Finished in Freeport

It's late in the day but we need to do our blog before we lose any details. We began the day with a good breakfast then headed out on Route 5 north out of Fryeburg. We pedaled to Lovell then took 93 east to the infamous Sweden Hill road. It's infamous to us because we have ridden it several times before - East to West. We knew there was a steep "head wall" going West to East and I was not looking forward to it. As it turns out that "head wall" is the only hill we walked in our entire ride.

Highlight today was reuniting with several good friends. We met Bob and Dave 35 miles into today's ride. Bob rode with us to Freeport and Dave as far as his home in Auburn. Rick D found us at Dave & Kathy's home, a couple friends saw us along the road to Freeport, and a few more in Freeport. We are now at Dave & Kathy's, our stomachs are full (thank you Kathy!), and we are enjoying great conversation. It is good to be home.

We have so much to be thankful for. The prayers of so many were felt along this entire trip as we pedaled along with fires and violent storms occurring in areas not far from us. God was with us when Steve's handlebar broke - keeping us safe and making repairs possible and relatively quick. Our hearts are greatful to the many friends and family that made this trip so successful.

Dave, Steve, Bob

Yes! We've done it

Front tire in the Atlantic

Miles today = 80

Final miles = 4311

 

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Climbed the Kanc and entered Maine.

The ride over the Kanc was awesome! The views were spectacular and the climb from the west side was not as difficult as we had imagined. The climb up the Kanc west to east was easier than any of the other passes we climbed through Vermont and New Hampshire and the views were definitely the best. Interesting thing is that yesterday we climbed roughly 5000 ft compared to half that in doing the Kanc today.

I was so excited to see the Welcome to Maine sign. Yahoo, there is no place like home! Tomorrow we ride from Fryeburg to Freeport, about 80 miles. We will dip the front tire in the Atlantic and consider our journey complete.

We are spending the night at a wonderful B&B, Admiral Peary Inn. They welcome 2 legged and 4 legged guests! The resident dog, a yellow lab named Mia, provided us with doggie love!

Miles today = 47

Total miles = 4231

 

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Glasses need windshield wipers.

Today was our first ride in the rain and boy did it RAIN! We climbed from Bethel Vermont to Lincoln New Hampshire through 3 mountain passes. We were in the clouds on our last pass and were very thankful for our flashing lights on the front and back of the tandem. Imagine our surprise when we were taking a break in North Haverhill N.H. and 2 very familiar faces popped out of a car to say hello. What a treat to see Chip and Diane Palmer. Tomorrow we ride the " Kank" into Fryeburg Maine joined by some great friends. Our journey is coming to an end!

Miles today = 77

Total miles = 4184

Steve & Marcia with good friend Diane

 

 

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Bethel, Vt

Our day began with a ride on the Ticonderoga ferry across the Champlain Valley to Vermont. This ferry was established in 1759 and is one of the oldest ferry crossings in North America. We rode from the ferry to Middlebury where we had breakfast in preparation to climb the Middlebury Gap. This is our first major climb in the Green and White Mountains. It was a tough climb but we did great and reached the top in good order. I had forgotten how mountainous Vermont is but was quickly reminded as we pedaled along rivers and streams with mountains all around us. It is very beautiful and made us feel very small. Our day ended in Bethel which is a very quaint New England town.

Miles today = 63

Total miles = 4107

At the top!

 

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Ticonderoga

After a good breakfast in Long Lake we headed out for Ticonderoga. As it turned out we have driven today's route several times when visiting family in NY. It's a good route for bicycles except for a section of Route 74 that twists and turns without the benefit of a shoulder. We felt very vulnerable but with the benefit of knowing the road and where things would get better.

Most of the Route was very beautiful with views of mountains as we crested each climb and several ponds and marshes as we descended from each of our climbs. Noteworthy was our passage by the head waters of the Hudson River and our first view into Vermont as we crested our last hill climb.

First view into Vermont

Miles today = 63

Total miles = 4044

 

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Long Lake

Today we left my sister's home after 3 days of rest. We also left 30 lbs of camping gear plus our BOB trailer behind. We'll be hoteling it for the rest of our trip. Shedding the weight really felt good as we worked our way through the Adirondacks. Our ride was very scenic beginning with the Moose River and continuing with various lakes along our route. We finished our days ride in Long Lake NY at the Sand Point motel.

Riding along the Moose River

It seems that no matter what we do we can be humbled by those we encounter. We met some truly long distance cyclists today. Heidi and Markus Dangl started in Los Angeles and are heading toward NY city. That will complete their 4th continent in their quest to ride around the world. From NY city they will be heading for Africa. If interested, you can find them at http://www.2roadrunners-on-tour.at . They are from Austria so you may need to brush up on your German. They were really interesting to visit with - we're glad we were given the opportunity.

Miles today = 77

Total miles = 3981

 

 

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3,900 miles and 39 years!

Today we hit 3,900 miles on our 39th wedding anniversary. We rode from Redfield to Turin and look forward to several days enjoying time with Steve's family. The terrain was hilly and very steep in places as we continue to climb onto the plateau which is just west of the Adirondack Mountains. Alex and Jeanette Tahou drove up to Turin to reconnect with us and Steve's sister Linda. On Tuesday we start the last leg of our journey - New York to Freeport Maine.

One of our struggles was the number of hotels and small stores that were closed. We often were hoping for a meal or a place to spend the night only to find that they were closed. The picture of the hotel is one example of this issue. We're sure you have heard of this world famous hotel.

Miles today = 42

Total miles = 3904

 

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