Day 29: West Windham, NH to York Harbor, ME

June 10, 2008

65.23 miles, 5:15:40 Ride Time, 12.39 Average Speed, 33.82 Maximum Speed

I suppose I was still tired from my long, hot day yesterday; I didn't get out of bed until much later than usual. Given how hot it was supposed to be again today, I really should have quickly gotten everything together and started riding. Instead, I moved slowly around my dinky motel room; this was one of those mornings when I wasn't in the mood to ride. Finally though, after doing a little work on this journal, I rode away.

I started off much more slowly than usual, partly because I was tired, partly because of the heat, and partly because the Adventure Cycling route had me making turns every half mile or so. The constant need to refer to the maps and road signs definitely slows me down. On the plus side, however, the route has done a good job of keeping me off busy roads lately.

(By the way, I wasn't the only one shocked by the heat in the last few days. Several local people commented on it today - "You've got guts to be out riding in this", etc., and one man, when I stopped to ask him for directions, told me "I've lived here my whole friggin' life, and I've never seen anything like it.")

Despite my lackluster pace, and several stops for Gatorade (and, for the first time, strawberry milk - it's OK), I actually made pretty good time to Kingston (pop. 5,862). That's really a testament to just how much gentler the terrain had become - I really didn't see any hills at all today.

Somewhere between Kingston and the larger town of Exeter, I stopped at Red Gate Farm, which, according to the signs, sold ice cream. I have been cruelly teased by these kinds of places; several times in the last few days I've stopped only to find them closed. Finally, though, I was able to get the root beer float I've been craving.

After that, my mood improved dramatically. It seemed mostly downhill to Exeter (pop. 14,058), famous for being home to Phillips Exeter Academy, and the setting for several books (The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany) by John Irving, one of my favorite authors.

Sometime around 2:00, as I travelled along backroads to avoid the large town of Portsmouth, the heat suddenly broke, and I started feeling a cool breeze. It was great riding through the little towns of Rye, Lang's Corner, and Foyes Corner (all southeast of Portsmouth).

Adventure Cycling's route through this area is really good. I got to the outskirts of Portsmouth with almost no increase in traffic. I dutifully walked my bike over the first "metal grate" bridge I encountered, although I felt a little sheepish as I watched a girl ignore the signs and blithely ride her fat-tired bike across.

After finding my own route through downtown Portsmouth, I walked the bike one more time, on the larger bridge over the Piscataqua River, and crossed into Maine, where I asked a local man to take my picture in front of the state sign.

I felt amazingly better than this morning as I followed State Route 103 and then US 1A for several miles, though Kittery, then Kittery Point, then York Harbor (pop. 3,321), a tourist town along the ocean.

I stopped at four motels and got similar prices from each of them: $90 to $100. Oh well - I decided to splurge (after all, I had just ridden my bike from Florida to Maine), and chose the Sunrise Motel, where every room has an ocean view ("Enjoy the spectacular sunrise year round.")

After checking in, I walked a mile or more north along the ocean to find a store to buy some snacks. Luckily, I got there just before they closed.

Incredibly, after the days of horrible heat and humidity, it was downright chilly, and I wore my long sleeve shirt for only the second time on this trip. A pretty great day.

House attached to barn - I saw this several times today. What's that all about?

Finally, an ice cream place that was open. I had a root beer float here, and my mood immediately improved.

OK, maybe it's time to put the camera in a less accessible place (currently I keep it in my handlebar bag). Now I'm even taking pictures of "interesting" rocks along the road.

The Rye Congregational Church in Rye, New Hampshire

Interesting juxtaposition - parking meters only a few feet from the ocean

Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 2,078 miles (3,344 km)

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