Day 48: Windham, ME to Bath, ME

June 14, 2017

Today was a great day. It was just a little chilly when we left Windham, but it warmed up quickly. Our route was only 43 miles, and we had good places to stop every ten miles or so. We got on the road around 9AM, looking forward to a good day and we were not disappointed.

Morning on a rural road in Maine - quiet and peaceful

We met another touring cyclist this morning. Tim, from Tennessee, has been traveling for about two weeks on his way to Fort Kent, ME. We chatted with him over a snack at McDonald's. He is camping and making around 70 miles a day. We don't all have the same touring styles, but we all enjoy the trip!

Tim is going from Nashville to Fort Kent, Maine

After leaving our first stop, we encountered what we knew would be a big climb. We used our lowest "four on the floor" gear for the first time since Pennsylvania. I didn't check the grade of the hill, but it was very steep.

Not far after we conquered the big hill, we noticed a tour bus parked at a botanical garden. We stopped and found out it was a free public garden planted and supported by Pineland Farms. It was a lovely garden and full of tourists with lovely Southern accents. We asked one man where they were from and he said North Carolina. It turns out the group was from North Wilkesboro, my mother's hometown. I am sure that I am somehow related to some of these people. So, it was great to meet you, cousins Tom and Carol Kilby. I'm so glad that Kerry and I decided to stop.

Carol and Tom Kilby from North Wilkesboro, NC. I've got Kilby's in my family tree. We have to be related.

Our second rest break was at the Short Stop store in Pownal. There we had the pleasure of meeting Milo, and his human friends Larry and Tammy (and the camera shy Sherry Berry). Larry said they get a lot of cyclists stopping there. It was fun to meet them all.

Kerry with Milo, Larry and Tammy. Milo is chewing on his favorite toy, a stuffed hedgehog.

The next town we came to was Brunswick. Brunswick is the home of Bowdoin College and is a very attractive town. We had seen that there was a bike shop there, so of course Kerry wanted to visit it. It is really fun to talk to people who get so enthusiastic about our trip. The owner had all the staff come out to get their picture taken with us. While we were all outside, a customer arrived to pick up his bike. He was Bill Muldoon, a director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. We appreciate everyone who works so hard to improve cycling for all us. Thank you!

Kerry with Bill Muldoon and owner of Center Street Cycles

For part of today's ride, we were on the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast Route, USBR 1 and the East Coast Greenway.

From Brunswick, it was a short ride here to Bath.

They're hard to see, but this waterway just outside of Bath was filled with fishing boats.

A few miles were on a nice bike trail along the Androscoggin River. The trail was divided into a pedestrian lane and a bike lane. We thought that was a good idea.

The trail in Brunswick is divided into cycling and pedestrian lanes

Railroad trestle along Androscoggin River Bicycle Path

We had dinner at Byrnes Irish Pub, where the food was good and the signs funny.

We're at a B&B here in Bath and plan to visit the Maine Maritime Museum tomorrow.

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 2,016 miles (3,244 km)

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