Jul 11, 2020 - DayOff well spent!

Happy Saturday! I don't usually write on my days off, but just a quick note to say it was a beautiful, summer Maine beach day! Lots of heavy rain last night, but the storm we were trying to avoid obviously avoided us! The sun was shining, we walked to the Nubble Lighthouse. It was completed in 1897 and was operated by men and women until operation was turned over to the US Coast Guard in 1939, then automated in 1987. It is now in the hands of the Park Services here in York. So, interesting event today; just as we were leaving the area...

Jul 10, 2020 - A "Chick" Day

Ha!Ha! Its not what you think!! Read on . . . Now where were we last night?? Oh that's right, south Portland! It was an easy start to the day this morning, sometimes its hard to think back that far at the days end! We picked up the route right out the door so we didn't have to work hard to get back on track! It got even better as the route turned into a beautiful bicycle trail! Suprising lack of mosquitoes in this tunnel of trees and wetness,which made it very pleasant! How stunning would this maple tree lined bike route be in the height...

Jul 9, 2020 - What an awesome day!

Wow!! What a great day!! Guess the best place to start is at the beginning, right? Well, woke up this morning feeling sad and disappointed that we made the decision too early in the game to send the tents back, feeling it will really limit things now. Realized somewhere in my restless dreaming that perhaps I just had my expectations hung too heavily on our past experiences, and was wanting everythiing on this trip to be right where we left off the last trip. I felt this need to be loyal to the Adventure Cycling maps for some reason. We...

Jul 8, 2020 - Short and Easy

Hi Everyone! Thanks for checking in! After that AMAZING meal at Moodys Diner we slept very well and woke up early! On the road at 7:30 this morning which is a first for us this trip! Gray morning?? Of course! But dry, cool and actually quite perfect for riding! Knowing that the oppressive humidity is just waiting out there for us, you won't hear us complain! Can't say anything particularly exciting to report today, but i always believe be careful what you wish for! Rain is out there, and lots of it so we kept today short hoping to get...

Jul 7, 2020 - Oops! I did it already!!

I guess this is day 3 of actually moving down the road! All is going well! Gray morning, of course, but it didn't take long for the sun to shine thru! We kind of made wrong turns all day long, starting early this morning! We did manage to get ourselves over the foot bridge but perhaps turned too early because we thought we knew the way instead of literally following the map. But it was all good! From the hotel it was only 1 1/2 miles into town when a little cafe with tables on the sidewalk looked awfully tempting and so we stopped for...

Jul 6, 2020 - Great Day

Hi Everyone! Rather restless night, glad to not have been in a tent with all the dampness and humidity but it felt like we were sleeping on the ground! But we did sleep, and it appeared to have rained in the night so it was a much easier start to the day than if we had been in the tent! Maine gray morning! Cool but actually very comfortable riding! It is starting to feel like a routine on day 4. Things are finding their way back to the same place they were taken out of the pannier bags, that is part of getting organized; finding the best...

Jul 5, 2020 - Getting back into a Groove!

Sunday July 5, Day 2 Not exactly in a rush to leave our sweet little comfy motel this morning!! That anxiety feeling again slowed me down, hard to leave the comforts behind! This weather must be a typical start to a Maine day when you are on the coast; gray, foggy and cool. Yesterday started out this way and it turned into a gorgeous day so I was encouraged, the pavement was dry and that was a good thing. We had to travel down the main highway for about 10 miles before we were able to get onto "the road less traveled". Traffic turned out to...

Jul 4, 2020 - July 4th and we are On The Way!!!!

Happy July 4th and God Bless this beautiful country and all those that call it home! What a perfect way to celebrate the 4th and what a perfect day to start our next adventure! We thought it best to try and stay off the road today because it is July 4th, we are in a popular area and traffic would be a nightmare! Booking ahead in preparation for our trip I thought it a clever idea to just stay just outside of Bar Harbor, along our route. We had already made the ride into town from here on our first trip as we completed the Northern Tier....

Jul 3, 2020 - 2600+ Miles by Automobile!

Hello everyone and welcome to the MikeanddiByCycleAtlanticCoast edition!!! July 3, 2020 Where do I start? Well, to be honest we haven't actually "started" yet on the bicycles. We just arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine early this afternoon. Trenton, Maine to be more exact. We dropped the rental van off at the airport and cycled the 1 mile distance to our quaint little Motel, The Isleview. Let me back up 7 days! We started the journey last Friday June 26, in Pagosa Springs and set out to drive the distance to Bar Harbor to start the trip. Much...

Oct 29, 2019 - Cape Cod, Newport and Portsmouth

It had stopped raining when we left Barnstable. We drove down to Sandy Neck Beach to see the beach. It was hidden behind sand dunes. We climbed and saw a small sandy beach. But with a cold wind blowing we didn't linger. We went on on 6A winding through sleepy little towns and villages, each with its own character. Houses...cottages...were on the large size. Most were white frame...wooden...houses. There were little restaurants and gift shops increased in number as we approached Cape Cod National Seashore Park. We stopped at Salt Pond...

Sep 22, 2019 - Portland Maine

It was easy to get off the ship even going through American customs. And the port is right by the town. And it was lovely to have phone service again. We had another fine morning to wander around the waterfront of Portland as we waited for our Air Force friends Garry and Barb Hawes to meet us for lunch at the Ri-Ra Irish Pub. We spent a fun two hours visiting and eating more delicious food, of course including seafood chowder. And in the afternoon we did a bus tour to Kennebunkport. It used to be a seasonal town but not any longer. It has...

Sep 9, 2019 - Hurricane Dorian sends us back to the States

Hurricane Dorian put a bit of a damper on our trip. The hurricane came pretty close to us but by Florida standards it wasn't bad at all. I would guess we had winds in the 50 to 60 mph range, but I had us tucked in a nice safe place. Nova Scotia on the other hand is not at all prepared for this kind of weather. They had practically no property damage, but the power grid is a mess. They have power lines down everywhere with no prediction of when power will be restored in many areas. As we were driving out, we noticed that they don't do any...