September 25th: Coast to Coast Complete @ Bar Harbor, Maine

Belfast Maine to Bar Harbor Maine. --- Sept 25. (61 miles)

Last night it rained on and off and this morning it was cloudy, windy and cold. I packed up my wet tent and loaded my bike and got on the road about 7:00 AM. I rode up and down the wonderful hills of Maine with the wind howling till I got to Bar Harbor. The wind was coming hard from the North so every once in a while when the highway curved to the south I actually caught a little bit of tail wind.

I got to Bar Harbor, picked up a package from Lori at the post office, and went to the water’s edge to put my tire in the water and my foot in the water and take a few photos. Bar Harbor is very Beautiful. I guess there is a lot of history here about keeping the port as we fought the British in the Revolutionary War. The tourist season is past and I am pretty glad because the city is very calm and you can tell that during the peak summer months, this place is probably a mad house. Not my favorite thing.

Anyway, I ate lunch at a little place called Stuman’s. I had a lobster roll which was very very good. I was cold so I also had a big cup of Hot Chocolate and some sweet potato fries. I also went to the bike shop and purchased a pair of sun glasses with yellow lenses. Every time I get caught at dusk or dark I can’t see with my blue sunglasses so I have to take them off and I get bugs in my eyes. These glasses should help.

I stopped at the visitors center and spoke with a woman who is friends with the elderly lady I met in Montana riding her bicycle across America. I am still impressed that a 70 woman is riding her bike across America. This trip has been a little bit hard for me sometimes and she is doing it at 70.

I also met two other couples today that finished their trip across America yesterday. One couple was 67 years old and rode a tandem bike and they rode with a couple who rode on two recumbent bikes. The couple on the recumbent bikes were a little bit younger but not too much. They have been riding for 3 months now from the coast of Oregon and are shipping their bikes back home today. The camped for the 1st month or so then they have been hoteling since then. I hope I am in that good of shape when I am 67 years old.

It was nice to get to Bar Harbor today. I have covered almost 3900 miles since I left and have ridden for almost 2 months. I started on the 27th of July and got to Bar Harbor on the afternoon of the 25th of September. I still have a few hundred miles to go, but I will keep on grinding my way up through Maine till I get to Presque Isle where my Dad was raised. I will complete my trip then. I am getting close.

I was pretty tired and worn out and I needed to clean up pretty bad today. Since the main tourist season is over now, I was able to find a hotel room (the last one) for $42. So now I am cleaned up. My clothes are washed and hanging in my room to dry. My room is warm. I had a nice dinner and the leftovers are in my window where they will stay cold till tomorrow. My tent is spread out in the room drying out and my sleeping bag is drying out. It was beginning to get a little damp.

My butt is pretty sore but I am not quite sure what to do about that anymore. I think I am just putting too many miles on my rear end to do anything else but make it sore. The couple on the recumbent bike said they don’t get sore rear ends.

I am very glad I came on this trip. Bar Harbor is Beautiful and this trip has been very good for my Spirit and Soul.

I will start heading to Presque Isle tomorrow but I don’t know if I am going to push so hard anymore. I am tired.

Later,
Dan

Turkeys Sept 25 near Bar Harbor Maine 04