Waldoboro to Toddy Lake

June 22, 1989

Well, shoot - I've waited too long again, and forgotten a lot already. We awoke early, reasonably well refreshed after the first night in the tent when we did not require the rainfly. It's really a relief to have the weather drier - not only is it more comfortable, but with each dry day the insect situation seems to be improving.

A twelve mile ride brought us to Rockport and the Atlantic Ocean. Rockport is a lovely, serene community but is not commercial at all, so there was no place to eat. One more mile brought us to Camden, its sister city, which is also lovely and is quite tourist-oriented. We first found the laundromat, stripped down to our essentials and washed everything else, and then walked off to breakfast. We found a fine one at Cappy's, a colorful joint crowded with seafaring paraphernalia. I had great coffee with huge slices of cinnamon raisin French toast and sausage, and Rachael had the $1.50 special of banana oatmeal pancakes and coffee. The meal was great.

After breakfast, laundry and various resupply tasks, we proceeded north along highway 1 up the coast. Three aspects of the ride stick out for me: the traffic was bad, the shoulder was irregular, and the roadsides were festooned with wonderful wildflower displays. The expanses of lupines in particular were a delight to see. We took about an hour or so break in Moose Point State Park, continuing in the spirit of a more leisurely pace; and in Bucksport we stopped for Rachael to devour an outrageously rich dessert (tollhouse cookie pie with ice cream). The ride to Bucksport included one of my favorite features of the day - a beautiful bridge crossing of the Penobscot River.

The Waldo-Hancock Bridge over the Penobscot River, near Bucksport. This bridge no longer exists; it was replaced by the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, and torn down in 2013.

Looking toward Penobscot Bay from the Waldo-Hancock Bridge.

Looking toward Bucksport from the Waldo-Hancock Bridge.

After Bucksport we rode another eight miles to the east - and after dithering awhile over whether to stay at a motel or campground we selected (at Rachael's suggestion) at Whispering Pines Campground. It was an excellent decision. We had a fine location next to the lake, the mosquito population was almost bearable, they had good showers, and best of all we had a canoe at our disposal. We took it out on the lake for about an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the peacefulness. There were no bugs at all, and a mild breeze; and a loon family which allowed us to approach within about 50 yards before the male warned us off and the mother drifted away with a chick on her back. Later, after sunset the loons cried out from the pond, amazing us with the strength and mournfulness of their calls.

Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 485 miles (781 km)

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