The Three Musketeers, okay the Three Stooges, headed west at 6:15 am in rather foggy conditions, but visibility was safe enough. In 2 hours we embraced the sun. The road conditions varied from wide smooth shoulders to narrow shoulderless roads with edges resembling the lunar landscape. The Kiwi in the group was thrilled how courteous the drivers are to us. Pity is probably a better description.
We are loaded with brightly colored gear and clothing, crawling up hills and streaking down them. Lots of hills. Like continuous. Remember, I'm from Virginia Beach.
We were planning to ride 60 miles. After 45 someone got the bright idea to ride 75. So,
our destination was now Camden Hills State Park. Did I mention it was hilly? One hill was so steep, at the very top I wanted to walk it. Clearly my Virginia Beach legs are gonna take some getting used to this. When we reached the camp, I was spent. Still had to set camp, cook, clean and shower. That order varies from day to day depending on priorities.
Wifi was a joke. I could barely get a text message out so blogging was out of the question.
Met a young man at a site next to ours. He was riding the same route but was suffering from tendinitis in his knee so he was taking 2 days off. He was a bike racer while he was at UC but touring was new to him. Today is his 22nd birthday so I shared a shot of my Bushmills single malt with him. (An early Father's Day present from my awesome family!) I have a plastic pint flask. Nice kid. Expect to see him again along the way. He mentioned that steep hill. Said he happened to notice a library on the way up so he decided to stop at it.... Good timing.
Today we were on the road by 6:30. It had rained last night but it didn't last long. Our tents were a bit damp when we packed them. Today's destination was a campground in Brunswick. Our route follows a main road and veers off from time to time and sweeps through a village. Not a lot of options. Road conditions in Maine are pretty consistently inconsistent. The scenery is pretty good at times. Lots of water views. Cross over a number of bridges. Jimmie Crickets, the hills are relentless. Ok. Not much more whining about the friggin hills. Gotta learn to love'em. It got really hot in the afternoon and that led to more stops for fluids. Fred, the Kiwi, spotted a Diary Queen right after we had stopped, but we broke down since he had never been to one before. He seemed to like it. No surprise that I love DQ!
The day was going along pretty well actually. Getting into the rhythm of the hills. Suffering up. Flying down. The last few miles were mercifully flat with a wind that pushes you along (aka tailwind). Then, it happened. I heard some commotion behind me. Fred was screwed. Literally! He had a 2 inch screw in his back tire. Road debris is a real hazard. Of course it was in the blazing sun with no shade nearby, but we put a new tube in it and went on our merry way in no time.
Soon, we made camp, fixed dinner and cleaned up. Bed around dark. Party boys.
Two days = 135 miles averaged about 11.5 mph riding time
The blog service does not like my phone so pictures are a problem. I will post some on Facebook. See you tomorrow night if I have some service. Cheers!
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