That's How We Roll: 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.