Northern Tier Day #2 Belfast, ME to Brunswick, ME
Northern Tier Day #2
May 21, 2019
Belfast, ME to Brunswick, ME - 84 Miles
Ride Time 7:45
Tour Total 148 Miles
I slept great last night at the Yankee clipper. My alarm clock woke me at 6:45, and the sun was already bright outside. I quickly packed all my gear and rode down the hill and over the old bridge into Belfast, a gorgeous little fishing town on Penobscot bay. I’d been to Belfast several times, but this was the first time I had traversed the old, now pedestrian, bridge to the shipyard and center of town. The sky was crystal clear.
I didn’t recognize the Yankee clipper yesterday when I pulled into the lot. There was a new sign and landscaping. It had been renovated and wasn’t as I remembered. Last night when I was turning out the lights, I was terrified to see bugs crawling everywhere. Same old Yankee clipper. I hope none of those critters hitched a ride with me.
Breakfast was at Chases Daily, which doubles as a bakery and boasts an art gallery. I had an egg sandwich, a muffin, and a cappuccino. I enjoyed watching the locals, who were all complaining about the rain. I love this town! I mailed a few postcards before cycling out of town.
Adventure Cycling had indicated in an addendum that the shoulder of US1 had been widened, but I elected to stick to the route on state route 52 to Camden. There was no rain this morning, but definitely some wind. It was partly cloudy with the whitish grayish wispy to fluffy type particular of coastal Maine. Cutting away from the coast I cycled gentle rolling hills passing fields and lakes. I passed stacks of timber, cut firewood, and boats stored for the winter.
Three different friends have sent me the following article about attaching a pool noodle to the back of my bike: https://qz.com/1620913/the-best-cycling-hack-is-a-pool-noodle/ The idea is to have a bright piece of foam sticking 3 feet out into into the motorist lane to call attention to the 3 foot rule that motorists are supposed to give to cyclists. So far, Maine motorists have been particularly courteous.
Tulips and daffodils are in bloom here, and the pastures are brimming with puffy dandelions. Many of the fields are lined by stacked stone walls. By 9:30 it was mostly overcast. Whenever the sun appeared I was warmed, and it felt so good! In Camden I stopped at a gorgeous old post office and mailed a few things back to Brooklyn. Camden is a beautiful little town. Once upon a time, before the ocean here were overfished, this area was prosperous.
I’ve been having a difficult time getting into my front small chain ring, which I need for steep hills. I tried adjusting it in Camden but the adjustment screw is at it’s limit. I’m going to need to have this looked at before I climb the Kank on Thursday.
Leaving Camden I encountered a road closed sign. Naturally I ignored it and continued ahead. Lo and behold, workers were installing a large drainage pipe and it was impossible to pass. I had to double back and around, and up and over a huge hill of course. Whatever.
The sun played hide and seek with me all day long. I finally bid the coast farewell at Rockport. I headed west on State Route 90. I passed a lot of granite quarries, which probably explains the town names here like Rockport and Rockland.
At one point I was startled by a fluffy tail deer leaping through the woods. I’m disappointed that I didn’t see a moose. I heard that the population is way down because of ticks, which no longer die off in the winter because of climate change.
State Route 90 dumped me back on US1, which had tons of traffic. When I crossed the Lincoln county line I switched to old US1 and lost the traffic. The cold Maine wind has been in my face all day long.
It seems like everybody has stacks of lobster traps in their front yard. I noticed several examples of a mailbox suspension system that I had ever seen before. The boxes hung from tree branches, avoiding the need for a post. I grabbed a pizza and fries at McGreevy’s corner store in Waldoboro. People’s accents here are thick!
After lunch I got a call from the Iowa team, trying to firm up the big west of the Mississippi shindig in June. I decided to leave in my headphones and listen to WFMU. I noticed a touring cyclist entering US1 from a small random road to the east. I slowed down and waved him over. Kyle is riding the ACA Atlantic Coast trail from Key West to Bar Harbor. He was eager to finish his trip, and complained about US 1. He wanted to make sure that I included his big Alabama A in my photograph. I didn’t mention to him that just about everybody I know hates Alabama right now.
Continuing down crappy US1 I realize that I should’ve taken a left where Kyle had emerged. The ACA route would have had me on a less trafficked road. Eventually I made it over there, but after a few miles the route put me back on busy crappy US1.
Speaking of cyclists named Kyle who sport all black panniers and who cycle in sandals, Kyle from the Transgang never stopped touring. He’s currently in Bolivia cycling up the Andes from Patagonia. I’ve been marveling at his Instagram photos for months. @kylehughesphoto
Because the sun kept hiding behind the clouds and the cold wind, I had to keep playing the change the clothing game. It eventually got really cold and I had to put on my rain jacket as a shell. Then of course the sun came back out and I got hot. And then it got really windy and I had to put my hood. It eventually got so cold that I had to put on more layers. While I was changing I got attacked by insects. Who knew feeding season started so early in such cold.
I took this nice little meander from Bath to Brunswick on old seldom used roads, all part of the East Coast Greenway. It was pleasant to be away from US1. I crossed two massive bridges over the Sheepscot and Kennebec rivers. The cross winds were intense and rather frightening with sand blowing in my face. The town of Bath was gorgeous, but the day was slipping away and the weather wasn’t so good. I regret that I don’t have photos of any of the beautiful historic wooden architecture.
My warm showers host Alicia gave me directions to follow the old Brunswick Road, which was part of the ACA route. I then cut through the Brunswick Naval air field. It was a nice ride.
I arrived at the home of Alicia and Henry, who are both cycling enthusiasts. They have toured extensively, and are active cycling promoters in Maine. In fact, Jim Sayer, Executive Director of Adventure Cycling Association, will be staying with them next week. I was their first Warm Showers guest of the season. Alicia cooked me a fantastic dinner.
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