While doing my research, I discover Maine is one of the top three popular cycling destinations in the U.S. Definitely worth a return trip with more time to explore. Maine has done an amazing job of providing turn-by-turn cycling cue sheets. See www.exploremaine.org. Additional information was found at www.visitmaine.com. There are so many options of cycling routes that it’s difficult to narrow the list to the top three for the mid-coast. There is a plethora of coastal routes, inland routes, lighthouse routes, towns to browse, etc. I decide to narrow the selection based upon hosts I can locate along the route. A new twist to this trip is my first experience locating other cyclists to host me each night with a bed (or place to pitch a tent) and a shower. I became a member of www.warmshowers.org in which I offer to host cyclists traveling through my hometown in exchange for being able to stay with cyclists along my travel routes. Based on availability (cyclists on this site tend to travel a lot) and projected compatibility (each cyclist writes a paragraph about themselves and may include a web site) I narrow my trip to the section of Portland to Belfast.
I arrive late afternoon on Sunday and my first host is William of Portland. William lives on the top floor of a 3-story 100 year old Victorian home in downtown Portland, two blocks from the water front. William is a very pleasant 27 year-old with more cycle touring experience than cyclists four times his age. He provides me with a futon to sleep on and I treat us to a fabulous Indian meal a short walk from his apartment. He helps me trim my new handlebar grips so I have more room for handlebar attachments. We talk travels until midnight and the following morning until I leave at 11:00 a.m.
William spent two years in college then worked and saved enough as a cook and carpenter to support his tours. When traveling with a tent and cooking gear, staying in people’s yards or stealth camp along the road, expenses are minimal. His 10 month tour began as a short trip to Vermont then he decided to continue traveling across the U.S. to California. Once there, he decided to keep going and bought a ticket to Bangkok. Once in Asia he toured Thailand and Laos. At that point he decided it would be simpler to travel with other cyclists so he skipped Cambodia and Vietnam in order to travel with some Spanish cyclists to China, Nepal and India. They passed into Tibet without the proper papers (few travelers are allowed in Tibet) which was discovered at a road stop and thus were escorted out of Tibet. Another five month cycle adventure covered France and the Netherlands. Then a three month hiking/hitch-hiking trip with his brother included England and France with a month spent hiking across the Pyrennes on the GR10 route. He also has a passion for the water so he and his brother spent a month building a fabulous wooden sea kayak then another month paddling on the Maine Island Trail, island hopping along the coast of Maine. His next big adventure is to sail and bike from Maine to Argentina once he completes his final two years of college. Oh to be so young!
For Monday evening I plan to stay with Morrigan & Alan in Rockland, ME which is 80 miles north of Portland. Monday is drizzly with rain so no hurries to get on the bike. I stop at the DeLorme Map Company in Freeport which has the largest rotating globe in the world and a fabulous selection of maps in their shop. Next I must satisfy my goal of eating lobster daily. For lunch my search is for a lobster roll (lobster on a bun). I stop in Wiscasset at Red Eats Lobster Shack for supposedly the best lobster roll in Maine. With lines wrapping around the corner, I opt for the lobster shack across the street. The tourists really bit that marketing ploy hook, line and sinker. After a couple of bites, I realize that my love for lobster isn’t so much for the lobster but rather the butter which I dip the lobster. Once I request a packet of melted butter the lobster is much tastier but I no longer have a desire to eat lobster daily. I have melted butter at home!
I drive north of Rockland to the harbor towns of Rockport and Camden. Once entering Rockport I am immediately drawn to the large Victorian shop advertising free wine tastings. I do a quick U-turn to Cellar Door Tasting Room sampling six wines and chatting with some travelers. Most grapes are shipped here from California and then mixed with Maine’s blueberries or maple syrup to make a very sweet wine. Imagine maple syrup in your wine. Imagine it but don’t drink it .
Next stop is Belfast, another pretty harbor town with lovely homes. The rain has stopped and I finally get to ride my bike enjoying views of the harbor and the lovely Maine homes. Tonight my Warm Shower hostess is Morrigan from Rockland. I arrive at her apartment at 9:00 p.m. to a very sweet 27 year old. Her and her boyfriend Alan spent last year riding 11,000 miles in 11 months around the perimeter of the U.S. The kicker is, they were not cyclists prior to the trip and didn’t really have time to train. The first three weeks were killers and it was only pride that kept them going. Loaded, Alan carried 85 pounds and Morrigan carried 70. The reason for the weight is they were awarded a grant and were creating a photographic/audio documentary of people’s opinions across the U.S. of our environment. The documentary is now complete and is booked in art galleries across the U.S. Each month it travels to another city and they are paid to lecture. I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival in Atlanta. In addition, they created a huge coffee table book ($110) of photos of their trip. They are currently working to obtain a similar grant involving traveling by bicycle around the world. Their story is at http://www.projecttandem.org.
Tuesday I awake to beautiful sunshine and a forecast high of 70 which is 25 degrees less than Atlanta. Time to ride! Morrigan has mapped a very hilly route for me take from downtown Camden. I later learn there is a very popular ski resort on those hills. It’s a rural ride with little traffic and beautiful views. Coming back into Camden I stop at the Cellar Door Vineyard to view the rolling fields of grapes. I skip the six free wine tastings since its afternoon and my stomach is guiding me back to town for a seafood lunch on the harbor. In town I meet a family that has ridden self-supported from Boston. The good news is the Adventure Cycling maps they purchased have them spending very little time on the busy Route 1 highway.
This morning I made a call to Richard from Brunswick, also on www.warmshowers.org to inquire whether I could stay at his home tonight. In my message I explain who I am and give him my blog address. Within an hour I have a return call and an invite to join him that evening for a mountain bike ride, the following 5:30 a.m. for a group ride and at 6:00 p.m. for another road ride followed by dinner. I arrive 8:00 p.m. and he and his wife Tina are such warm and welcoming hosts. Richard retired five years ago at 59 and began exercising, loosing 40 pounds. He began doing triathlons and Xterra races going to nationals three times. He also does winter triathlons consisting of cross country skiing, snow cycling (with spikes) and snow shoeing or trail running. His most amazing feat is riding solo the full length of the Great Divide route, a 2,700 mile mountain bike route from Banff, Canada to the Mexico border in New Mexico. This past year he and Tina attempted a 1,100 off-road route in Spain and Portugal but had to bail due to so many roads washed out from a 500 year flood that just occurred. Richard is planning a self supported trip to south-east Asia and Tibet so I connect him to William in Portland.
His wife Tina was charming and prepared a delicious whole food breakfast dish of 5 grains, 5 nuts, 5 seeds and 5 fruits. She only buys whole grains and seeds and grinds them immediately prior to use. She teaches classes on eating only whole foods and gives me a cookbook and brochures to take home. My first day home I’m at a health food grocery buying my supplies. On Richard’s Great Divide route he packed whole wheat grains and soaked some in water each day to eat sprouted grains the next day. That’s easy to pack and so very healthy.
Wednesday turns into another rainy day so I use the car to explore a scenic finger drive that takes me to Bailey Island. In the afternoon I attend a Tai Chi class with Tina and sample my 4th Indian restaurant. A quick drive south takes me back to Portland and to the last hosts of my trip Steve and Nancy Boucher who live near a downtown Portland park. They are very warm and welcoming. We share dinner and spend four hours exchanging travel stories. They have cycle toured for 20+ years having visited 25 countries. Once again, I am inspired by my hosts. I have traveled four days and had four fabulous Warm Shower hosts. Is it just my good fortune, is it the friendly nature of Maine residents or is it the plethora of active cyclist living in Maine?
Thursday is a beautiful sunny day and and I spend the morning cycling the downtown area and out to the Portland Headlight, a famous Maine lighthouse. There I met a French cyclist who has spent three months cycling across from Seattle to NYC, 4,500 miles, most of it by using free state maps he obtained as he crossed into each state. He’s 80 pounds loaded including a 3-person tent. He has been very pleased with how people have welcomed him along the way. Me too. After meeting such wonderful hosts and hearing their accomplishments I am so inspired to do more adventure cycling. So many countries, so little time!
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