Sunday, July 23, 2017

July 23--Day 41--I Can Almost Smell the Atlantic

Actually, I'm just a few miles away. I'm still two days from Bar Harbor, but I will lay eyes on the Atlantic for a bit tomorrow.

 

I had a nice evening with Alicia and Mike, and slept like a baby in a comfy bed. I got up at 6:00, and was my usual stealthy quiet. Alicia didn't realize I was up, until I had already packed my panniers back on Tilmann out in the barn. She made a wonderful breakfast, and we took photos in front of the chicken coop. I told Mike he should be holding a chicken, so he did!

Alicia, Mike, and the girls

 

 

I headed out just a little after 8:00. I thought that was pretty good for having slept in a house. Alicia and Mike are bikey people, so they understand the need to get on the road.

 

I rode through Bath, which was a quaint little town. The route up and onto the bridge over the Kennebec River was awesome. Mike had told me about a stealth ship they are building in the shipyard. I could see it from the bridge. Apparently, it will only appear on radar as being 27 feet long, when really it is much much larger.

The bridge over the Kennebec River

The stealth ship

 

 

I was on and off Highway 1 several times today. One of the cool things about being on a highway is that, occasionally, there are Rest Stops. That was the case today. I pulled in, used the restroom, and had a snack. 

A nice rest stop

 

 

I came in to Damariscotta around 10:30. It was a very busy little town on the water. I went in to a little deli/general store that looked interesting. They had homemade whoopie pies, so I had to have one. Getting out of town was a little challenging because it was a steep hill with no shoulder, and a bazillion cars behind me. I just cranked it as fast as I could to at least look like I was making an effort to get out of the way as quickly as possible.

Harbor in Damariscotta

Damariscotta

 

 

Getting out of Damariscotta wasn't nearly as bad as Waldoboro (no, I did not see anyone in a red and white stripped shirt, glasses, and a stocking hat). I came down down down, and then virtually straight up. It didn't help that I had to stop at an intersection to check my map, then continue going up. I'm sure the whoopie pie helped.

 

Shortly after returning to Hwy 1, I was almost out of water, so I stopped at a restaurant that appeared quite popular. It was a seafood place, and their claim to fame was their lobster roll. They had a 4 oz roll or a 7 oz one. I had a crab salad. I just wasn't sure about eating lobster when I still had several miles to go. Besides, I will have plenty of opportunity to eat lobster in a couple of days. 

 

I hadn't quite decided whether to go all the way to Camden Hills State Park, or stay at a somewhat closer campground (curiously, also called Camden Hills). When I got to the campground, I decided to call it a day. I'd gone 50 miles, and I was tired of the hills. 

 

The camping continues to be wildly expensive (in my opinion). Tonight was $36.00. However, Judy, the manager, is very nice. Not only did she put me on a hookup site (for the price of a tent site) near the showers and restrooms and in not so buggy of an area, but she also brought me a big bowl of corn chowder. So, for the third night in a row, I have not had to cook dinner. It was perfect, because I had a big late lunch.

 

 

I looked at my map. I think I will get to Bar Harbor day after tomorrow. That means I'll be a day earlier than I planned. I hope to take a day off.

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