My Gear for this Tour

I think the most important part of my gear is my bike, of course, and it served me well. I was riding a 2013 Surly Long Haul Trucker Disk, a bicycle intended for touring. It came as a 48/36/26 triple, but I changed the small chain ring to a 24, more on that later. The rear cogs are 9 speed 11-34. The 2014 model is nearly the same, except the rear cog is 11-32. Connecticut convinced the 24 in the front was the right move, and I am glad I had the 34 in the back. The only problem with the small 24 in the front was the diameter was slightly smaller than the 26, and if I shifted down too quickly, there was enough gap between the front derailleur and the ring that sometimes I would throw the chain beyond the ring and onto the bottom bracket and then I would be free wheeling when I really needed to be climbing steep. I learned to shift smoothly and this was not a problem. Also, the Surly LHTD comes with 37 mm tires and I changed to 28 mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus, and I have been very happy with those tires. I also installed Planet Bike front and rear fenders. I attempted a different manufacturer first, but the fender supports would not work around the disk brakes.

I had an Arkel front rack and Arkel front panniers, but for less wind resistance, I took the front rack off, kept the Arkel front panniers but mounted them on a light Blackburn rear rack. I also had an Arkel trunk bag on top of the rear rack. In the cockpit, I had a Revelate frame bag that I was very happy with, and a top tube bag from Revelate that I would not recommend. The Arkel gear was very water resistant, but not water proof. When I expected rain, I put all my gear in a white trash bag inside my panniers, and everything stayed dry. The Revelate material was not very water resistant so I kept stuff in the frame bag that did not matter if it got wet or I put stuff in zip lock bags. 

For safety, I had a 1W, red 2 bulb flasher in the rear and a pair of white LED strobes in the front. Except for busy roads without a shoulder, my most dangerous issue is the car approaching on the right from a side road, who appears to be looking right at you, but can only see cars, not bikes or motorcycles, and they pull out in front of you or they T bone you. I have NOT had that problem since I put the white LED strobes in the front, and I keep them on during the day. I highly recommend white LED strobes in the front, especially if you are a single bike, not with a group. In addition, I always dressed bright; my day glow  green jackets or my bright yellow Corn Pops jersey.

My frame pump was a Topeak Turbo Morph G, supposedly optimized for mountain biking. Originally I had bought a highly recommended smaller, lighter pump and the handle was in line with the pump, and the tube for the valve was inside the handle and needed to be screwed into the head of the pump when you used it, and then removed and stored again when finished. I used it a few times and figured out it was a good, small, light weight emergency pump for my road bike, but not something I was going to use every morning to air my tires. The Topeak pump had a much higher volume pump cylinder which means fewer strokes. The handle pivoted to become a T handle for better ergonomics. It had an inline gauge and a foot lever to secure the pump while I was pumping. And though it said it was optimized for MTB, I had no problem getting to 105 psi in my rear tire. And I never had a problem getting a good, locked fit on the Presta valves.

My other tool was the Topeak Alien III, which is 25 tools on a small multi tool. This was invaluable when my chain broke. I also brought 4 Allen wrenches and one small open ended wrench. What I found out I was missing, when my chain broke, was SRAM power links or chain pins. I never used my tire patch kit.

I also kept a few rags in a zip lock bag and a couple pair of thin neoprene gloves to keep my hands cleaner whenever I was working on the rear tire or chain.

As far as attire, 2 pair of riding shorts (not bibs), 2 Underarmour undershirts, 1 shirtsleeved jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers, one hi-vis windbreaker, one hi-vis rain jacket and a pair of rain pants, two pair of fingerless riding gloves and one pair of full finger insulated riding gloves was sufficient. Plus head cover for cold or wet weather.

I also can get a sore throat easily, so in addition to all my vitamins, I found a Smartwool neck gaiter to indispensable and very flexible. I would just leave it loose around my neck to keep the chill off of my neck, or I would pull it up over my ears and under my chin for a little more warmth, or pull it up over my mouth and nose if it was the coldest. This is one of my very necessary items that one might not think of.

As far as non-riding clothes, I had one pair of levi's, one long sleeve under shirt, one riding sweater that I mostly wore when I was not riding, two T shirts and two pair of underwear. I was barred from any black tie events.

For riding shoes, the Keene Commuter III's with MTB SPD cleats worked great. I rode, walked and hiked in them. I wondered how they would fare in wet weather and rain, when they were soaking wet because they are sandals. But it was not a problem, even when I was deluged the day the heavens opened up. I believe that is because even though they are sandals, they are close toed, so there is not a forward facing opening performing as an air scoop. And the sole is firm and solid enough that it was a great riding shoe. I have a tendency to get "hot foot" when I endure a sustained pressure point on a long ride. But on this ride, even when I was riding 60-70 miles a day, pushing my 30# Surly and nearly 40#'s of gear, I never had foot problems. I was very impressed with the Keene Commuter III's.

As far as electronics, I am probably more demanding and needy than most riders. I was using a Garmin 810 with Bluetooth so it could communicate with my Android smartphone and broadcast my route and position nearly real time every day. My wife and brother knew where I was at all times. My phone could also be a wifi hotspot, so I always had wifi capability. My 'computer' was an iPad. At the end of the day I could upload and post my route on FB, I could download, edit and post my pictures on FB. I could do a bit of email. I could arrange my lodging for the next night. And if I had time, I could update my blog. Also, in the event of a long ride when my phone might have a low battery and I needed the phone email and navigation app to direct me to my lodging, I had a rechargeable 10,000 maH Anker battery.

And lastly, my camera. My camera is a small form factor Panasonic Lumix TS-4, that replaced my old TS-1 that I lost overboard on a white water rafting trip in Costa Rica. The TS series is waterproof to 10 meters, and I used to snorkel with my TS-1 many times. I even lost the TS-1 on a reef in Belize overnight one time, and my boys and I found it the next day, and it continued to work even though it had overnighted through two tidal changes in salt water. So I swear by the Lumix TS series. Rain will not affect it at all. And it is also shock resistant. And last of all, and most important, it takes very reasonable pictures for a trip like this.

I think that is all me gear comments. If you have a question, or want to join me on a trip, send me a comment.

What!? The End?

So today was my last day of riding on this wonderful journey. Tomorrow I don't get up and pack the bike, air the tires and roll out, and I already kind of miss it. Was it worth it? Heck, yeah! Would it have been better with someone along to share the experience? Yes, it would have better to share it with someone. but I am so glad I did it anyway, even by myself. It was definitely worth it and I am so glad I did not postpone the trip. There are some advantages being alone. I can stop any time I want and shoot a picture and I shoot eighty to a hundred pictures each day. It was a tremendous experience. It was fun, it was a challenge, it was an accomplishment, and it was so beautiful so much of the time. 

So, what did I learn? What did I observe? Now that I have done the west coast and part of the east coast, how would I compare each coast? I, of course, learned that I am independent and self sufficient enough to accomplish a challenge like this by myself. I acknowledge and am thankful that God has blessed me with health, strength and stamina enough to do this at my elderly age :-)  I also found out that I am a bit more social than I thought. When Jim, Bill and I did the west coast, with Dennie and her mom driving SAG (support and gear in the car), we saw a number of other cyclists doing the west coast also. I expected to see the same number on the east coast. But that was not the case. In the little over the three weeks I was cycling from Maine to Philadelphia, I saw two other couples and two other singles touring. I chatted with three of them and one of the singles went zooming by, going north, and never even slowed down. So, I thought there was a possibility I would occasionally ride with other touring cyclists and that never came close to happening. So occasionally, when I was not pedaling, I would get a bit lonely. I really appreciated it when Tony and Barbara, friends from Albuquerque visiting New York/New Jersey, found me en route and took me out to dinner. I also used to find it a bit awkward to go into a restaurant and have a meal by myself. That is no longer a problem. I just walk in, smile at the hostess and say, "One for dinner, thank you".

Somewhat related to being alone on the road, I very much appreciated being connected to my virtual and global circle of friends all over the USA, in Belize, in Malaysia, in the Philippines, in Guatemala, in the UK, in Switzerland, and in Georgia. Oh, I guess Georgia is part of the USA. I really enjoyed what I was getting to see and experience. I would take a picture and sometimes only roll forty feet and stop again because I like the angle better. I could take a hundred pictures in a day, but I would limit my self to only posting about sixteen of them in FaceBook or my blog. And I very, very much appreciated the likes and comments I received. It was fun having everyone along with me on the ride. Your comments were my company while I was in my room by myself at night.

Another big learning was lodging. Maybe lodging was easier on the west coast because we had a car, but I don't think that was it. We always seemed to be able to pick a target destination and there was always reasonable lodging (with the exception of Big Sur) at that target destination. On this trip, once I got out of Maine, lodging was always a problem. It either did not exist or the cost was prohibitive. My next days riding distance was not a function of how far I wanted to ride, it was usually a function of where I could find a room. So sometimes I found myself riding sixty, or once even seventy miles, when I would have been happy to ride forty. Also, staying in a motel every night and not splitting the costs gets very expensive. So now I am beginning to wonder if camping could be an option. It is much easier to find a place to pitch a tent than find an affordable room. Prior to this trip I had convinced myself that I could not recover enough for the next days ride by sleeping on the ground, plus the penalty of extra weight, but now I am reconsidering. I tried warmshowers.com once, unsuccessfully, and did not try again.

What are some of my observations? These are general observations with exceptions, but I observed that SUV's and compacts usually went over the yellow line and gave me a lot of room when they passed me from behind. Also, four out five large trucks and eighteen wheelers would go over the middle line and give me a lot of room when they passed, but that fifth one that passed me close made me forget the other four. Pickup trucks going or returning from a job site, especially if they had ladders on a roof rack, seemed to always pass me close; maybe it was envy. The distance a large sedan passed me seemed to be inversely proportional to the the age of the driver unless the first digit in their age was a '1'. There was no predicting how close a minivan would pass be. That might have been a function of what was going on inside the minivan and what mom might have been dealing with.

Also, in one of my blogs, when I crossed the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, I wrote about my pretty poor opinion of Massachusetts drivers. I need to correct that observation. The drivers on Highway 3A at 4PM are terrible. The rest of my experience with Massachusetts drivers was pretty good, sometimes even exceptional.

I observed the predominant road kill in Maine was porcupine. In New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut it was opossum. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania it was squirrel. I did not see enough road kill in Rhode Island to make a statistical observation. Just in case you wanted to know.

I learned that riding shorts are much better than bibs when you need to make a quick roadside stop. Also, I brought three riding changes but was able to manage my washes such that I only used two. I also brought protein powder for a recovery drink after my ride and only used it twice; that was unnecessary weight. 

Today I learned that I can ride in sustained rain. Two days ago I learned I cannot ride in a severe deluge. The pictures in this blog are from today's rain ride.

My next blog will probably be about my gear, most of which I was very happy about.

My Rain Insurance Expired After 14 Days, and How!!

Yesterday, Monday, my ride was to be from Matamoros, PA to East Stroudsburg, PA. It was supposed to be almost 45 miles with some weather alerts. It was supposed to rain around 10AM and then at 2PM there were severe thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast at my destination. Given it was only 45 miles, I was sure I could beat the storm. So, I got up at 6AM, an hour earlier than normal, had a big breakfast, packed everything, loaded up the bike, aired the tires and was rolling a little before 8AM. A few miles down the road, I crossed over the Delaware River, and I was in New Jersey, another state to add to my collection of states on this tour. Almost immediately after entering New Jersey, I was routed into the Delaware Water Gap National Park. It was a beautiful national park, and I seemed to have it to myself. Maybe I had it to myself because the national parks are closed right now, but there was no one around to tell me that. When the road, more like a lane, was close to the Delaware river, it was a few minor climbs and descents. But occasionally it would cut away from the river, and always up a steep hill. But it was usually a very pretty, very steep hill. I confess I did not enjoy the scenery nor did I take pictures while I was climbing. Almost exactly at 10AM, the rain started. I guess the rain insurance I bought in Freeport, Maine at LL Beans, expired after 14 days. So I put my rain gear on and rode in the rain. It was not too bad and after about 45 minutes, the rain tailed off. I was pretty impressed that the weather forecast said rain at 10AM, and it rained at 10AM. 

After the rain, I started getting 'Tornado Watch' alerts on my Garmin. I was not aware there were ever tornados in this part of the US. Maybe I was getting alerts from the 505 because that was how my Garmin was set up. Not much I could do anyway, I needed to keep on riding ... and keep on taking pictures. I figured out that taking pictures can add about two hours to my ride. If someone else was riding with me, I don't think they would put up with all my photo stops. So, the road I was on cut back away from the Delaware again, and was actually on the park boundary for a number of miles. Then when it cut back in, there was a park gate, and there was a park ranger in a vehicle blocking the gate. And the ranger called me over to his vehicle and proceeded to let me know the park was closed, and by the way, "there is a tornado watch in effect". I told him I knew about the tornado watch, but I had no alternatives. "I am riding from Bar Harbor, Maine to Philadelphia and my route goes right through this park and I have no alternative route, and I need to get to East Stroudburg to beat the storm that was coming in". He let me know there was an alternative route, but it was much longer. In the end, he let me proceed. He was dealing with a Vietnam veteran, and although we are not as revered as the WW2 veterans that stormed the monument in DC that was shut down, we might be bit crazier, so maybe that is why he let me go through. It was beautiful. I had more than fifteen more miles of the park (the park is 40 miles long) absolutely to myself. And, of course, I shot more pictures, because I would get in to East Stroudburg just at 2PM. 

At 1:30 it happened! I was nearing the southern end of the park and the heavens opened up. Monsoon, deluge, torrents; pick your word. I got my rain pants on again (I was already wearing my rain jacket) and I started looking for cover. After exiting the park, the road I was on crossed under Interstate 80 and I took refuge under the overpass. I was having trouble getting my phone working because my fingers were wet and the touch screen was not responding. Dennie had just texted me about a computer problem she needed my help with. I was kind of in survival mode. I got fingers dry and my touch screen dry and replied, "can't help now, I'm dealing with MAJOR rain". I was on the New Jersey side and I had to get over to the Pennsylvania side where my lodging was and the only bridge was the I80 bridge. About this time, a hatchback with three ladies stops and wanted to know if I was OK. They are in a little car with no room for my bike, so I have no alternative but to be OK. "Yes, I am OK". I am just your normal lunatic,riding a bike in a deluge, trying to figure out how to get across this river on I80 and find lodging. I started riding again looking for an on ramp but I only saw the off ramp that I passed just before taking shelter under the over pass. After riding a mile on the frontage road, looking for an on ramp, I turned around and decided I would have to go up the off ramp against traffic, walking my bike, to get on I80 and across the river. Then, after I made my U turn, I spotted a cement pedestrian path going up to I80, it was so small, it was not  visible when I was riding in the other direction in the rain. So I took the path and found it to be safely separated from traffic by a concrete fence. I crossed over the Delaware on I80 in a deluge. My brother, in Philadelphia, is watching my real time route broadcast by my Garmin, and he is saying, "OMG, he's on I80! This is not good!" He was not aware of the pedestrian ramp. Once I am on the other side of the Delaware, I do not care where I have reservations. I just want the closest lodging. So I find a porch to get under and I use my Local app on my phone to find closest lodging. It turns out to be a Hampton Inn 3.7 miles away (with a 2 mile 8% hill included, I was to find out) in Stroudburg. The heck with East Stroudburg reservations, I headed for the Hampton. Less than 45 minutes later, was checked in and standing in a hot shower. And everyone lived happily ever after. And if you are ever in Stroudburg, PA, the Sarah Street Bar and Grill is a fantastic place to have dinner. And the Hampton has a laundry facility, so I was able to dry everything out. Today was a dry, sunny ride.

The day before my Ride of Rain, was supposed to be a rest day. I found the motel, checked in for two nights. But during the first night, the entire water system failed in the motel. I "knew" I was going to be there for two nights, so I washed everything and had it laying out around my room for a two night dry. Next morning I got up and went down for breakfast. The juice machine was not working and they only had decaf coffee, barely warm decaf coffee (probably because it was left over from the previous day). I asked for regular coffee and was told they could not make any. Huh? Then I found out from a guest all the water is off. Hmmm, that means that flush was the last flush for my bathroom until the water comes back on and not one of the hotel staff could estimate when it would come back on. Finally, at 2PM, I could wait no longer. I made reservations in the next town, and got a credit for the night I was not staying in my present location. Then I packed, loaded the bike and pedaled to the next town, unpacked and settled in again. That was my rest day and that was not much of a rest day.  There's one huge bright spot though. Tony and Barbara, friends from New Mexico, were  visiting in the NJ/NY area. And they found out where I was staying, and then where I moved to, and they came all the way out to Matamoros, Pennsylvania, and took me to dinner. I am not sure how much they knew I needed that. And at the end of the evening, I tried to convey to Tony how much their little visit meant, and he said, "You have been out here a long time by yourself. And I know you can make friends easily, but I figured you might be getting lonely". He and Barbara came by just at the right time. Thanks Tony and Barbara!

Hit Start and Repeat

Writer's cramp? I don't know. I see it has been a week since I blogged. Today is a rest day, so I am going to try to muse a bit about the trip. I have developed a few routines. In the mornings I check the weather on Accuweather. Do I need to prepare for rain and bag everything, or does it look dry? Then I get dressed and hope what I washed in the shower the night before is dry. Sometimes I use the hair dryer to finish the drying. Then I get dressed for my ride and pack my panniers. Electronics, chargers, vitamins, tubes, miscellaneous in one pannier and my riding clothes and T-shirts in the other pannier. My Levi's, sweater, tools and a few other things in my trunk bag. My rain gear and maps in the frame bag. Then I look around my room to see what is still out and what I might have missed. That has not been totally successful. I am missing one charger and a camera battery, which means I have to charge my one remaking camera battery every night and be strategic charging my phone and my remote charger; no problem. And now I refill my water bottles and usually remember to pump the tires up, or many times I remember to air the tires a few miles down the road. I am not sure why I have not got the tire part consistent every morning. Then, if the motel I am staying at has a complimentary breakfast, I take advantage of that feature ... or not. The quality can vary widely. My experience has been the Days Inn have the worst breakfasts, and bed and breakfast inns have the best, of course. If my lodging does not have a complimentary breakfast, then I get on the bike and look for a diner that has a table near a window where I can keep an eye on the bike while I eat.

After the engine is fueled, it is time to get back on route. If my lodging is on or near the route, that is easy. But sometimes I have cycled almost ten miles off route to find lodging, and in the morning I need to find the best route back to the Adventure Cycling route. While I am getting back on route, I am also looking for a service station with a convenience store where I can get a Gatorade, a Payday candy bar, and a couple of packs of peanut butter and crackers. These are my electrolyte, energy boost pops for the day. Now I am rolling. My Garmin GPS has my route marked, so I can always tell if I am on route. But periodically, I have to stop and pull out the maps so I can get a bigger picture of where I am and what is ahead. If I have a long day planned, I tell myself I have to not stop all the time and shoot pictures or it will be dark by the time I get to my destination, but that never works. If I see a potential picture, the other little voice in my head says, "You will never see that view again. Put on the brakes", and I stop, over and over again. Taking pictures can add two hours to a ride some days. 

Once I start getting close to my end of day destination, I pull out my phone, check my email and get the address of the inn or motel I will be staying at. I Google map the address, and then use my navigation app with voice directions to guide me to the motel or inn. On a long day, my phone could be running out of battery, so I will pull out my remote charger (a small 12,000 ma rechargeable battery) and keep a charge on the phone while it directs me to where I will be staying.

Once I get to my destination, check in and get to my room, I start charging my accessories, my remote charger, my phone, my GPS, my camera and my iPad. The first communication I do is text Dennie and my brother and let them know I am in my room. Then I download my days route to the Garmin site and upload that to FaceBook. Next I take my SD chip from my camera and download my pictures for the day to my iPad. Then it is time to get out of my bike clothes and take a shower. I take my bike clothes with me into the shower and do a hand wash. Finish my shower and wash, hang up my laundry, and get dressed for dinner. I take my iPad with me, go down to the front desk, and inquire where I can walk for dinner. While I am at dinner, I review the days pictures and select the ones I am going to post to FaceBook. I limit myself to posting 16 or less pictures otherwise I could be posting 50 pictures of the same thing ... boring. And when I shoot a 100 pictures in a day, but only post 16, people think I am a good photographer. They don't see the bad stuff.

After dinner, I finish editing, titling and posting days pictures on Facebook.  Usually by this time, it is late enough and I am tired enough, that I don't blog. I take a couple of Tylenol PM and hit the pillow. Today is a rest day in Port Jervis, NY, so I have time to blog. Next morning I get up and repeat the routine.

Lodging Is Dictating This Trip!

I am very positive on the Adventure Cycling routes, but there is a downside to pretty little back roads. Pretty little back roads do not have motels or inns. Little towns usually don't even have a gas station or a market, much less a motel or inn. The nearest hotel to Exeter, almost on my route, was a metric century away from Exeter (62 miles) and 4 miles off of my route. Tonight I am staying in Uxbridge, MA, which is 10 miles off of the route. Tomorrow I pedal to East Windsor, which means I will be pedaling 65 miles, my longest day so far. And Connecticut is supposed to be very hilly, so it might be the most climbing, also. I plan on leaving early and going slow.

     Bill and Mary Hunt, Stow, MA. My marvelous hosts.

 

Last night I had the pleasure of staying with Bill and Mary Hunt in Stow, MA. Mary saw me assembling my bike on the porch of the inn where I was staying and came over and talked to me. Then she called Bill over and we all talked some. They were both finished with a one week canoe trip in Maine and they were both cyclists. They were very interested in my trip and they took my card with my blog address and said when I got down near Boston, I should stay with them. I was honored and pleased at the invitation, but these things usually don't work out. And I being on a bike, I am not that mobile. But, they kept their end of the deal and followed my blog. And when they saw I was getting close, they once again invited me and gave me a back road biking route to their house. And it really was not that far off route. So last night I stayed with Bill and Mary at their home. And we had a great time visiting. And because I preferred to visit, I did not blog yesterday. My FaceBook followers saw my pictures and my day's ride, but no blog.

Technology is wonderful. I have my routes on my Garmin 810. It communicates by Bluetooth to my phone which is transmitting my route nearly real time to nine people that are following me. My brother in Philadelphia is very diligent and attentive to my progress. And if he sees I have been delayed for a long time in one spot, he texts me to make sure everything is alright. Bill and Mary had a Massachusetts bike map with bike friendly roads highlighted. So I took a picture of some of the areas I would be in, and recalled the picture and enlarged the area where I might be looking for a road. Also, now that many times my lodging is off the route, sometimes ten miles off route in a place I am not familiar with, I need a way to find the place. So when I make my reservations, I email myself the address, so I can find it quickly. Then the next day, when I get within 10-15 miles of my destination, I bring up the email. Then I click on the address and Google Map comes up showing where it is, which by itself is not all that helpful. But my Android Google Phone has a Navigation app, with voice navigation and options for bus, car, bike or walking routing. So I choose the bike route option and my phone is soon telling me, "Turn left on Bolton Road in 400 feet." A huge time saver and frustration reducer.

I hope my 65 miler goes well tomorrow.

No Worry! Be Happy!

Last night I lodged in Exeter and the closest lodging I could find on the route was more than 60 miles away. Oh no! That meant I was going to have to pedal a Metric Century. My plan was to get up early and go slow, but then I remembered, I only was carrying two tubes. Yesterday I said I had a blowout. Well, I was not entirely forthcoming about that event. I ran over road debris, flatted and replaced that tube and proceeded on my way. BAM!! About 200 yards down the road, the same tire had a blowout. That has never happened to me before. Someone more experienced than me can tell me what I might have done or was it just a faulty tube? Anyway, that was half my inventory in tubes, and I did not want to be carrying just two tubes. So I had to wait until Exeter Cycles opened up (a very, very nice bike shop, by the way) so I could double my tube inventory and commence my Metric Century. So I got out later than I planned. I also was going to focus on my ride, so I was not going to take any pictures today. That probably lasted about three miles when I stopped and took my first picture. It turns out, even though it was the most climbing I had done in a day and it was the furthest I cycled in a day on this trip, physically it was not as difficult as I expected. After the ride was over, I felt pretty good, not exhausted. I am either getting more fit, or I am leaving stuff in the room and getting lighter.

Physically the ride was great. Mentally was a different deal. On the downside, I was on a lot of roads that were narrow and busy. Today was my most uncomfortable traffic day. I was often passed close and passed fast. In Maine, on a narrow road, traffic would usually wait if there was oncoming traffic and then cross over the middle line and give me wide berth when they passed. Today there was very little waiting in NH and MA, they passed me close and fast when there was oncoming traffic, on narrow roads without shoulders. And some drivers would pass me close and fast even when there was not oncoming traffic. Why!? At Groton, I was routed onto a bike path and I found it to be a calming way to end a days ride. I needed it.

Some of the ride was back roads, with very little traffic. I am on those roads, by myself, with no one to talk to and my mind wanders. I mean it really wanders. For instance, I see a 'For Sale' sign on a very nice property, kind of like a well kept ranch, and right above the sign it says 'Horse Property'. And I wonder, could horses own this property?

"Hay! Wanna be our 'neigh'bors? Whinny gonna come by and visit us? Well, it's been nice, but we hoove to go now."

Or there was another property being sold by a realtor named Mary Toothaker. And I thought Mary was probably an up and coming dentist with a growing list of clientele, until she got married to Mark Toothaker and changed her last name to his. And not too much later, she had to get into real estate.

That's how my crazy head works when I am out on the road by my self. 

Tomorrow evening will be special, though. I met a couple in Bar Harbor who are involved in biking and were very interested in my ride. They said they lived near Boston and I should visit when I come through. People say these things and we smile, shake hands and say good bye, and nothing comes of it. But Mary and Bill have been reading my blog, and when they saw I am nearing Boston, they emailed me to see if it would be possible if I could visit, how cool. It turns out they are just six miles off route, and they said they had a dinner, a bed and a washing machine waiting for me. So tomorrow I plan on staying with Mary and Bill in Stow, MA. I am honored and humbled to be invited to share their home.

       Every day, more and more fall colors.

       Typical trafficked road today, no shoulder.

        Typical untrafficked road today. Green and peaceful.

       My favorite water picture today.

       My last five miles today were on a bike trail. Calming, I needed it.

       This is what my dashboard looks like. You can see I am heading south.

Done with Maine and now in New Hampshire

This is probably going to be a short blog because I have to do Metric Century tomorrow through hills. For the non bike riders, a Metric Century is 62 miles. So I am going to start early, which means I will retire early tonight. I love the roads that Adventure Cycling routes me on. But the downside of riding on back roads is sometimes lodging can be very difficult to find. Last night I spent two hours trying to find lodging for the next two nights. I ended up staying at an expensive Hampton Inn in Exeter. Breakfast is provided, so I plan on eating enough for all my meals tomorrow. But even more problematic, the closest lodging I could find after Exeter was a distant 62 miles away. This reminds me; I have 8 people following me on Garmin Live Activity. They are following my route as I am riding it. My brother and Dennie are very attentive and if they see me stopped too long, they start texting me to see if I am OK. So, if you would like real time progress, send me an email to Marvinlgibson@gmail.com and you will get real time stats.

I decided yesterday was going to be a tourist day for me. My hotel was so inexpensive that I could afford to spend two nights. Sebago Lake was a rest day, different than a tourist day. Yesterday I rode 45 miles on my bike doing sightseeing in the southern coast of Maine, not a rest day. But I was not able to blog about it because it took me two stinking hours to make my reservations for the next two nights, but that is minor. In the bigger picture, I have been blessed with health and time that has permitted me to experience and enjoy this trip. And I should not say this, it is like talking about a no-hitter during the game, I have been blessed with some pretty fantastic weather. Yesterday was a bit overcast, but I still had a great time touring York, Ogunquit and Wells Beach.

Today I did forty miles from Wells, ME to Exeter, NH. I went through one of the most populated areas I have been through so far, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. And I managed to hit some road debris and had a blowout. It turns out that I was fixing my flat in front of another cyclists house and he came out, talked to me and let me use his floor pump so I would not have to pump my tire up with my little frame pump. That saved me a lot of time. He was very envious of my adventure. I also ran into a very genuine touring couple and we did a few miles together. They had started in Fort Myers, FL and biked to Nova Scotia, and were on their way back home to Boston. They camped and he was carrying 80 pounds of gear on his 30 pound Surly, and she was hauling 60 pounds. Of course they were younger than I am. He was 64 and she was 62. I am only carrying about 35 pounds, because I am not hauling camping equipment. Other than the flat, today was a great day. Beautiful weather, scenery, and a tailwind to boot.

Now time to go to bed and rest up for my Metric Century tomorrow.

       Very old Baptist church, 1747

      He is hauling 80 pounds of gear

     Trouble in Portsmouth, NH

        One of today's many water pictures

       Exeter Town Hall

       End of the day photo