Tag: cross country

RA94: We Made It!

Posted on September 1, 2011March 16, 2014 by Rich

East Orland ME to Bar Harbor ME – 42.2 miles We wore our civvies to breakfast this morning, walking to a place called Duffy’s right across the highway from our motel. Real friendly service and good eats. But after yesterday’s run-in with the mega pancakes, I stuck to simple eggs-bacon-toast this morning. Jack had a great looking waffle with local berries. Oops – there I go about food again. We took US1 from the motel, but soon turned onto ME176 amd ME172. These were great routes that, while adding miles, gave us pretty low-traffic downhill runs next to Toddy Pond

RA93: Almost There

Posted on August 31, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Camden ME to East Orland ME – 43.1 miles Once again, excellent stars last night, although somewhat blocked by trees. I took this photograph last night aimed straight up, with the underside of the leaves lit by the flicker of our fire. Roger took off early this morning, heading for Augusta, and we said our goodbyes. Using last night’s coals, I started up a small campfire again and Jack and I moved especially slowly packing up gear, enjoying the site, taking our time in the filtered morning sunshine. We finally rolled out onto US1 northward, looking for breakfast. Our AC

RA92: Coast of Maine

Posted on August 30, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Brunswick ME to Camden ME – 66.7 miles Great stars last night with an interesting overlay of clouds. Then some pretty cirrus clouds to start the morning. The Thomas Point Beach campsite had been very quiet and isolated – a good spot. Jack and I selected Friendly’s for breakfast this morning. While we enjoyed some good food, the store’s manager greeted us, then asked with real interest about our bicycle travels, wanting to know details. Christine expressed a desire to try a bicycle tour like this, even describing a dream she has had about pedaling to California to reach the

RA91: Rolling

Posted on August 29, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Raymond ME to Brunswick ME – 71.2 miles This morning I was very pleased to see blue skies. Winds were swift from the ?south or ?west but there appeared no sign of further rain, and the forecast from 2 days ago suggested that the winds would die down quickly today. Time to get on with our tour. There was still no power in Franks’s house in Raymond ME. I arose about 6:30AM and jumped into my daily riding routine, packing up my bedroll, pulling on cycling clothes, and preparing the panniers. Jack saw me and groaned. “You don’t even know

RA90: Tropical Storm Irene

Posted on August 28, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Raymond ME – 0.0 miles Periodic heavy rains greeted us this morning as we all (except for Roger and Jack) piled in to Frank’s car and rode off in search of breakfast. We soon piled in to Danielle’s Sebago Diner and enjoyed an excellent breakfast. I hate to say it, but I’m definitely addicted to caffeine again after this tour, and getting my morning fix is starting to feel pretty good. We also hit the WalMart for supplemental food since many of the guys plan to stay at Frank’s house for 4 or 5 days more. Back at the house,

RA89: Finally Into Maine

Posted on August 27, 2011May 1, 2012 by Rich

Jigger Johnson Campground (east of Kancamagus Pass) NH to Raymond ME – 63.2 miles The group got up early this morning and all followed Frank on a beeline on US highways to his house, but I don’t quite know what they were smoking. The scenery is so breathtaking around here that, in my opinion, taking the backroads is a necessity. Jack and I rose last, gathered our crap and started down the mountain. The continued descent made it chilly but the scenery was magnificent. We followed the AC turn onto Passaconoway Road and discovered one of the prettiest passages yet.

preRA: Fountain Hills #4

Posted on April 18, 2011November 25, 2011 by Rich

Off the bike for 5 days in a row this week, playing in a golf tournament. My partner and I didn’t do too badly, so I made a brief post about it here. [By the way, if you’re into exquisite dining and a way cool celebrity encounter, you should check out a couple other very recent posts on our travel site – start here.] The desert up by Saguaro Lake is always beautiful, and this morning the temperatures were a perfect 75F or so. Most of the penstemons have waned, but the desert marigolds are in full glory. The other

preRA: Fountain Hills #3

Posted on April 11, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

Another loaded spin up by Saguaro Lake, then down the Beeline to Fountain Hills. When the weather behaves we get NE winds in the mornings, and it makes the hills out by the lake interesting. At Beeline and Bush I spied this outrageous orange-red cactus in bloom in the desert and trudged out for a photo. Rolling down the Beeline is almost always fun, and this morning I did so for about 7 miles at 24 mph. Approaching Fountain Hills, I watched the end of the fountain’s cycle, realizing that it was actually the 9AM cycle I was watching, with

preRA: Rain Gear

Posted on April 9, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

An unexpected opportunity presented itself this Saturday morning. Steady rain and 43°F! A great chance to try out some rain gear! I did a simple 12 mile run out for office supplies and groceries, but did so fully decked out in rain gear. A few things discovered: Rain Jacket – I continue to really like the Performance Ultra rain jacket. I’d say it is practically waterproof. In the hour I was gone, the inside of the fabric just barely started to moisten, and even that could have been sweat. This jacket fits great, is ultra lightweight, and provides excellent

preRA: Love Those Panniers

Posted on April 5, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

This started as a loaded conditioning ride to IHOP and turned into a shopping trip. Sure is nice to have the panniers. President Obama needs to learn about these – they could help solve our Middle East oil-related problems (as well as domestic health problems, traffic problems, pollution problems, …) IHOP: Breakfast with Jesse and Gary REI: Bought a touring jersey and a fluffier camp pillow, using a 20% off sale plus credit from last year’s rebate. Landis Cyclery: Bought a new cyclometer for the Surly (the wires pulled out of the last one). Also, Vanessa suggested I try some