood Tom (mostly) had cut and stacked for heating their home.

My trip took me first to Newcastle then it became surprisingly hilly. In Waldoboro I stopped for coffee and had the best chocolate chip cookie of the trip. The secret ingredient is sea salt. The blueberry muffin (couldn’t resist) was also top drawer.

Past Waldoboro the hills mellowed out and I went into my groove. After seven miles I realized that I had missed my turn at five miles so I backtracked. Knowing I didn’t have to cover 90 miles today was a great relief.

I was plugging along past small farms when I shifted into my granny gear on a hill and things got a bit ugly.

During a downshift, my chain somehow folded back on itself, jamming between the granny gear and the front derailer. Eek.

After a few minutes trying to free the chain along the roadside I walked the bike to a driveway where I took off the panniers and prepared for surgery. I flipped the bike over and shifted my gears to give the chain maximum slack. Then I gently moved the pedals this way and that. The chain finally became untangled. A mechanical bullet had been dodged.

I think the problem has to do with the chain catcher. It’s a plastic thingie that looks a bit like a small thumb. The thumb is positioned so that a chain that shifts too far to the inside (past the granny gear) hits the catcher and is diverted back to the granny gear. My chain catcher seems to be missing the screw that keeps it in place. My theory is that, when I downshifted, the chain got snagged by the misaligned catcher and became entangled.

In any case I was back on the road in 20 minutes. No harm done. After some reluctance to use my granny, I tried it out several times and it shifted just fine.

I stopped in Thomaston for lunch. A BLT with avocado, a small salad, and iced tea. Perfect food. Perfect amount.

Most of the rest of the ride was along the water, occasionally diverting inland to climb an abrupt hill.

All of the climbs today were followed by steep downhills. Each time I went into a tuck and zoomed down them. It was big fun.

South Thomaston to Rockland was more in-the-zone riding. In Rockport, the temperature dropped noticeably and I finally saw some fog.

My Warmshowers hosts texted me with his address and within 10 minutes I was at their door in Camden. There house is a modern building made with sheet metal. Very cool. I have my own room off the garage with a private bath. The shower is outdoors. I did my best to give the neighbors a show.

Peter and Christie fed me pasta and salad with fresh veggies from their garden. Beer, wine, and H2O helped the digestive process. Peter is dealing with sciatica so I am amazed that he was so enthusiastic about putting me up for the night.

Christie tracked down a decent deal on a motel near Bar Harbor. I was going to camp but Tuesday is supposed to be a rainy mess. Better to avoid the whole wet tent thing. Also the motel is located closer to Belfast which will shorten Tuesday’s ride.

I saw cows, a donkey, turtles, and a big heron. No mooses. I wanna see a moose!

Miles today: 66.5

Tour miles: 1,016.5