Lednar;

Yeah, one has to be cautious of the road ahead even on an "official" USBRS or ACA route - bicycles still get almost zero consideration in road design (I offer up poorly placed "rumble strips" as an example of that).
BTW, I have a brother-in-law named Randal; I think I will start calling him "Ladnar" and tell him that's the Viking translation of his name! Best wishes,

Buddy

Bob - thanks for the post. We are well aware of the notorious Vermont hills. I'm "looking forward" to them with some trepidation. It will be interesting to see how they compare with the Appalachians on the Transam route. My limited visits to Vermont showed me that it was a beautiful place and I can't wait till we roll into the Freedom and Unity state.

Yeah, I'm all for that too. But I have no control of this - no amount of diet or exercise can "fix" it. All any of us can do is live life every day, cause you never know when it will end. And that's my plan.

Yeah, if you could just go ahead and wait on this a while, I would appreciate it.

❤️

I couldn't believe on that Kennebec Bridge all the storm water grates were angled so a bicycle wheel could fall in the gaps and this on an official cycle route,,,very dangerous

I'm enjoying following along on your journey. The videos are great, by the way. Gives a very good sense of what the roads are like. Expect about the same kind of roads when you get to my state of Vermont. We might have a few more hills, though. :-)

Sis here 👋. Sorry to hear that you’re getting Doc’s cold! But at least you know how to get rid of it 🍺🍺. Im enjoying biking vicariously with y’all via the journal❤️

Kelly,

It’s good to know that folks are reading the journal. I’m going to watch your journal since we are heading “that way” on our tour - maybe our paths will cross? Best of luck,

Buddy

Scott - yes, my leg cramp was in the injured leg. I downed a bottle of Gatorade yesterday and everything is fine. I expect to harden up over the next couple of weeks, the start of this tour has been a bit more challenging than we expected. Thanks for asking,

Buddy

I like the videos. Keep ‘em coming please. You’re doing great.

Buddy,

Thank you for journaling live. I don't think we could have stood the tension of waiting for a late report!

We've just scrapped the intended start to our summer tour. We were going to ride to/from Milwaukee from Prairie du Chin (where we could leave our vehicle at a friend's house). No matter how I massaged the miles, the available time remained the same. We had a drive at the start and a ferry at the end of the four available days. Riding 70 mile days is never a favorite of mine, much less at the beginning of a tour. In the end, we are going to start in Milwaukee. That's a long way of saying, you are smart for riding easier days to begin. You could even back off a little, with the climbs, Doc's cold, your leg, etc. Discretion is the better part of valor, you know.

It's a good thing your eagle eyes saw that pannier screw! What are the chances?

Here's wishing you a good ride today. I can't wait to read the report!

Kelly

Bucksport looks much as I remember it from crossing the bridge in 1989. Not the bridge though. The old one was dismantled in 2013, I think: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/sramontreal1989/waldoboro-to-toddy-lake/#7452_vx6qlh5h0tma87f1dlh48leyzkj.

I recognize that pannier problem, having had the same thing happen years ago on my Lone Peak bags. Now I check them all at the start of a tour and carry along a few spares of the right specification just in case.

Was your leg cramp in the injured leg?

Hi Buddy,
I'm salvating at the chance to follow another of your cycle trips (a bit like those rabid dogs). You've so many challenges to face but I reckon you'll do it, no worries (as we say here)
Wishing you a safe journey.
Lednar (my name spelt backwards)