Climbing hills, sitting by the ocean...
Today, I ran into two actual touring cyclists. One who wasn't touring and then another who was touring, but only lightly. The first grabbed me in the RiteAid in Camden, Maine. He had ridden the Northern Tier Route in 2005 and had really enjoyed the experience. The other cyclist I saw coming out of Camden Hills State Park. He was from Toronto, I think, and he was just touring around for a couple days. It is interesting to see the gear that other cyclists from other countries use. His gear looked like space gear. The handlebar bag, and front panniers had hard sides, but flexible fronts to allow for expansion when just one more extra cliff bar was shoved into them. And speaking about panniers, I found out that I carry way to much stuff. My front food pannier may weigh as much as 17 pounds!
I ran into another would be touring cyclist in Camden Hills State Park. This gentleman, from Maryland, was really excited about doing a tour. I hope he gets out there soon. My experience is that it is worthwhile, and especially enjoyable riding in Maine.
In Camden Hills, I rode to the top of the Mt. Battie Auto Road to see the views. There is a small tower at the top of Mt. Battie.
After that, it was a climb to the Ocean Overlook near Mt. Megunticook. A 1,300-foot mountain right next to Penobscot Bay. The road to the top of Mt. Battie was at least 12% at times.
This is a photo of Mt. Battie (look for the tower). To the right is the steep road to Mt. Battie.
Camden Harbor. Look for Clipper Ships.
A nice place for lunch...
I turned off of the main route, Highway 1, and followed roads right on the coast. For a while, the houses looked like they were straight out of Mayberry. The houses were too cute. Almost like Disneyland for Adults.
A row of houses overlooking a park and the ocean.
Leaving Disney for Adults, I continued on to the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport. Unfortunately, I was there at just 45 minutes before closing, so I was only able to look at the color and black and white photos of the boats and the ocean. They also have an archive of old glass plate photos. It's available online. Stunning!
A new bridge over the Penobscot River leading towards Bucksport.
Near Bucksport is the new bridge, Historic Fort Knox, and a huge paper mill. I won't show you the paper mill.
Day 43 - Rockport to Bucksport - 50 Miles
