On The Road Again

19 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Portland 8:40 a.m., arrive Potters Place Campground, Lebanon, ME 4:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 49.33 miles

Today’s mileage – 49.33 miles

Time on bike – 4.26.16

Average speed – 11.1

Max speed – 33.5

So the first day of our nineteen planned days of biking is in the books.  Not a bad one as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds, keeping temperatures cool for most of it. 

We started the morning by deciding to change our route and picking up the Eastern Trail in Scarborough rather than in South Portland.  Trying to make it around the construction in Portland just didn’t make sense to us.

Anyway, the trail treated us well as we made good time down to its end in Kennebunk, then hitting the roads for the rest of the day.  Traffic wasn’t too bad, and what there was of it gave us plenty of room.  As much as the trails are great for quiet riding and easy grades, the surfacing can make things challenging, thereby keeping our speeds a little lower.  But both of us will take the easier grades and rural settings over the traffic noise and congestion.

Of course, just because we are on trails doesn’t mean we have peace and quiet.  Our last minute rider, Josh’s Bottle, yammers non-stop.  And when he doesn’t get his way, he whines until we can’t stand it anymore.  So we got him back today by snapping a picture of him while he was in the Porta-john.  We thought it was pretty funny, but he sulked for over an hour.  He’s such a baby.  Oh well, at least it was quiet!

One notable stop today was at a Cumberland Farms outside of Sanford.  Nola really needed a restroom and theirs was not for public use.  A sad face and explanation about traveling by bicycle resulted in allowing Nola to use the employee restroom.  Yay!  The woman working the cash register was nice and interested in our bicycling trip.  She liked Nola’s gel seat cover.  

By early afternoon it was noticeably warmer and the hills got steeper, resulting in our going a bit slower.  The last part of the day was the hilliest, as we made our way around Sanford and down to Lebanon, ME to the campground.  But after a hot shower and good supper we are ready to go again, straight to bed! 

Weather reports we have heard say that Wednesday and Thursday will be hot and humid, so we aren’t expecting to break any land speed records with the bike and trailer.  Tune in tomorrow to see how we have fared, and until then everyone stay safe and enjoy the evening.

P.S. In case anyone is thinking it, this is not Col. Harry Potter’s, or the magician Harry Potter’s campground.  We have not seen anything military or magical since we got here.  It’s still early, so who knows.

P.P.S.  So we've confirmed it isn't the magician Harry Potter's campground...  the ice cream shop down the street wasn't open and did not magically open when we went in search of some yummy cold stuff.  Oh well.  Guess that means TWO ice cream stops tomorrow!

Final Jeopardy question

The Final Jeopardy Category is:  Bike Touring

The Answer:  Of the three days of biking listed below, which one was with a loaded trailer and panniers?

                                    Thursday, 06-14-2012            Friday, 06-15-2012     Saturday, 06-16- 2012

Time on Bike               1.55.18                                    2.24.50                        2.52.34

Avg. Speed                 14.5                                         14.4                             12.4

Max Speed                  31.5                                         35.5                             31.5

Distance                      28 miles                                   35.03 miles                  35.77

“What is Saturday, 16 June 2012 Alex.”

Correct and how much did you wager?  OOOOHHHHH not enough to take the championship, sorry.

As you can see, we have been getting ready for our trip and doing as much mileage as we can given the day.  The Saturday trip was a good one and a fortunate learning experience.  We did make a couple of small adjustments to the bike and front derailleur, so now it goes into the “granny gear” a bit easier.  It’s always the little things that make the biggest difference. 

Our plan is to leave Tuesday (06-19-2012) morning to head for Potter’s Campground in Lebanon, Maine; a day of close to 50 miles.  Today, (06-18-2012) is packing and finalization day as we make sure our laundry is done, the bike is ready, and it’s a nice day off for our bottoms.  The weather is looking good for at least the first few days of the trip so no problems there. 

We want to thank everyone for your well-wishes and prayers as we embark on our adventure.  A new touring partner has joined our excursion, Josh’s water bottle, an old friend from four years ago.  He is quite the character and you can read his story and follow his exploits at:  bottlestravels2.blogspot.com.

Our next post will be from the road, so keep tuning in to the “same bat channel” when you can.  We love you all!

Half Century

Half Century Day

Saturday, 09 June 2012

Mileage – 53.76 miles

TOB (Time On Bike) – 3:43:33

Nola said it would have been cool to have it 3:33:33 as she likes “3’s.”

Max speed – 42.0 mph (on a downhill and I will swear the speed limit was 45)

Average Speed – 14.4 mph

We have titled this post as “Half Century” but it could very well be a full century as we both did 50+ miles on the same bike so that means we did over 100 miles when added together.  Is anyone buying this?  No? Okay, on to other things.

After over a week of rain, drizzle, clouds, more drizzle and more rain, we earned a good weekend, and this is it.  What a beautiful day for a bike ride.  As training goes, we knew we had to get at least one 50 mile day in, so today was it.  Now, we have to admit that this ride was done without the trailer, hence the decent average speed.  But in our defense, the route we took included a number of hills, with one the size of Everest.  Well, maybe not that tall, but at the time it sure seemed it.

Our excursion started with a trip around the Back Cove and up Route 1 to Route 88 through Falmouth, Falmouth Foreside, Cumberland Foreside and into Yarmouth.  With such a great day blossoming, we were far from the only bicycle on the roads.  However, we were the only tandem we saw, but a great number of folks were out taking advantage of warm temps and a cool NW breeze.  As anyone who has been on Rt. 88 knows it’s a fabulous road with some extraordinary houses to look ogle over, and as you pass along Cumberland Foreside the views of fields filled with tall, emerald colored grass swaying lazily, entice you down the slope to the cool ocean water.  All too quickly we are back under the canopy of trees, riding through the mosaic of golden sunlight and dark shadows they have laid across the road.

As we ride north on Rt. 1, our first goal is the Bike and Ski shop just south of Freeport village.  It is there that we find a replacement tire pump of the kind that Rick has been looking for since he blew up the other one.  All he will say is that it was an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the destruction of the pump.  Nola simply asked, “Were you using a big hammer?”  Everyone is still waiting for an answer. 

The second goal of the trip was also accomplished, and that was to return the two sleeping pads that were purchased, tried out, and deemed unacceptable.  The folks at Bean’s were very courteous and took them back without flinching.  We ended up buying some new socks, lightweight, very breathable ones to help keep our feet dry and cool.  Our feet still sink, but the new socks don’t seem to mind.

After a hearty lunch, we rode off on “Twoddles” to finish our 30+ mile route home to Portland.  Our route took us out Bow Street to Flying Point Road, around to Pleasant Hill Road, Upper Mast Landing to South Freeport Road into Yarmouth.  We took Middle Road into Falmouth at Route 9 then back into Portland.  Quite a ride, but fun.  

This coming week, as we make final preparations for the trip, the plan is to do some daily mileage with the fully packed trailer and panniers, so we can get used to the extra weight.  We will keep you posted on how that turns out. 

Rain and visitors

Rain, rain, go away; come again another day – preferably after our trip to Muncie.

This past weekend, June 1, 2, 3, wasn’t conducive to training rides, at least for us.  The heavy rain and driving winds kept us inside planning, rather than outside riding.  Here’s hoping that the coming weekend is better.

The good news is that Nola was able to get our trip planned out with mileages that will be doable for old farts like us, as well as places to stay – either camping or taking advantage of the hospitality of members of WarmShowers.  It’s an organization of bicycle enthusiasts who have agreed to offer their homes’ accommodations to other cyclists, and in return being able to enjoy similar kindness when they tour.   Nola signed us up a few weeks ago and we had our first cyclists stay the night of 3 June.  

Dylan and Jon are making their way up the Eastern Seaboard from Key West, Florida, to Lubec, Maine.  These intrepid cyclists braved the nasty weather and made their way from Exeter, NH to Portland on Sunday, arriving at our house wet and cold.  Not sure we will have the same fortitude during our trip if the weather turns as ugly as it has been here the last few days.  Though, who knows, we may surprise ourselves.

We had a wonderful visit chatting and sharing cycling and hiking stories, as these two travelers have also through hiked the Appalachian Trail.  Oh to be young again!  Of course we couldn’t let our new friends pass through without a trip to Red’s ice cream in South Portland.  A Nor’easter from Reds makes even the worst weather tolerable. 

Monday morning dawned with the same miserable, wind driven rain, but Dylan and Jon made the decision to make their way up the coast to just outside Edgecomb.  As tempting as taking the day off was, they have a schedule to keep and fifty or so miles is easy for them.  A testament to the adage, mind over matter.  Good luck guys!

As for us we hit the wind trainers, tucked snugly inside the garage, once again in hopes of being at least some-what ready for our endeavor.  As the time for departure gets closer and the multitude of small details get finalized, or in some cases purchased as in patch kits and water repellent spray for panniers and other gear, we increasingly look forward to the spectacular sights and extraordinary people that await us as we make our way from Maine to Muncie. 

Shakedown Cruise

29 May 2012 -

The Memorial Day Weekend saw the “shakedown cruise” of USS Twoddles.  (USS stands for Urban Sojourning Sloop and Twoddles is the bike’s name.  Catchy isn’t it?)  We loaded Twoddles and the trailer (still looking to name that) with just about everything we will need for our trip this summer and headed out for an overnight camping excursion, by way of the Eastern Trail from South Portland to its end in Kennebunk.  We then rode the trail back up to Old Orchard Beach and set up camp at Ne’re Beach Campground.  Sure was a great day for a fully loaded, forty-mile plus ride.

Unlike our first foray with the trailer that ended in damage to Twoodles, this trip went smoothly, or smoothly enough to make us think that by the time June 19 comes around we will be ready to go.  As with any planning process we did realize, after we left the house, that we should add a couple of things to our packing list, like cards and a cribbage board, vitamins, and extra toiletries.  Nothing earth shattering of course, just things you think of.

The decision to ride the Trail down to Kennebunk and back to OOB was made for two reasons.  First, to make sure we could get the bike and trailer through all those dang stanchions that keep the motor vehicles out.  Well, in Biddeford, they are so close together at the re-entry point on West Cole Road that on the way back up we had to find an alternative, which ended up being from the parking lot of SMMC; much easier than trying to move the STOP sign out of the way at the other point.  This is not to say that we didn’t have a few minor scrapes.  The trailer now sports a small blot of cute yellow paint on its wheel frame.  The second reason of course was to get the riding experience and break our bottoms in to the seat time that is going to be required this summer.

As it happened, our ride and stopover in OOB coincided with Janine’s, Nola’s sister, birthday party.  We walked from the campground to JJ’s Eatery II down by the beach to take part in the festivities and had a lot of fun as well as some great food, especially since that meant that Rick didn’t have to cook.

Needless to say we were both tired after the ride and heat of the day, so as the sun went down, so did we.  The night went pretty well, though we are considering changing our sleeping pads for a regular air mattress, depending on weight and such.  However, a campground is not always quiet and in OOB on a Saturday night the noise level around 1:00 a.m., when the bars start closing down, gets a bit louder.  If you want the whole story, ask us the next time you see us.

Sunday dawned bright and seasonable, so we ate a hearty breakfast, packed up our gear and headed back to Portland.  After Saturday’s temps in the 80’s, this ride was a whole lot more comfortable, at least for everything but our bottoms.  Gel padding only goes so far. J

One of the major pieces of information we did gather over these two days is that we really need to pay attention to our food intake.  Neither of us ate what we should have on Saturday, so we were a bit underpowered at the end of the ride.  Water wasn’t an issue, we just have to plan better for snacks and lunch than we did.  But that’s what the weekend was all about, and we still plan on making the trip.  So stay tuned for more updates.

Northern NE Weekend

We only did a few miles of bike riding this weekend as it was full of graduation, confirmation, and birthday parties – each in a different New England state (NH, MA, & VT respectively).  However, all the driving we did do gave us some valuable information prior to embarking on our summer bike trip.

As anyone who has planned a trip of any length will confirm, information and logistics is an important part of the planning process.  We understand this as well, so while in Vermont helping our friend Dan celebrate his birthday, we scoped out a couple of the roads we were planning to take in June.  I say “were planning” because it appears that they are not really bike-able roads.  In fact, one of them isn’t really a road as much as a game path or snowmobile trail.  Interesting how Google works, isn’t it?

Anyway, we are lucky to know this now because it would have made for a very long day trying to find an alternate route to Rutland/Proctor by way of who knows what.  As it is, we will be staying on the numbered roads mostly, hoping they have at least some kind of shoulder.

A tremendous amount of rebuilt road stretches across Vermont these days.  Crossing the many small brooks and streams now, we can only imagine their roaring ferocity during the storm known as Irene.  Great divots of hillside were washed away by the raging waters making me think it’s not unlike the scooping soft ice cream from a container, but on a much vaster scale.  We look forward to taking our time and meandering through this wonderful state and marveling at the power of Mother Nature and the tenacity of mankind.

Mother's Day Weekend Rides

Sunday, May 13, we decided to strap the trailer onto the tandem and take the "rig" back on the Eastern Trail.  We needed to practice getting the trailer to fit through the poles put up so motorized vehicles cannot go on the trail.  Today was quite successful!  We never pulled the trailer off the tandem and only bumped the trailer on the side a few times, but in a very minor way, so no harm, no foul.  We went down the Eastern Trail to where it goes around I-195.  There we turned around and headed home.  While we were resting, prior to heading north again, we made friends with a couple who ride a recumbent tandem.  They were telling us of their travels and encouraging us to use organizations like Adventure Cycling for help with maps and campgrounds.  We exchanged contact information and headed back north.  One thing we've realized, especially after these past two days, we need to be sure to take better breaks and fuel up more frequently.  Today we did 35.5 miles on two bananas, an apple, and some Doritos.  Not the best diet plan!  Of course, the trip back over the Casco Bay Bridge via our Chevy Aveo with Becca & Davey D for some Red's Ice Cream was faster and more filling (perhaps a bit less nutritious, however!).

Saturday, May 12, we headed down to Back Bay Bicycle to purchase some new, improved bicycle shorts.  What a difference!  With improved gel padding, we headed west on Route 302 to South Windham.  We enjoyed the minor detour off Rt 302 onto Duck Pond Road, then off 302 onto Pope Road.  We took Pope Road to Route 202 and headed back down Route 237.  This took us right to Beal's Ice Cream!  Imagine that!  What a treat to stop for a double dip prior to heading home through Westbrook.  Our total mileage was 28.5 miles.