Day 07 (03 June 2014)
Middlebury, VT
Stopped at some of the shops in town and did laundry, got groceries and finally got caught up with some cleaning of gear and writing in my journal (now I just need to type them and upload them online). Tomorrow we continue on and enter our third state ... New York.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Middlebury, VT
Day 06 (02 June 2014)
Thetford, VT to Middlebury, VT
Day: 69.94 miles, Trip: 404.99 miles
Not only did the town of Thetford, VT provide us a place to camp and a wonderful dinner but they had stuff for us to have for breakfast. As much as we said this at the time, we were all very grateful.
After breakfast I hit the road. The route started by turning onto "Tucker Hill Road". I really don't like when roads with the word "hill" in them, especially first thing in the morning. Sure enough this one was quite steep but this was nothing compared to the climb we had later to South Stafford. At least the larger climb was followed with a great downhill for a reward. We always say the reward makes the climb worth it, but some of the downhills are pretty weak and not worth it at all.
We took our first rest stop in Royalton, VT. June is here and the days are getting hot. I started riding out with Bethany towards Bethel but as usual I couldn't keep up. The climbing rolled on until the second rest stop even though the climbing really hadn't even started yet for the day. We stopped again in Rochester, VT for a second rest break and had lunch in a great little cafe. I downed the food quickly it was delicious. Then the climbing began. It took me awhile to get to the top of Middlebury Gap (Bread Loaf). It got very steep in sections (up to 15% grade) and I thought I would never get to the top. What really helped were the King of Climb markers with distance to the summit so I knew I was getting there. We were suppose to have a rest stop at the top but when I got there, the trailer was no where to be seen. So I figured I was just that far behind. I was wrong, as I was flying down the hill I came across the trailer and slammed on the brakes and I really didn't think I was going to be able to stop. I did and they had some popsicle for us. The rest of the decent was also extremely fun. I am limited on my speed do to my beastly tires but I still manage to get 45 mph on these tires.
Unfortunately though, we were expecting downhill all the way to town and this was not the case. We headed downhill until outside of East Middlebury and then it was more or less flat. We arrived in Middlebury, VT (population 8,250) Home of Middlebury College (but all the students are gone) so its pretty quiet here. We are staying the night St. Stephens Catholic Church for both tonight and tomorrows rest day.
A Sad note of Middlbury is that we lost two of our riders today. Both Molly and Chris have to return home to the real world. They will both be missed by us all.
On our way to dinner we were heading to a tavern and started crossing the street and a police office came pulling up and yelled at us and made us walk the rest of the way down the block to cross at the cross section. Either they take jaywalking seriously here or more likely the cops are really bored with college being out of session.
Thetford, VT to Middlebury, VT
Day: 69.94 miles, Trip: 404.99 miles
Not only did the town of Thetford, VT provide us a place to camp and a wonderful dinner but they had stuff for us to have for breakfast. As much as we said this at the time, we were all very grateful.
After breakfast I hit the road. The route started by turning onto "Tucker Hill Road". I really don't like when roads with the word "hill" in them, especially first thing in the morning. Sure enough this one was quite steep but this was nothing compared to the climb we had later to South Stafford. At least the larger climb was followed with a great downhill for a reward. We always say the reward makes the climb worth it, but some of the downhills are pretty weak and not worth it at all.
We took our first rest stop in Royalton, VT. June is here and the days are getting hot. I started riding out with Bethany towards Bethel but as usual I couldn't keep up. The climbing rolled on until the second rest stop even though the climbing really hadn't even started yet for the day. We stopped again in Rochester, VT for a second rest break and had lunch in a great little cafe. I downed the food quickly it was delicious. Then the climbing began. It took me awhile to get to the top of Middlebury Gap (Bread Loaf). It got very steep in sections (up to 15% grade) and I thought I would never get to the top. What really helped were the King of Climb markers with distance to the summit so I knew I was getting there. We were suppose to have a rest stop at the top but when I got there, the trailer was no where to be seen. So I figured I was just that far behind. I was wrong, as I was flying down the hill I came across the trailer and slammed on the brakes and I really didn't think I was going to be able to stop. I did and they had some popsicle for us. The rest of the decent was also extremely fun. I am limited on my speed do to my beastly tires but I still manage to get 45 mph on these tires.
Unfortunately though, we were expecting downhill all the way to town and this was not the case. We headed downhill until outside of East Middlebury and then it was more or less flat. We arrived in Middlebury, VT (population 8,250) Home of Middlebury College (but all the students are gone) so its pretty quiet here. We are staying the night St. Stephens Catholic Church for both tonight and tomorrows rest day.
A Sad note of Middlbury is that we lost two of our riders today. Both Molly and Chris have to return home to the real world. They will both be missed by us all.
On our way to dinner we were heading to a tavern and started crossing the street and a police office came pulling up and yelled at us and made us walk the rest of the way down the block to cross at the cross section. Either they take jaywalking seriously here or more likely the cops are really bored with college being out of session.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Thetford, VT
Day 05 (01 June 2014)
Jigger Johnson Campground, NH - Thetford, VT
Day: 75.60 miles, Trip: 335.05 miles
The route leaders prepared some breakfast in the morning. It is actually a chilly morning but it warmed up quick as we climbed Kancamagus. As mentioned this section was much steeper than yesterday. I quickly dropped back to the back of the pack and just spun up it. At the top there was a rest stop / check to make sure everybody survived the first big climb of the trip. This was followed by the reward of the climb.
The decent down to Lincoln, NH was a lot of fun. However, this was followed by a beastly climb out of North Woodstock, NH that has several false summits and seemed to be going on forever. There were points of the climb that were hitting grades of 13%. These grades and false tops were given some very choice words as I was riding that won't be repeated. Most people stopped for lunch in town and I just stopped and grabbed a bagel before pushing on. I finally reached the top for the next rest stop. The rest stop was next to a beautiful pond and I was actually early on in the group. I was exhausted but at least we got another fun downhill as a reward. In Piermont, NH I had some ice cream but decided not to hang out and instead pushed on.
The Ride after the last rest stop was really enjoyable but I was getting tired. I reached East Thetford where we were suppose to be staying but nobody was there. I tried texting people to find out where were were staying and road around the tiny town but nobody replied or came. So I enjoyed a cold drink from the convenience shop and waited. Eventually the group caught up and I found out that we were Staying in Thetford not East Thetford (whoops they posted the wrong town). This meant doing a pretty large climb to town.
When we arrived in Thetford there was a welcome party there for us cheering and clapping and they gave us cold, wet towels to wipe the sweat and grime off. They ushered us into the community center and provided us with a pot luck dinner which was absolutely amazing. People from the community took us home and allowed us to use their showers and a few people helped us do laundry. I didn't get much in the pile so will have to wait and do mine in Middlebury, VT. The support was organized by Meg who has MS and she shared a little with us about her experiences with MS.
Tonight we are camping next to the community center in Thetford, VT (population 2600). A few of us were in the community center working on journals or just talking. It is well past bedtime and we are all tired. Eric added a GoPro to his bike and it stuck up between his inverted drop bars. It looked a bit ridiculous and he said to call it Unicorn or Uni for short. So from this point on Eric's bike shall be known as Uni.
Jigger Johnson Campground, NH - Thetford, VT
Day: 75.60 miles, Trip: 335.05 miles
The route leaders prepared some breakfast in the morning. It is actually a chilly morning but it warmed up quick as we climbed Kancamagus. As mentioned this section was much steeper than yesterday. I quickly dropped back to the back of the pack and just spun up it. At the top there was a rest stop / check to make sure everybody survived the first big climb of the trip. This was followed by the reward of the climb.
The decent down to Lincoln, NH was a lot of fun. However, this was followed by a beastly climb out of North Woodstock, NH that has several false summits and seemed to be going on forever. There were points of the climb that were hitting grades of 13%. These grades and false tops were given some very choice words as I was riding that won't be repeated. Most people stopped for lunch in town and I just stopped and grabbed a bagel before pushing on. I finally reached the top for the next rest stop. The rest stop was next to a beautiful pond and I was actually early on in the group. I was exhausted but at least we got another fun downhill as a reward. In Piermont, NH I had some ice cream but decided not to hang out and instead pushed on.
The Ride after the last rest stop was really enjoyable but I was getting tired. I reached East Thetford where we were suppose to be staying but nobody was there. I tried texting people to find out where were were staying and road around the tiny town but nobody replied or came. So I enjoyed a cold drink from the convenience shop and waited. Eventually the group caught up and I found out that we were Staying in Thetford not East Thetford (whoops they posted the wrong town). This meant doing a pretty large climb to town.
Tonight we are camping next to the community center in Thetford, VT (population 2600). A few of us were in the community center working on journals or just talking. It is well past bedtime and we are all tired. Eric added a GoPro to his bike and it stuck up between his inverted drop bars. It looked a bit ridiculous and he said to call it Unicorn or Uni for short. So from this point on Eric's bike shall be known as Uni.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Jigger Johnson Campground
Day 04 (31 May 2014)
Naples, ME to Jigger Johnson Campground, NH
Day: 54.77 miles, Trip: 259.45 miles
My brakes are squeaking and I really didn't feel comfortable going down any steep grades. I remembered a bike shop a ways back in Naples and decided to head a couple miles back and see if they could help me out. Unfortunately the shop didn't open until 10:00 am which would put me WAY behind my group, I decided to wait anyway since it was only about an hour. At 9:30 the owner came up and said he had to run to town and he would try and make it back by 10:00. He didn't get back until 10:30. I almost left but waited this long what is another 15 minutes right.
He set me up with some new brakes and I bought a new seat bag to get some of the weight out of my handle bar bag. He also gave my bike a tune up and got me back on the road giving me some good route advice so that I could catch up with the rest of the group. It was after 11:00 am before I reached the campground again and got back on the road towards Jigger Johnson Campground. I took a shortcut to cut out some distance and just stuck to the highway which has a nice shoulder instead of the longer route. Between Fryburg, ME and Conway, NH we crossed the border and I entered our second state. I finally caught up with the group at that last rest stop in Conway, NH.
From the rest stop it was a beautiful climb up to Jigger Johnson Campground. The campground is half way up the climb of Mount Kancamagus. It is a forest service campground. I set up my tent but we were told by the people running the campground that we had to move a few of our tents off the grass and onto the gravel. I really liked my spot but just moved it anyway. After dinner I called it a night. Tomorrow we get to climb the steep part of Kancamagus.
Naples, ME to Jigger Johnson Campground, NH
Day: 54.77 miles, Trip: 259.45 miles
My brakes are squeaking and I really didn't feel comfortable going down any steep grades. I remembered a bike shop a ways back in Naples and decided to head a couple miles back and see if they could help me out. Unfortunately the shop didn't open until 10:00 am which would put me WAY behind my group, I decided to wait anyway since it was only about an hour. At 9:30 the owner came up and said he had to run to town and he would try and make it back by 10:00. He didn't get back until 10:30. I almost left but waited this long what is another 15 minutes right.
He set me up with some new brakes and I bought a new seat bag to get some of the weight out of my handle bar bag. He also gave my bike a tune up and got me back on the road giving me some good route advice so that I could catch up with the rest of the group. It was after 11:00 am before I reached the campground again and got back on the road towards Jigger Johnson Campground. I took a shortcut to cut out some distance and just stuck to the highway which has a nice shoulder instead of the longer route. Between Fryburg, ME and Conway, NH we crossed the border and I entered our second state. I finally caught up with the group at that last rest stop in Conway, NH.
From the rest stop it was a beautiful climb up to Jigger Johnson Campground. The campground is half way up the climb of Mount Kancamagus. It is a forest service campground. I set up my tent but we were told by the people running the campground that we had to move a few of our tents off the grass and onto the gravel. I really liked my spot but just moved it anyway. After dinner I called it a night. Tomorrow we get to climb the steep part of Kancamagus.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Naples, ME
Day 03 (30 May 2014)
Damariscotta, ME to Naples, ME
Day: 84.7 miles, Trip: 204.68 miles
I started looking for some new tires today. The beasts (Schwalbe Marathon Mondials) are too big and provide too much resistance compared to the light road bikes I am riding with. I am not going to just buy any lighter tire, but if I can find a good touring tire lighter than these I am going to get them. I can't really complain about these tires except for that they aren't good for keeping up with lighter road bikes, I have really only had 1 flat tire in over 3000 miles riding them and the same tubes in them. So far I have been striking out, a couple years ago people recommended 26 inch wheels and in my frame size my Surly only had the option of 26 inch wheels but not all the shops mostly carry 26 inch mountain bike tires and 700c road tires.
Like the rest of Maine we are moving up and down along rollers most of the day. I arrived in Brunswick, ME at the first rest stop and got to stop into Walmart for some supplies that I needed. I stopped into town at the bike shop in town but wasn't really thrilled with the service or advice I received from there. I realized I still haven't changed my brakes like I planned so that is on my list as well. I am sure I can find a decent bike shop along the way to get all this stuff fixed.
From Brunswick we cruised along to Shaker Village, ME for the second stop where it began to rain and again I was running behind the group. We were hoping for a quick rain but it decided it had a lot to dump on us. The road from Shaker Village to Naples, ME was via route 11. This road was in horrible condition full of deep pot holes and was more rubble than road. Add rush hour traffic (as rush hour as you get out here) and rain and it was not a pretty picture. Out of the 3000+ miles that I put on my bike this was some of the most sketchy riding.
I stopped in Naples, ME (population 3,270) with Michelle, Molly and Sonja and had a hot sub from Subway to warm up and get out of the rain. By the time we finished dinner the rain had mostly stopped. From here it was a short ride to the campground. The route leaders had hot chocolate ready for us when we arrived. We set up our tents on soggy ground and called it a night, grateful that it has stopped raining.
Damariscotta, ME to Naples, ME
Day: 84.7 miles, Trip: 204.68 miles
I started looking for some new tires today. The beasts (Schwalbe Marathon Mondials) are too big and provide too much resistance compared to the light road bikes I am riding with. I am not going to just buy any lighter tire, but if I can find a good touring tire lighter than these I am going to get them. I can't really complain about these tires except for that they aren't good for keeping up with lighter road bikes, I have really only had 1 flat tire in over 3000 miles riding them and the same tubes in them. So far I have been striking out, a couple years ago people recommended 26 inch wheels and in my frame size my Surly only had the option of 26 inch wheels but not all the shops mostly carry 26 inch mountain bike tires and 700c road tires.
Like the rest of Maine we are moving up and down along rollers most of the day. I arrived in Brunswick, ME at the first rest stop and got to stop into Walmart for some supplies that I needed. I stopped into town at the bike shop in town but wasn't really thrilled with the service or advice I received from there. I realized I still haven't changed my brakes like I planned so that is on my list as well. I am sure I can find a decent bike shop along the way to get all this stuff fixed.
From Brunswick we cruised along to Shaker Village, ME for the second stop where it began to rain and again I was running behind the group. We were hoping for a quick rain but it decided it had a lot to dump on us. The road from Shaker Village to Naples, ME was via route 11. This road was in horrible condition full of deep pot holes and was more rubble than road. Add rush hour traffic (as rush hour as you get out here) and rain and it was not a pretty picture. Out of the 3000+ miles that I put on my bike this was some of the most sketchy riding.
I stopped in Naples, ME (population 3,270) with Michelle, Molly and Sonja and had a hot sub from Subway to warm up and get out of the rain. By the time we finished dinner the rain had mostly stopped. From here it was a short ride to the campground. The route leaders had hot chocolate ready for us when we arrived. We set up our tents on soggy ground and called it a night, grateful that it has stopped raining.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Damariscotta, ME
Day 02 (29 May 2014)
Belfast, ME to Damariscotta, ME
Day: 51.98 Miles, Trip: 118.98 miles
As before I was dropped as soon as there was anything to climb. The riding today was not bad and we had a rest stops in Camden, ME and Newcastle, ME. While in Camden I sorted through my cubby in the trailer and loaded a box with stuff that I could do without to send home. There were a few other things I wanted to include but I couldn't fit them into the box.
When I arrived into the town of Damariscotta (population 2,040) the traffic was heavy so I opted to take a paralleling quite street. This worked nice until it ended in constructions. I then looped around a few other streets to get back on track and arrived to the church in the middle of the pack. Tonight we are staying in the Damariscotta Baptist Church.
Still adjusting to being back on the road. I know it will take some time till I am in touring shape. Riding with a group, supported, is definitely different than solo, self contained touring. I will eventually do a summary of the differences and my view on them.
Belfast, ME to Damariscotta, ME
Day: 51.98 Miles, Trip: 118.98 miles
As before I was dropped as soon as there was anything to climb. The riding today was not bad and we had a rest stops in Camden, ME and Newcastle, ME. While in Camden I sorted through my cubby in the trailer and loaded a box with stuff that I could do without to send home. There were a few other things I wanted to include but I couldn't fit them into the box.
When I arrived into the town of Damariscotta (population 2,040) the traffic was heavy so I opted to take a paralleling quite street. This worked nice until it ended in constructions. I then looped around a few other streets to get back on track and arrived to the church in the middle of the pack. Tonight we are staying in the Damariscotta Baptist Church.
Still adjusting to being back on the road. I know it will take some time till I am in touring shape. Riding with a group, supported, is definitely different than solo, self contained touring. I will eventually do a summary of the differences and my view on them.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Ride Begins
Day 01 (28 May 2014)
Bar Harbor, ME to Belfast, ME
Day: 67 Miles, Trip: 67 Miles
The morning started out cold and wet. We are clearly going to need time to settle into efficiently use the trailer and get going in the mornings. We all met at the beach and dipped our rear tires into the water and posed for our first group photos in our jerseys.
Off we went, officially starting our journey towards the west coast. Right at the beginning we had a good climb. I dropped off the back at the very beginning. It became abundantly clear that I am out of shape and will be that guy. The one who didn't train and is constantly last to arrive. The group quickly divided into smaller groups based on ability.
We gathered at our first official rest stop in Ellsworth, ME. 22.5 miles down ... 4272.5 miles to go. We continued on and gathered again in Orland, ME another 24 miles further along. By this point my butt is starting to hurt. I am riding a newish Brooks B17 Imperial saddle and it is not broken in yet. I made the same mistake on my last tour, I guess sometimes you just don't learn.
We stopped for the night in Belfast, ME (population 6,380). We are staying in the city park. The area we are camping in is right along the water of Belfast Bay and there are bathrooms and showers available to us. It is a nice spot but the fish smell is a bit much for me, at least where we are camping it is not bad. I joined Bethany, Richard, Chris, Andy and Eric for dinner at a place called Laan Xang Cafe which had Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian dishes. My meal was actually quite delicious and I can hit the sack tired yet satisfied.
Ron Getting the first flat tire of the trip.
Bar Harbor, ME to Belfast, ME
Day: 67 Miles, Trip: 67 Miles
The morning started out cold and wet. We are clearly going to need time to settle into efficiently use the trailer and get going in the mornings. We all met at the beach and dipped our rear tires into the water and posed for our first group photos in our jerseys.
Off we went, officially starting our journey towards the west coast. Right at the beginning we had a good climb. I dropped off the back at the very beginning. It became abundantly clear that I am out of shape and will be that guy. The one who didn't train and is constantly last to arrive. The group quickly divided into smaller groups based on ability.
We gathered at our first official rest stop in Ellsworth, ME. 22.5 miles down ... 4272.5 miles to go. We continued on and gathered again in Orland, ME another 24 miles further along. By this point my butt is starting to hurt. I am riding a newish Brooks B17 Imperial saddle and it is not broken in yet. I made the same mistake on my last tour, I guess sometimes you just don't learn.
We stopped for the night in Belfast, ME (population 6,380). We are staying in the city park. The area we are camping in is right along the water of Belfast Bay and there are bathrooms and showers available to us. It is a nice spot but the fish smell is a bit much for me, at least where we are camping it is not bad. I joined Bethany, Richard, Chris, Andy and Eric for dinner at a place called Laan Xang Cafe which had Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian dishes. My meal was actually quite delicious and I can hit the sack tired yet satisfied.
Ron Getting the first flat tire of the trip.
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