Circles, parks, & funny birds

Introduction

2009-01-18T19:28:00.000-05:00

Looking back, thoughts from June, 2006...

I used to think that I could visit a place once and that would be enough; a new year always meant new travel destinations. I learned (or maybe I should say I decided) a long time ago that it's more than acceptable to return to places that I've enjoyed in the past. There are sights to see again, sights to see in different light or in different conditions, and brand new things to see too.

I visited Downeast Maine in 2005. And I stopped at Acadia National Park in September on my way home from Prince Edward Island. But somehow, I haven't absorbed enough of that area, and it's more than possible that I'll never get tired of visiting there. I don't really need a reason to go back there, but if I needed a reason (or excuse)... I want to visit the puffins again with my new toy - a Canon Digital Rebel XT (a digital SLR) - in hand. That's enough for me - I'm going back!

I promise, I'm going to explore someplace new when I head out on my bike in September...

This will be a quick four-day trip, and I've decided that it feels right to do it as a series of day trips. Friday, Sunday, and Monday will be days for wandering on my bike; Saturday is my planned visit with the puffins. (Or maybe I should say hoped for, since the boat trip is definitely dependent on the ocean conditions.) Even then, I'll have the afternoon to wander on my bike. I hope to wander on some roads that are new to me, but I will be repeating last year's rides in Acadia National Park too, both Park Loop Road in the main part of the park, and the road around the Schoodic Peninsula.

I find it interesting that when I'm riding around home I often repeat the same routes. If I'm on a tour, I tend to ride a big multi-day circle or I ride point-to-point. Sometimes I do an out-and-back tour, but the other two options are more common. When I repeat rides at home, sometimes I flip the ride around; things do look different when you approach them from a different direction. That's not possible at Acadia though since both of the roads I'll be rolling down are one-way loops. I really enjoy the two loops in Acadia; I hope that riding them more than once will satisfy my Acadia itch for now. My goal is to keep an eye out for interesting things along the road, and to enjoy the scenery in possibly different lighting conditions.

It's time to absorb the sights and sounds of Downeast Maine; it's time to ride.

It's my turn to go to Acadia with Denise!

Both of my compatriot's (Denise's other bikes) have already been there. They were able to visit during her spring & fall tours last year. That made sense since Denise was touring - and they are both touring bikes while I am set up as a road bike. Yes, I do sport a rear rack, and I know that Denise plans to use both her TailRider (for the camera) and a single almost empty rear pannier (for sandals to be used for traipsing around on the coastal rocks instead of using cycling shoes for that non-cycling pastime). But that's not much weight at all. And I really do want to explore Downeast Maine. I'm so excited!

Oh, you want to know where my picture was taken? It was somewhere along the southwest coast of Maine, probably near Kittery Point or one of the Yorks. That makes a good wander for a day trip since we live in northeast Massachusetts. And now I'm going to get to see Downeast Maine too!

Yes Rover, of course you're coming too. After all, you told me last year that you liked riding in Maine, and you enjoyed our short 2-day trip (last month) from home to Kittery and back again, right? I'm counting on you to take pictures while we're riding. And yes, I promise to stock some chocolate for you. I know that you prefer quality dark chocolate, but energy bars with a touch of chocolate are OK with you too, right?

What? You don't talk to your travel mascot?

Those of you who don't know me (and maybe those who do!) may be questioning my conversations with my bicycles and with Rover. Shh! Don't hurt their feelings by telling them that you don't believe they can communicate with me. Rover always tells me he'll take notes for me, but he usually forgets because he is so fascinated by the sights he sees as he looks around. He's trying to learn how to use the camera, but honestly I think it's a little too big for him.

2009-01-18T19:26:00.001-05:00

For now, please use Blogger's list of posts in the sidebar to follow my trip in reverse sequence. I plan to flip this blog on its head so that the posts flow from oldest to newest (like the table of contents in a book), adding a real Table of Contents and a Page by Page sidebar entry, and adding (better) next and previous links at the bottom of each post.

I probably won't be able to make these changes for the next several weeks.

...Denise, January 18, 2009

Biking day by day...

2006-06-30T20:31:00.001-04:00

...a happy decision

It's not often that I stray outside of my home area with my bike where my goal is to do (to ride?) day trips. Day trips usually mean I ride a loop from home, or I drive a reasonable distance (one hour? two?), do a loop or an out & back ride, and then drive home. Somehow when I planned this trip it felt right as a series of rides where I started and ended in the same location each day, varying my starting point each day.

Day rides were absolutely the right decision for me this time. I wanted to ride at Acadia again - both Park Loop Road, and the Schoodic Peninsula. And I wanted to visit the puffins. While it would have been possible to pull this trip off as a tour, given the weather and my somewhat wacky wish to visit the two pieces of Acadia National Park twice - well, I was very happy with my non-tour long weekend.

And now? It's time to dream once more, to dream of traveling somewhere, somewhen, me & my bike...

If you want to cover the same ground (well almost, without my out-and-back ride through Cutler, and without my multiple visits to Acadia & the Schoodic Peninsula) - but do it as a tour, here are possible day-by-day riding breakdowns:
Loop Acadia National Park once, then ride to Winter Harbor, loop the Schoodic Peninsula. Finish the day with a short ride to a B&B in Prospect Harbor. Mileage, following the most direct route: 60 miles
A relatively short riding day, direct from Prospect Harbor to a very friendly B&B in Jonesport: 42 miles. The distance could be extended by riding the other (further) side of the triangle to Jonesport from Route 1.
Ah, time to visit the puffins. Morning boat trip, possibly some wandering by bike in the afternoon
Jonesport to Bar Harbor, 74 miles.

Pictures, more pictures!

2006-06-26T20:28:00.000-04:00

I think it's possible that my cameras were a little out of control on this short 4-day trip. (Oh, you're right, that was me that was out of control with the cameras!) Before I weeded out the bad shots, I had over 600 photos. Editing allowed me to delete about 100 of them - but that's still quite a few pictures. There are a good sampling of pictures embedded in this journal, but there are more in my smugmug galleries. (No, there certainly aren't 500 pictures in my galleries - I spent quite a bit of time selecting the photos to be uploaded.)

The top level gallery is available here.

I've split the photos into four galleries, and I've included the individual links here just in case you want to go directly to a gallery:

You can click through the pictures in my smugmug gallery, or you can simply click the slideshow button (in each gallery) and let them scroll.Which camera?Two cameras accompanied me on this trip - my Canon S400 (Digital Elph) which is a small point-and-shoot camera, and my Canon Digital Rebel XT (SLR) with a 18-125 zoom lens. While I thought I would want the macro lens for the SLR, I left it home - figuring that I wouldn't want to be changing lenses outside in less than nice weather conditions, and assuming that I could make some use of the macro on the S400. No, the macro on the little camera is not the same, but I believe it was the right decision for this trip. But which camera took the picture that I am looking at?You can easily tell which camera took the picture if you are looking at my smugmug galleries. If you look under the picture, the camera that took the picture is identified. The picture is only in this journal? Well, it's possible to identify the camera here too, it's just a little more subtle. The aspect ratio of the pictures is different - while most digital cameras use an aspect ration of 4:3, digital SLRs match 35mm cameras with an aspect ratio of 3:2. You can see an example of this by looking at the two pictures below. The first was taken with the SLR, and the second with the Digital Elph.

A mystery ride out of Freeport

2006-06-26T20:27:00.001-04:00

Photos: Acadia's Park Loop Road (again)

2006-06-26T20:26:00.001-04:00

Gray & wet...

2006-06-26T20:24:00.001-04:00

...but I promised my bike a ride!

The last day of my short escape...

I woke up at one o'clock in the morning to the sound of heavy rain. My thoughts? "Hey - it's not time to wake up, and maybe by the time morning really rolls around everything will be dry again." Unfortunately I don't have any control over the weather, and it was still quite wet when I woke up. I promised my bike we would ride today; now I needed to figure out when and where!

Breakfast first though... as we sat down to eat this morning, the first course was fresh fruit and a very interesting fruit drink. I had to ask what it was - somehow the intricacies of the flavor didn't allow me to identify the parts of the whole. It was something called an Orange Dream: orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, and ice, all whirled together in a blender. Very nice, and a good change of pace too.

I dressed for walking in damp weather, and headed to Acadia once more. I really wanted to ride Park Loop Road again, but I couldn't get excited about riding it a second time in rain and fog. By the time I stepped out of the B&B the rain had pretty much stopped, and although it would have been very easy to change my morning plans back to riding, I didn't. And I'm actually glad that I drove the loop and walked across some of the rocks along the coast (with my camera, of course - you didn't doubt that, did you?). As it turned out, there were sections of the road that were quite foggy, so I was pretty happy to not be wandering through the fog on two wheels.

The sky was getting lighter as I left Acadia and headed towards home. It was a very funny day with variations of cloud-shrouded light, from dark gray and stormy to light and back to stormy again. As I headed towards the west and south, I wondered if my search for a dry road would have a successful end. I drove through several long stretches of rain, still hoping. Freeport loomed, and I pulled off of the road. There's a loop ride between Freeport and Brunswick that's documented on the Explore Maine by Bike web site, and I thought that would be a good ride for today. As it turned out, I did part of the ride, but as is somehow fitting for this trip, I did my own variation. I headed for the loop, but as I was supposed to take the left at a Y-intersection I noticed that there was a "construction ahead" sign. Hey, no construction for me today! As it turns out, the other side of the Y was the return road for the trip - Flying Point Road. No construction signs, and I like the name of the road. I think I'll take that road...

It was mainly an out-and-back route for me, with a little bit of extra wandering thrown in too. (I guess I'll just have to go back to Freeport another day to do the loop ride as documented!) It was another quiet back road, full of rollers. Fully leafed trees, ferns, it really must be summer! I even passed a field full of belted galloways, although the silly animals didn't cooperate by standing close enough to the road for a decent picture. I tried though.

It was a good ride, made even better by my very lucky timing. The roads were dry as I rode, but the air was very damp. I was riding through a very heavy mist. It wasn't a sight-obscuring fog, but the dampness was noticeable. It wasn't unpleasant, although I imagine it wouldn't have been as nice if the temperature was a few degrees cooler. I'd call my timing pure luck today - just as I finished my ride, it started sprinkling. I no sooner stashed my bike in the back of my car when it started pouring! Some days timing is everything, isn't it? ...time to head home (for now). I found it very interesting that as I started heading home from my almost wet bike ride, driving to the west - the roads were totally dry just a mile from where I had been standing in that downpour.

Photos: Machias, through Cutler, and beyond

2006-06-25T20:23:00.005-04:00

The suspected cause of my misbehaving cycle computer - related to VLF transmission at the Cutler Naval Station

Photos: Schoodic Peninsula once again

2006-06-25T20:23:00.003-04:00

According to the National Park Service geology fieldnotes for Acadia National Park, these bands of black rock are "black diabase dikes that spread themselves into open fractures on older rock".

Wandering down a mystery road

2006-06-25T20:20:00.001-04:00

Well, I think I rode 40 miles today - or somewhere close to that. You'll have to keep reading to discover the mystery of the bicycle computer!

Morning, daylight reaching through my windows to inform me that it's time to start the day. That streaming light came through very early; sunrise here in Jonesport was at 4:46 this morning. (I read earlier this year that the state of Maine is considering switching from Eastern to Atlantic time zone - that sunrise time could be part of the reason!) There was still fog hanging off of the coast, but the ground was dry. That was a wonderful sign, and the start of a good riding day.

Of course I started my day with another good breakfast and conversation with Maureen. That's part of the reason I like staying in B&Bs; it's always fun to chat with the folks who own them. Right after breakfast, it was time to hit the road. My bike and I started the day by getting a lift in my bright blue car to the town of Machias on Route 1. That seemed like a good starting point for my wander along the coast. I quickly rolled off of the busier (but not too busy) Route 1 to a narrow and quieter road leading through Cutler. I didn't have an exact destination in mind, somewhere along route 191 sounded like a good plan. And yes, I did an out-and-back ride today. There were loop possibilities that included 191, but this was planned as a 'not Route 1' day, so out-and-back it was.

The road was beautiful, two lanes with no shoulders, some houses, trees, fields, and a decent number of water views too. A day of rollers, up, down, up, down... I assumed that hills would be part of my day since I started and ended on Route 1, which runs inland in a somewhat straight line away from the very jagged coastline. (OK, OK, it's really not straight, but it is when you compare it to the coast!) I was hoping that my ride wouldn't be all down on the way out and all up on the way back. It wasn't. The entire ride was rolling, what a nice surprise. And it was a beautiful scenery day too. I stopped at the library in Cutler to take a picture of the harbor, since the building was situated on a hill looking down at the water. There was a woman working on a painting at that spot too, and her collie - although leashed and attached to a fence - went into guard dog mode. The dog calmed down after her owner's assurance that I was allowed to visit, and she (the dog) even allowed me to take her picture. Nice dog!

Ah, a swoop down to the harbor. Yes, I did have to stop again to take more pictures. And I had to talk to one of the men who was standing at the boat ramp. He asked where I rode from, and I had to disappoint him by telling him that although I am from the Boston area I am just doing day rides in the area. We talked about touring a bit though, and he told me about meeting Renata Chlumska, a Swedish woman who is circumnavigating the United States by bicycle and kayak. What I found very interesting is that this is the second time on this trip that I've heard part of Renata's story. She actually stayed at Harbor House B&B (my home for the last 2 nights). Maureen said that one night she got a call from the Coast Guard saying they had a woman who needed a place to stay for the night. I wish I could have been there at the same time; it would have been interesting to talk with her.

Down the road a bit more... ah, I think it is time to turn around. My intent today was to ride 20 miles out, then return. Did I really ride 40 miles today? That's a guess based on the partial mileage on my computer, and my maps. The ride back was just as pleasant as the ride out, with the weather improving as the miles rolled by. From chilly and foggy, to chilly and less foggy, to patches of blue sky, to what felt like rising temperatures. Can I put in an order for a repeat of today's weather tomorrow?

So what happened to my computer? It worked perfectly at both the beginning and end of my ride, so I really don't think there is anything wrong with it. When it stopped recording miles, I stopped to check the magnet and the sensor. Both looked to be in the right place. I could hear that funny little sound when the magnet passed the sensor. The batteries are new. Why do I keep having these weird problems with my little wireless computer? My suspicion today is that the Cutler Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station might have had something to do with it. (Yes, you guessed right - I rode by there not once but twice today!) This is a "VLF (very low frequency) antenna and transmitter station that is a communications link between regular navy communications systems and ships and submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans." It has 2 principal antenna arrays that are composed of 26 radio towers. Curious. It's just a suspicion - I could be totally off base here, but I really can't figure out what else could have caused this behavior. Now, if the computer had stopped working and continued not to work I would have figured it was either a battery or a defective computer. But when it worked at both the beginning and end of the ride...

My bike jumped in to the back of the car for our ride to Bar Harbor. But I had a stop to make along the way. The Schoodic Peninsula was calling once more. The lack of visibility when my bike and I wandered down there on Friday left me with the desire to see it again in what I hoped would be better lighting conditions. I had a second motive though, to visit Raven's Nest. Maureen told me about this spot. It used to be signed, but the Park Service removed the sign for some reason; having someone tell you that the trail even exists is very helpful. It's a spot where the cliffs have eroded into a W shape, and it was absolutely beautiful. My level of discomfort standing on the edges of cliffs stopped me from going too close to the edge, but I think I still managed to get some good pictures.

My last stop for the day was at the tip of the peninsula, a very rocky but walkable coastline, with sea gulls posing for photographs. Watching the waves, purple iris reflecting in standing pools of water, black basalt running through lighter colored rocks, fog banks hovering over the water. How many times can I say beautiful? I think I need another word...

Back on the road again, one more night in Bar Harbor. My plans for tomorrow are to ride the Park Loop Road again. My hopes are that I get to ride on dry roads, but the weather forecast is calling for showers yet again. Only the morning will tell.

Ah, an after-ride photo of myself. Amazingly enough, I only seem to have a little case of helmet-head.

A nice touch in my room tonight... a stained glass window between the room and the bathroom. With the bathroom light on, the window glows nicely.

Photos: Jonesport, Beal Island, Great Wass Island

2006-06-24T20:17:00.001-04:00

Back in Jonesport from the puffin tour... a relatively steep ramp leading back up to the dock. The difference between high & low tide here is significant, a difference of 11 to 13 feet - so the angle of this ramp can be very different depending on the time of day.

Photos: the puffins of Machias Seal Island

2006-06-24T20:13:00.001-04:00

A view to the back of "Chief" , our transportation for the day (and yes, that is the name of the boat). Note the serious rain gear of everyone on board. Nice of the fog to obstruct any chance at a view!

A welcome vision after a 21-mile voyage across a surprisingly calm sea and under a very gray, foggy, and sometimes rainy sky - the lighthouse on Machias Seal Island (plus quarters for both the lighthouse crew and the Canada Wildlife personnel).

Note that although this island is disputed territory, that doesn't seem to interfere with visiting the birds. The dispute dates back to the 1782 Treaty of Peace between Great Britain and the United States with both Canada and the United States claiming that agreement placed Machias Seal Island under their control. If you're interested, more information can be found in the paper Machias Seal Island: A Geopolitical Anomaly

Who painted your beak & feet?

2006-06-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

I awoke to the sound of rain on the roof, but as I looked out over the harbor I could clearly see the boats that live there. The thick fog of last night had disappeared. One good sign, one bad one...

I headed down to breakfast, and Maureen suggested that I call John Norton to reconfirm today's tour. I was about to run up to the phone when he pulled into the parking lot (visible from my breakfast spot on the back porch) accompanied by his faithful black lab and a cooler. Ah, we're going!

Breakfast and conversation first though... blueberry waffles and fresh fruit provided a good start to the day, and since the boat was leaving much later than usual I had plenty of time for a chat with my hostess. Maureen told me the sad tale of some tourists who came here focused on the tidal change and who expected the 11 to 14 foot difference between high & low tide to be instantaneous. They were quite disappointed. Add that to their plan to spend time here shopping and I suspect they wished they hadn't stopped in Jonesport. This is a very small village that in conjunction with its neighboring town of Beals is (apparently) home to the largest lobstering fleet on the Atlantic coast - but it is not home to stores. You're right, it wasn't funny to those that experienced the disappointment, but it made me laugh. If that was a mean thought on my part, I'm sorry...

The rain stopped before we headed out on the boat, and we started with a warning that if the rain was falling when we arrived at the puffin's home, we wouldn't be able to land on the island. Tern chicks are hatching, and the babies will die if they are exposed to the wet & cold. Their bodies don't yet have the ability to regulate their temperature, and the adult terns are in guard mode - they swarm in the air and dive-bomb any walking objects. If it's raining when the adults take off, the babies will get cold and wet. So all of us on the boat put in our orders for a dry landing slot. The weather conditions that are difficult to deal with on a small boat (according to our very experienced captain) - lightening, and wind - weren't present this morning, so it was time to head out to open waters.

Rain returned as we were rolling over the waves. It was cold too, warranting many layers of clothing. How many? I was wearing a sleeveless long underwear tank, a short-sleeved shirt, a Patagonia R.5 light insulating layer, a lightweight fleece vest, and a rain jacket. That worked, and I was quite comfortable for the ride to the island.

There were only 12 people enjoying our voyage to the puffins today (I believe the landing limit is 20), and ten of my companions were on a Mass Audubon Society trip. What luck! It's fun to be with people who know the birds - or whatever your focus of the day is. I was able to ask - and get answers to - silly questions like "why do the cormorants dry their wings by holding them out in the wind?".

Quite a while before we got to Machias Seal Island we saw a puffin flying by. The first of many... I learned something funny about these birds and their flying attitude. As we watched the puffins run and take off, their bright orange feet splayed out to the side. And then as they moved into flying mode, they pulled their feet in and crossed them. Hmmm... an aerodynamic trick?

Rain, gray skies, and then - no more rain, and a lighter sky. The fog on the horizon showed as a clean white line of clouds hovering just above the water. And then a low slung island appeared in front of us. Birds wheeling in the air, dropping in to the water, leaping back into the air. Fishing, making noises, flying. What a beautiful sight.

We were lucky and were able to disembark for a quick visit. We went directly from the landing spot to the blinds, with strict instructions to watch where we were placing our feet to avoid stepping on any eggs. Unlike the puffins who nest under the rocks, the terns drop their eggs without any obvious planning. There were eggs in the grass, and an occasional tern sitting on an egg rather than trying to attack a human head.

In spite of the fact that we were told we would have a very short visit, it seemed that we had at least 30 full minutes in the blinds. Scritching noises, the puffins were apparently prancing across the roof of our blind. The puffins on the rocks were standing, prancing, flying. They were accompanied by an occasional razorbill - a much more formal appearing bird than the puffins. Black and white plumage is quite a contrast to the painted beak and orange feet of the puffins. From the blind, directly back to the shoreline and to the small boat that delivered us back to our transport for the day. As we moved from the open water to the harbor area, we passed a small island with an eagle posing on the shore. Beautiful.

I wonder - do you think that my wearing a rain hat had anything at all to do with the rain stopping for our visit with the puffins? No, I didn't think so either. But maybe I'll try that trick again sometime.

Off the boat, walking up the ramp to the dock. It was about 2:30 - still time to wander. I refueled with a quick snack, then headed out wandering in the Jonesport area. I didn't think too long about waking up my bike - while the rain had stopped, there were still sprinkles and the roads were very wet. I might have made a different decision about rolling wheels if the puffin tour had ended at the more usual hour of noon, but with wet roads and not much time my feet became my transportation. Just wandering with my cameras was a good end to the day.

By the time I headed out to Tall Barney's for dinner, the fog had rolled in once again. The roads remained dry, and I'm hoping that the dry roads stick around for tomorrow. I'm planning to head up to Machias as a starting point for my ride; if the weather tomorrow is anything like yesterday, I won't be able to judge the riding conditions from my room on the ocean.

Weather wizard - I'm really just looking for dry roads here. Sunshine would be an huge plus, but dry roads are my first wish. Can you help?

Photos: Schoodic Peninsula

2006-06-23T20:04:00.000-04:00

Oh look - the sky is much brighter than it has been, and the roads are dry. Time to ride around the Schoodic Peninsula!

Yes, the bike looks a little lopsided. I used a single pannier to carry a pair of sandals (for wandering across rocks, much preferable to my cycling shoes) and rain jacket. And the TailRider (the rack pack) provides a safe home for my camera. That's where Rover rides too, along with snack food. I could have stuffed everything in either of the two bags, but it was so much easier having 2 partially filled bags. And really - I had so little weight in the pannier that the bike felt normal (as opposed to lopsided).

Soon after I started down the road - another one-way road, by the way - the fog rolled in. I would have been happier with a clear photo of these birds, but I have to include it anyway to show you the interesting weather conditions I encounterd!

Rover insisted that I include this picture of him. He said the photo with him perched on the back of the bike was a good shot but he wanted to be the focus of a picture.

Can you tell I like these flowers? I'm really fascinated that they seem to thrive so well in rock! (Yes, I know, there's dirt in there too...)

Photos: Park Loop Road

2006-06-23T19:54:00.000-04:00

Playing hide and seek

2006-06-23T19:48:00.000-04:00

...with the sun, of course!

What a crazy weather day! It went from gray and dry when I woke up, to a shimmer of water as I was driving to Acadia, to sprinkles, to a very steady rain - while I was riding, of course! The weather wizard apparently ran out of water, because I was surprised with a dry afternoon. And then fog joined the party...

As I started rolling towards Acadia National Park the sky was gray and the roads were dry. Sprinkles started decorating the road surface just as I turned in to the park. I thought about going back to my car, but that was just a fleeting thought. Instead I started around Park Loop Road, knowing that I had to keep going on this one-way road even if it turned into a wet day. My first (and last) stop along the park road was Sand Beach. My bike was patiently waiting at the bike rack, sheltered somewhat by an overhanging tree. Accompanied by my cameras and Rover, I headed to the beach - only to find that the stairs leading down were draped with a cord. Hmm. The beach was closed for a half of an hour; the lifeguards were waiting to see if the thunder that had just rolled through was here to stay or was going to disapear. It's unfortunate that closing the beach to swimmers also closed it to walkers. I stood under the shelter at the bus stop and chatted with some other curious visitors for a short while. I even thought about waiting until the beach reopened, but the thunder was only a sign that serious water was about to come from the sky. Rain, heavy rain... The good thing about my very wet ride this morning is that my Tailider did an excellent job of protecting my camera, and that my new Showers Pass rain jacket kept me dry too. Of course that says nothing about the water that was sloshing around in my cycling shoes by the end of my ride. I think that there was at least a whole lake in each shoe!

My intention was to ride around twice, but once was enough for today. I did wander around one more time in my car though with the hope of grabbing a few pictures. Nope, too wet, too foggy. To tell you how foggy and gray it was - I actually had to stop and put the clear lenses in my sunglasses. Those don't get used too often, but I was really glad that I had them today.

I headed to the Schoodic Peninsula using my alternate transportation mode (as in, not my bike!). My plans for today were to ride the Park Loop Road twice, and then to ride around the Schoodic Peninsula. After this morning's downpour, I had serious doubts about the second part of my plans. I've never been that fond of riding in the rain, and while it's one thing to continue a ride after the rain starts, it's a completely different thing to start in the rain. Not a problem today though - as I exited Mt. Desert Island and headed further to the east, the roads dried out, and the sun even made an appearance. I drove to Winter Harbor, then switched back to my two-wheeled transportation. A hazy sky let the sun partially shine; it was time to head out on another one-way road. The sunshine? It was nice for the short time that it visited. It was quickly obscured by fog, and the fog stayed with me for almost the entire ride. The tip of the peninsula was a very interesting place to wander when it wasn't possible to see beyond the closest rocks. I did manage some photos, but I suspect that they didn't capture the foggy beauty of the area.

Done with my peninsula loop, I listened to my bike and removed the road dirt. Just a little further to go today in my 4-wheeled vehicle... From the foggy coastline, inland to route 1 and sunshine, then back to the coast a bit further to the east to find my home for two nights. I enjoyed my stay at Harbor House B&B last year - enough to stay there again on this trip. A good welcome, and a good conversation with Maureen greeted me. The rooms here look out on the harbor; when I walked into my room I was greeted by a wall of white. Fog!

Tomorrow - I hope - will be a puffin day. I got a nice surprise when I called to confirm. Captain Norton told me that instead of departing at his usual hour of 7AM, we won't be heading out until 10. He said he left at 6:30 this morning; while I was riding my bike in the rain he was piloting his craft through rain and fog. A later start sounds good to me; that means I can sleep in a little tomorrow, plus have a more relaxing breakfast since I don't have to run out of the door so quickly. The forecast for tomorrow is for rain. Here's hoping that whatever the weather wizard brings will still allow us to set foot on Machias Seal Island. Only time will tell.

Dinner tonight was a short walk away - at Tall Barneys. I find it interesting that ordering a haddock sandwich gets the same amount of fish that ordering a platter does - but for less money. My stomach was satisfied, but I still couldn't pass up a cookie for later - peanut butter chocolate chip with chocolate icing on the bottom. Yum.

It was a satisfying day of riding, in spite of the rain. My only regret is that I wasn't able to exercise my camera as much as I wanted. I'm hoping that some of my remaining riding days on this trip are a little dryer. If not - well, that will probably just give me an excuse to come back again.

Curiosities of a drive

2006-06-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today was a driving day; there's just no way to avoid using a non-biking form of transportation when I only have 4 days to play and my destination was more than a 4-day bike ride from my house.

My first stop was at the Maine Visitor Center just after I entered the state. I wanted to pick up a road map, and I wanted to see if I could get a map of Washington County, which is the county that is furthest east in the state. I was handed a booklet on the county, and the one of the women working at the visitor center headed to the back to see if they had a county map. No map, she came back out and said there was a map in the booklet. I flipped through the pages. Ah, there it is! It's a very readable map, but there are very few roads on it. I commented on the lack of roads, and one of the visitor center staff members said "there aren't too many roads, and the ones that exist go a long way to no where". I wonder if he meant that as encouragement.

At one point I really wished I was rolling down the road on my bike. Why? Because I wanted to stop and look at something on the side of the road, not an activity that is encouraged on a limited access highway when the traffic is moving well above the posted speed limit of 65 MPH. There's a spot right next to the northbound lane of I-95 where there is a rectangular plot with a number of what appear to be very old gravestones. It's a couple of miles before the Kennebunk exit, and it's right next to the road. There's got to be a story about this spot. I noticed it last year, and I did try to find out what it was. No luck. I'll have to try again when I get home.

A search turned up almost no information on this resting ground. The only relevent entry I found was on Wikipedia stating that "A small, disused cemetery lies on the road shoulder near Kennebunk, Maine." Well, that was not helpful at all since I already know it exists. What I don't know is who lives there. Does anyone else know?

Ah, an answer to the puzzle! Many thanks to Rob... It's not an apparition, but a real cemetery. He found the link by searching for "old cemetery" maine turnpike. My mistake was searching for I-95 (as opposed to "turnpike"). The cemetery - the Hatch-Mitchell burial site - exists on private property adjacent to the Maine Turnpike.

The sky changed its image as I traveled to the north and east. It was very hazy when I left work this afternoon, and the haze stayed for a while. As I moved further into Maine, the haze gave way to blue skies. At the same time the temperature dropped, from 84 degrees when I first started driving, to 72 by the time I arrived in Bangor. Very nice. I tried not to pay attention to the weather forecasts that kept jumping out of the radio. It still sounds like there is rain on the way, but it also sounds like a possibility that tomorrow morning will be dry. I can hope, can't I? My bicycle has definitely put in an order for dry pavement!

A visual reward as I walked near the hotel... I'm staying at a Hampton Inn near a mall and near the interstate. It's not a location where I expect to see interesting things, but as I walked toward a grocery store I noticed some animals - something like a ground hog, although I'm really not sure what they were - happily eating (grass, or ?). I quickly went back to my room to grab a camera, and I did get a couple of pictures. I'll be very surprised if the animals show as more than a spot in the middle of a field of grass though. They really moved fast. I stopped to try to focus the camera, and the animal looked at me then quickly scampered away. Watching little animals always brings a smile to my face.

Here's hoping that my dreams of riding are satisfied tomorrow.

Weather wizard, are you listening?

2006-06-21T19:41:00.000-04:00

The forecast for this coming weekend seems to be typical for New England this year - chance of rain, chance of rain, chance of showers, chance of rain. Four days of wandering outside, and according to the ever-changing forecast there is the possibility of water falling from the sky on three of those days. Oh, you're right, the weather forecast is a game of probabilities... Riding in the rain seems to be a natural (or should I say inevitable) part of touring, but I'd love to roll down dry roads this weekend.

Weather wizard - is there any chance of limiting the wet stuff falling from the sky to the overnight hours? I won't ask you for sunny days - although that would be an enjoyable surprise - but dry days would be awesome. I suppose that some showers would be OK. Do you suppose there is a way to space the raindrops out so I can roll between them?

Yes, you're right, I will have lube and cleaning supplies with me so I can keep my bike happy in spite of whatever the weather wizard throws at us. And my rain jacket is coming too.

Forecast images for Bar Harbor, Maine as of June 21st. Tell me, why does the image for "chance of thunderstorms" look more cheerful than "chance of rain"? And why does "chance of showers" look worse than "chance of rain" when showers (to me, at least) sounds like a lighter spray of water? Ah, the weather will be whatever it decides to be - and my bicycle wants to ride! I guess it's a good thing that the TailRider that my camera rides in on the bike has a nice waterproof cover.

Forecast (and forecast images) courtesy of the Caribou office of the National Weather Service