Looking back...
Conceived as a tour, executed as a series of day trips
Thoughts were running through my head... I was home from my cross-country trek, about to head back to work, what about another short trip?
I really thought that I wanted to do another short bike tour before heading back to work. I decided on southern Maine as my playground, and proceeded to make some plans. But when it came down to booking a seat on the train for me and my bike, I just couldn't get moving. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to be away from home even for 3 to 4 nights. After 2 1/2 months on the road, I just wanted to sleep in my own bed - what a baby!
I still wanted to do some biking in Maine, so I decided to change my plans to a series of day trips. Since I live in northeastern Massachusetts, the Maine coast is a very reasonable destination for a day of biking.
But wait - why are you writing a journal of a series of day trips? I was planning to write a journal of my Maine tour, and I decided to go ahead and document the rides even though I switched to day trips. I figured that it might be of interest to someone planning a tour in Maine, plus it's still fun to share my experience and my pictures. And - my mother loves my journals. Hey Mom - this one's for you!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Table of Contents
For now, please use Blogger's list of posts in the sidebar to follow my trip in reverse sequence. I plan to flip this blog on its head so that the posts flow from oldest to newest (like the table of contents in a book), adding a real Table of Contents and a Page by Page sidebar entry, and adding (better) next and previous links at the bottom of each post.
I probably won't be able to make these changes for the next several weeks.
...Denise, January 16, 2009
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Seacoast Century
...Hampton Beach, NH to York, ME and back again
This is the second time I've ridden the Granite State Wheelmen's Seacoast Century. What a fabulous ride! I actually registered for this ride before I left on my cross-country trek with the hopes that I'd be home and in good cycling shape (both physically and emotionally) to ride it. Success! Information on the club and the century ride can be found on the club web site at www.granitestatewheelmen.org.
Most century rides have pretty rigid start times - 7:30am for the hundred mile, 9am for the 50 and 62 miles, and 10am for the 25. This one is different, and much more laid back. The ride is held on both Saturday and Sunday, and participants can ride either day (or both). Riders can start any time after between 7am and 3pm, but they must be finished by 5pm. It's an out and back ride, and the decision on whether to start heading north or south is up to the rider. Because of this format, there isn't a huge mass start with the subsequent wait before the bunched up riders spread out. I find the ride format refreshing. There are plenty of cyclists on the road, but I never found the numbers overwhelming. The only places that seemed to be loaded with people are the start/end and the food stop in the middle.
Since I did the metric century, I rode north from Hampton Beach, NH to somewhere in the York, ME area, then headed back to the start. It was a dynamite day, a piece of summer in what should be the fall. It was pretty warm for a late September day, but at times the wind off the ocean brought some cool air to us. It was fairly windy all day, but nothing too extreme. We had a bit of a tailwind as we headed north on the New Hampshire coast, and a swirling wind north of there. And of course it was a head wind on the way back. After riding in wind on a loaded bike all summer, this one didn't seem too bad to me.
The New Hampshire coast is loaded with beaches, and we could see the water for a good portion of the ride. The New Hampshire coastline is very short, but very accessible - a nice change to those of us who live in Massachusetts! Once we crossed into Maine, we were riding slightly inland, although water views still popped up from time to time.
This is the second time I've ridden the Granite State Wheelmen's Seacoast Century. What a fabulous ride! I actually registered for this ride before I left on my cross-country trek with the hopes that I'd be home and in good cycling shape (both physically and emotionally) to ride it. Success! Information on the club and the century ride can be found on the club web site at www.granitestatewheelmen.org.
Most century rides have pretty rigid start times - 7:30am for the hundred mile, 9am for the 50 and 62 miles, and 10am for the 25. This one is different, and much more laid back. The ride is held on both Saturday and Sunday, and participants can ride either day (or both). Riders can start any time after between 7am and 3pm, but they must be finished by 5pm. It's an out and back ride, and the decision on whether to start heading north or south is up to the rider. Because of this format, there isn't a huge mass start with the subsequent wait before the bunched up riders spread out. I find the ride format refreshing. There are plenty of cyclists on the road, but I never found the numbers overwhelming. The only places that seemed to be loaded with people are the start/end and the food stop in the middle.
Since I did the metric century, I rode north from Hampton Beach, NH to somewhere in the York, ME area, then headed back to the start. It was a dynamite day, a piece of summer in what should be the fall. It was pretty warm for a late September day, but at times the wind off the ocean brought some cool air to us. It was fairly windy all day, but nothing too extreme. We had a bit of a tailwind as we headed north on the New Hampshire coast, and a swirling wind north of there. And of course it was a head wind on the way back. After riding in wind on a loaded bike all summer, this one didn't seem too bad to me.
The New Hampshire coast is loaded with beaches, and we could see the water for a good portion of the ride. The New Hampshire coastline is very short, but very accessible - a nice change to those of us who live in Massachusetts! Once we crossed into Maine, we were riding slightly inland, although water views still popped up from time to time.
Friday, September 13, 2002
Portland Lighthouses
...Portland, Prouts Neck, Cape Elizabeth
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Portland Lighthouses cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
Today's ride started at the Portland Transportation Center, also known as the train station. The first couple of miles went through a commercial area, then across the Casco Bay Bridge. I actually considered driving across the bridge, but I didn't know what type of parking I'd find on the other side, so I stuck with the documented start point. Big bridges aren't one of my favorite places to ride because they usually don't have any shoulders, and often have open metal grating. Riding across metal grating scares me - it feels slippery (even though it probably isn't) and I hate to even think about falling on it. The Casco Bay Bridge was a pleasant surprise. It had a wide paved shoulder, and it even had concrete over the metal grating on the shoulder. It was beautiful for riding.
The ride started with a loop through South Portland, then a jaunt out to Prouts Neck. At the end of Prouts Neck is a private community where Winslow Homer once lived. I knew that there wasn't a chance of wandering through the houses out there, but I hoped that riding on a relatively narrow strip of land would allow some ocean views. It did. I stopped at Scarborough Beach which was a sandy beach on a narrow inlet, then continued out to the end of Prouts Neck. Beautiful views, and definitely worth the out and back ride on the neck.
Next - on to Cape Elizabeth and the lighthouses. But first I had to ride through a paving-in-process area of route 77. Only one lane was open for traffic. Unfortunately, once I swung back to the other side of the road I was riding on very soft new blacktop. It wasn't terrible, but I did end up with a bit of road gook on my tires. Once I got back to old pavement, I stopped to brush the stuff off of my tires. It wasn't too bad, but I was glad to be back on more solid pavement! And this section of road did finally satisfy my curiosity over roads that looked like they were newly paved but turned out to have terrible surfaces. I could never figure out why the folks in charge of paving would let heavy vehicles with deeply grooved tires mess up the new pavement. Guess they just let everyone drive on the new pavement before it has a chance to cool down. Yikes!
I stopped at Two Lights State Park top check out the view from the headlands. I didn't have a lock with me, so I took the bike with me. I even carried it up and down a couple of flights of stairs. Now that probably looked a bit weird. I sat out on some rocks for a while, just taking in the ocean. There was a couple sitting there too, looking at birds and boats through their binoculars. They asked me if I knew anything about the area. What they were really trying to figure out is if they were sitting on petrified wood. While I could see where they might mistake it for old wood, I'm pretty sure what we were seeing is just normal erosion and flaking of rocks. It looked to me like water creeps into the cracks in the rocks, freezes, and then "exfoliates" the rock. It was really pretty...
The next stop was Cape Elizabeth light. I only saw one lighthouse here, and there are supposed to be two - the current light, and an old one that is now privately owned. I'm not even sure which light I saw!
There were some more out to the ocean and back inland loops, then on to Fort Williams Park and the Portland Head light. According to the cue sheet, this is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. It was commissioned by George Washington in 1797.
Onward to the Spring Point Light, then I headed back across the Casco Bay Bridge to Portland. Back at the transportation center, I loaded the bike into my car and headed into the building to pay for parking. It cost $2 to park for the entire day, which I thought was a great deal. Time to head home... it was a quick and easy drive, just under 2 hours.
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Portland Lighthouses cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
Today's ride started at the Portland Transportation Center, also known as the train station. The first couple of miles went through a commercial area, then across the Casco Bay Bridge. I actually considered driving across the bridge, but I didn't know what type of parking I'd find on the other side, so I stuck with the documented start point. Big bridges aren't one of my favorite places to ride because they usually don't have any shoulders, and often have open metal grating. Riding across metal grating scares me - it feels slippery (even though it probably isn't) and I hate to even think about falling on it. The Casco Bay Bridge was a pleasant surprise. It had a wide paved shoulder, and it even had concrete over the metal grating on the shoulder. It was beautiful for riding.
The ride started with a loop through South Portland, then a jaunt out to Prouts Neck. At the end of Prouts Neck is a private community where Winslow Homer once lived. I knew that there wasn't a chance of wandering through the houses out there, but I hoped that riding on a relatively narrow strip of land would allow some ocean views. It did. I stopped at Scarborough Beach which was a sandy beach on a narrow inlet, then continued out to the end of Prouts Neck. Beautiful views, and definitely worth the out and back ride on the neck.
Next - on to Cape Elizabeth and the lighthouses. But first I had to ride through a paving-in-process area of route 77. Only one lane was open for traffic. Unfortunately, once I swung back to the other side of the road I was riding on very soft new blacktop. It wasn't terrible, but I did end up with a bit of road gook on my tires. Once I got back to old pavement, I stopped to brush the stuff off of my tires. It wasn't too bad, but I was glad to be back on more solid pavement! And this section of road did finally satisfy my curiosity over roads that looked like they were newly paved but turned out to have terrible surfaces. I could never figure out why the folks in charge of paving would let heavy vehicles with deeply grooved tires mess up the new pavement. Guess they just let everyone drive on the new pavement before it has a chance to cool down. Yikes!
I stopped at Two Lights State Park top check out the view from the headlands. I didn't have a lock with me, so I took the bike with me. I even carried it up and down a couple of flights of stairs. Now that probably looked a bit weird. I sat out on some rocks for a while, just taking in the ocean. There was a couple sitting there too, looking at birds and boats through their binoculars. They asked me if I knew anything about the area. What they were really trying to figure out is if they were sitting on petrified wood. While I could see where they might mistake it for old wood, I'm pretty sure what we were seeing is just normal erosion and flaking of rocks. It looked to me like water creeps into the cracks in the rocks, freezes, and then "exfoliates" the rock. It was really pretty...
The next stop was Cape Elizabeth light. I only saw one lighthouse here, and there are supposed to be two - the current light, and an old one that is now privately owned. I'm not even sure which light I saw!
There were some more out to the ocean and back inland loops, then on to Fort Williams Park and the Portland Head light. According to the cue sheet, this is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. It was commissioned by George Washington in 1797.
Onward to the Spring Point Light, then I headed back across the Casco Bay Bridge to Portland. Back at the transportation center, I loaded the bike into my car and headed into the building to pay for parking. It cost $2 to park for the entire day, which I thought was a great deal. Time to head home... it was a quick and easy drive, just under 2 hours.
Thursday, September 12, 2002
Freeport - Brunswick
...rolling, slightly inland, LLBean country
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Freeport-Brunswick cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
When I left the house I thought I was going to do the Portland lighthouse tour today, but then I realized how cool and windy it was and changed my plans. The Freeport-Brunswick tour is inland, with occasional views of the water, and the lighthouse tour is (of course) on the coast. I think the wind may be the remnants of Hurricane Gustav, which passed off the coast yesterday. I'm really glad I wasn't out riding in the intense winds of yesterday! The temperature was only supposed to get into the 60s, and the wind was supposed to die down late in the day. Given the cool temps I thought it would be better to stay a little inland.
The ride started at the visitor center in the middle of Freeport. There are a number of parking lots there, so I had my choice of parking spots. I don't know what the parking situation would be there on a summer day, but today it was no problem at all. I stopped at the visitor center to use the bathroom and to pick up a Freeport map, Then I unloaded the bike and took off. The ride started with a loop through South Freeport, then headed north to Brunswick, then back to Freeport. There was a small chunk of road that I was on in both directions between Freeport and Brunswick, but for the most part it really was a loop. The roads were rolling and quiet, very few cars, and very pleasant. And it was a crisp early fall day. I'm not ready to give up on summer yet, but I do enjoy the fall in New England - especially when it's sunny out.
On the way back to Freeport I passed a farm with a sign that said they raised registered Belted Galloways. I was disappointed that there weren't any cows within sight of the road or in any distant but viewable fields. I'd never heard of these cows until last week when I saw a mention of them in Dave Moser's journal. [November 11: I'm been meaning to add a note to this page for a while now... I was driving with my friend Barb on a back road in central Massachusetts one day last month when I looked over and saw some black & white cows in a field. When I said to Barb - hey, those are belted Galloways - I think she thought I was going crazy. But as we drove by the farm there was a sign saying that yes, they were belted Galloways. It's amazing what odd things we learn as we're out exploring on our bicycles. If Dave Moser hadn't mentioned them in his journal, I wouldn't have known what I was seeing...]
Unlike my southern coast ride, I didn't pass by too many commercial establishments today. It was an energy bar and Gatorade day, at least until I got back to Freeport. I locked the bike in my car, and took a stroll through town. I'm not much for shopping, but how could I be in Freeport without stopping at LLBean? I was ready for some food first, and decided that ice cream would be a good idea. I stopped at a Ben and Jerry's ice cream store and had a dish of mint chocolate chunk ice cream. Delicious! Then I headed into LLBean. As I passed into the store I noticed that there are no locks on the doors - probably because LLBean is open 24 hours a day. Someone I worked with years ago always planned a middle-of-the-night Christmas shopping trip to LLBean every year. Guess that's a good way to miss the crowds.
Freeport was pretty quiet in the morning, but by the time I returned in the afternoon the tour buses had descended on the town. I'm always amazed that there are tours to visit factory outlet malls. Freeport isn't a mall - it's a New England town that has been turned into an outlet town. I'm sure the permanent residents aren't too thrilled with their downtown area, but I suppose the stores provide a tax base and income for the town.
After my quick run through LLBean (didn't buy anything, don't need anything...) I went back to my car and drove to Portland. I had made a reservation at the Inn at Saint John (http://www.innatstjohn.com). I wanted to stay within walking distance of the Old Port area, preferably in an inn or B&B, and the Inn at Saint John fit the bill. It is a lovely place, built 100 years ago when the train came in across the street at Union Station. The current train station is just a mile away, and the airport isn't too far either. My room was small but charming, with a private bathroom across the hall. (No need to bring a bathrobe though, because one was supplied in the room.) I settled in, showered, and dressed to wander. I picked up a map of Portland at the front desk, and had one of the inn staff point out the Old Port area on the map. Then I headed out on foot. I know, I know, I had a car and a bike with me, but I still prefer to walk to dinner.
The Old Port area of Portland is a 6-block area of old buildings containing mostly cafes and boutiques that borders a working waterfront. I walked through the area and checked out the many restaurants before I settled on dinner at the Bakehouse Cafe. If I lived someplace other than the Boston area I probably would have opted for a seafood restaurant, but since I have easy access to fresh seafood I opted for something different. The Bakehouse Cafe had an interesting menu, with several entrees that looked interesting to me. The dish that really caught my eye was the polenta with sauteed vegetables (summer squash, asparagus, and broccoli) on a bed of fresh tomato sauce. Now that was delicious!
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Freeport-Brunswick cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
When I left the house I thought I was going to do the Portland lighthouse tour today, but then I realized how cool and windy it was and changed my plans. The Freeport-Brunswick tour is inland, with occasional views of the water, and the lighthouse tour is (of course) on the coast. I think the wind may be the remnants of Hurricane Gustav, which passed off the coast yesterday. I'm really glad I wasn't out riding in the intense winds of yesterday! The temperature was only supposed to get into the 60s, and the wind was supposed to die down late in the day. Given the cool temps I thought it would be better to stay a little inland.
The ride started at the visitor center in the middle of Freeport. There are a number of parking lots there, so I had my choice of parking spots. I don't know what the parking situation would be there on a summer day, but today it was no problem at all. I stopped at the visitor center to use the bathroom and to pick up a Freeport map, Then I unloaded the bike and took off. The ride started with a loop through South Freeport, then headed north to Brunswick, then back to Freeport. There was a small chunk of road that I was on in both directions between Freeport and Brunswick, but for the most part it really was a loop. The roads were rolling and quiet, very few cars, and very pleasant. And it was a crisp early fall day. I'm not ready to give up on summer yet, but I do enjoy the fall in New England - especially when it's sunny out.
On the way back to Freeport I passed a farm with a sign that said they raised registered Belted Galloways. I was disappointed that there weren't any cows within sight of the road or in any distant but viewable fields. I'd never heard of these cows until last week when I saw a mention of them in Dave Moser's journal. [November 11: I'm been meaning to add a note to this page for a while now... I was driving with my friend Barb on a back road in central Massachusetts one day last month when I looked over and saw some black & white cows in a field. When I said to Barb - hey, those are belted Galloways - I think she thought I was going crazy. But as we drove by the farm there was a sign saying that yes, they were belted Galloways. It's amazing what odd things we learn as we're out exploring on our bicycles. If Dave Moser hadn't mentioned them in his journal, I wouldn't have known what I was seeing...]
Unlike my southern coast ride, I didn't pass by too many commercial establishments today. It was an energy bar and Gatorade day, at least until I got back to Freeport. I locked the bike in my car, and took a stroll through town. I'm not much for shopping, but how could I be in Freeport without stopping at LLBean? I was ready for some food first, and decided that ice cream would be a good idea. I stopped at a Ben and Jerry's ice cream store and had a dish of mint chocolate chunk ice cream. Delicious! Then I headed into LLBean. As I passed into the store I noticed that there are no locks on the doors - probably because LLBean is open 24 hours a day. Someone I worked with years ago always planned a middle-of-the-night Christmas shopping trip to LLBean every year. Guess that's a good way to miss the crowds.
Freeport was pretty quiet in the morning, but by the time I returned in the afternoon the tour buses had descended on the town. I'm always amazed that there are tours to visit factory outlet malls. Freeport isn't a mall - it's a New England town that has been turned into an outlet town. I'm sure the permanent residents aren't too thrilled with their downtown area, but I suppose the stores provide a tax base and income for the town.
After my quick run through LLBean (didn't buy anything, don't need anything...) I went back to my car and drove to Portland. I had made a reservation at the Inn at Saint John (http://www.innatstjohn.com). I wanted to stay within walking distance of the Old Port area, preferably in an inn or B&B, and the Inn at Saint John fit the bill. It is a lovely place, built 100 years ago when the train came in across the street at Union Station. The current train station is just a mile away, and the airport isn't too far either. My room was small but charming, with a private bathroom across the hall. (No need to bring a bathrobe though, because one was supplied in the room.) I settled in, showered, and dressed to wander. I picked up a map of Portland at the front desk, and had one of the inn staff point out the Old Port area on the map. Then I headed out on foot. I know, I know, I had a car and a bike with me, but I still prefer to walk to dinner.
The Old Port area of Portland is a 6-block area of old buildings containing mostly cafes and boutiques that borders a working waterfront. I walked through the area and checked out the many restaurants before I settled on dinner at the Bakehouse Cafe. If I lived someplace other than the Boston area I probably would have opted for a seafood restaurant, but since I have easy access to fresh seafood I opted for something different. The Bakehouse Cafe had an interesting menu, with several entrees that looked interesting to me. The dish that really caught my eye was the polenta with sauteed vegetables (summer squash, asparagus, and broccoli) on a bed of fresh tomato sauce. Now that was delicious!
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Southern Coast
Beach towns, rocky coast, the smell of salt water
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Southern Coast cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
I woke up to a beautiful day that seemed more like summer than fall. It was sunny, and the temperature was supposed to climb into the 80s. A good day for a bike ride, even though I prefer temperatures in the 70s. I stopped at Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee for my drive, then headed off to Wells, Maine. The Southern Coast tour (tour 21) started at the Wells Intermodal Transportation Center. There is a park and ride lot there in addition to the train parking lot. I could have taken the train up and back for the day, but I chose to drive so I had the freedom of not having to stick to a train schedule.
The ride followed US 1 for a very short distance, then followed Maine route 9 and assorted back roads. Staying on numbered roads doesn't work too well if you want to see the coast - it's the back roads that follow Maine's very jagged coastline. I rode along Kennebunk beach, and then through the resort / tourist town of Kennebunkport. From there the route continued to go along beaches, then back to route 9, Then out to another beach, then back to route 9. Biddeford Pool was the northernmost point of my day. It was very pleasant riding on some pretty empty roads. I imagine that the beach roads would be a bit congested if I'd done this ride in the summer, but mid-week in September gave me wonderful riding conditions.
I grabbed some Gatorade as I left the house this morning, but uncharacteristically forgot to grab some energy bars. I was going to pick some up along the route, but I just didn't get to it. As it turned out it didn't matter because there were plenty of places to eat along the way. I had a wonderful lobster roll for lunch at Cape Porpoise Lobster. It was just stuffed with fresh lobster meat, with no filler at all. Just lobster and a little bit of mayonnaise in a grilled bun. Yum!
When I stopped for lunch one of the women at Cape Porpoise Lobster said she thought it was too hot to ride. I told her about my hot, hot summer of riding. Temperatures in the 80s are much more pleasant than the 100+ degree days that I had in Missouri and Kansas, and today I even had a small breeze off the ocean to make it more pleasant.
I'm so used to looking for places to stay from my summer trek that I continued to look on my day trip today. There were quite a few inns and B&Bs, but most of them were not near any restaurants. When I'm traveling by bike, I have a strong preference to staying places that are in walking distance to food. I probably could have found some if I really looked, but today was a day trip, and it was more a curiosity for me than a necessity!
The cue sheet for today's ride can be found at Southern Coast cue sheet, or click on ride description for a starting point.
I woke up to a beautiful day that seemed more like summer than fall. It was sunny, and the temperature was supposed to climb into the 80s. A good day for a bike ride, even though I prefer temperatures in the 70s. I stopped at Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee for my drive, then headed off to Wells, Maine. The Southern Coast tour (tour 21) started at the Wells Intermodal Transportation Center. There is a park and ride lot there in addition to the train parking lot. I could have taken the train up and back for the day, but I chose to drive so I had the freedom of not having to stick to a train schedule.
The ride followed US 1 for a very short distance, then followed Maine route 9 and assorted back roads. Staying on numbered roads doesn't work too well if you want to see the coast - it's the back roads that follow Maine's very jagged coastline. I rode along Kennebunk beach, and then through the resort / tourist town of Kennebunkport. From there the route continued to go along beaches, then back to route 9, Then out to another beach, then back to route 9. Biddeford Pool was the northernmost point of my day. It was very pleasant riding on some pretty empty roads. I imagine that the beach roads would be a bit congested if I'd done this ride in the summer, but mid-week in September gave me wonderful riding conditions.
I grabbed some Gatorade as I left the house this morning, but uncharacteristically forgot to grab some energy bars. I was going to pick some up along the route, but I just didn't get to it. As it turned out it didn't matter because there were plenty of places to eat along the way. I had a wonderful lobster roll for lunch at Cape Porpoise Lobster. It was just stuffed with fresh lobster meat, with no filler at all. Just lobster and a little bit of mayonnaise in a grilled bun. Yum!
When I stopped for lunch one of the women at Cape Porpoise Lobster said she thought it was too hot to ride. I told her about my hot, hot summer of riding. Temperatures in the 80s are much more pleasant than the 100+ degree days that I had in Missouri and Kansas, and today I even had a small breeze off the ocean to make it more pleasant.
I'm so used to looking for places to stay from my summer trek that I continued to look on my day trip today. There were quite a few inns and B&Bs, but most of them were not near any restaurants. When I'm traveling by bike, I have a strong preference to staying places that are in walking distance to food. I probably could have found some if I really looked, but today was a day trip, and it was more a curiosity for me than a necessity!
Monday, September 9, 2002
Information sources
For anyone interesting in repeating my rides either as a tour or as a series of day trips, here are some information sources.
Amtrak Downeaster, train from Boston, MA to Portland, ME - You can get specific information about the Downeaster, or you can go to the Amtrak home page.
Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes - a web page that includes links to a number of pages describing riding in the seacoast area of both New Hampshire and Maine.
Maine Department of Transportation bicycle cue sheets. I used three of the cue sheets, and found them to be very accurate and easy to follow. They included tips on things to see in addition to the directions. This site also includes cue sheets to get from Kittery (the southernmost city on the Maine coast) to Calais (the northernmost city on the Maine coast). Now that would be an interesting tour - the entire coast of Maine. Another thought for a tour: ride from Kittery to Bar Harbor, take the ferry from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia, do a tour of Nova Scotia, then take the ferry from Nova Scotia back to Portland. That would allow a one-way tour of a good chunk of the Maine coast without the need to take a bus back!
New Hampshire bike maps. The Seacost region map would be helpful in riding between Maine and Massachusetts. These maps can be downloaded from the web site, but I'd recommend requesting the paper copies. You can either pick them up at New Hampshire Visitor Centers on the interstates, or you can call the number supplied on the web site.
Rubel bike maps - Eastern Massachusetts Bicycle Map. Unlike Maine and New Hampshire, the state of Massachusetts does not produce a free cycling map. But there is a commercial map available that is very good. I've been using Rubel Bike Maps for years to find interesting rides around the state.
The Granite State Wheelmen - bicycle club in New Hampshire - hosts a Seacoast Century every fall. The ride starts in Hampton Beach, NH and goes both south to the Massachusetts coast and north through New Hampshire to the Maine coast. I rode it last year and will repeat it again on September 21st. It's a great ride that follows the coast. If you're planning a tour in the area in the fall, this is a good ride for a change of pace day.
When I was in Portland I stayed at the Inn at Saint John. It was a charming inn, with a range of room prices. Since I drove there I just left my bike locked in my car, but they do have bike storage. The stairs to the rooms are steep and narrow, not the ideal place to carry a bike, so a storage area for our prized cycles is probably a good thing!
Amtrak Downeaster, train from Boston, MA to Portland, ME - You can get specific information about the Downeaster, or you can go to the Amtrak home page.
Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes - a web page that includes links to a number of pages describing riding in the seacoast area of both New Hampshire and Maine.
Maine Department of Transportation bicycle cue sheets. I used three of the cue sheets, and found them to be very accurate and easy to follow. They included tips on things to see in addition to the directions. This site also includes cue sheets to get from Kittery (the southernmost city on the Maine coast) to Calais (the northernmost city on the Maine coast). Now that would be an interesting tour - the entire coast of Maine. Another thought for a tour: ride from Kittery to Bar Harbor, take the ferry from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia, do a tour of Nova Scotia, then take the ferry from Nova Scotia back to Portland. That would allow a one-way tour of a good chunk of the Maine coast without the need to take a bus back!
New Hampshire bike maps. The Seacost region map would be helpful in riding between Maine and Massachusetts. These maps can be downloaded from the web site, but I'd recommend requesting the paper copies. You can either pick them up at New Hampshire Visitor Centers on the interstates, or you can call the number supplied on the web site.
Rubel bike maps - Eastern Massachusetts Bicycle Map. Unlike Maine and New Hampshire, the state of Massachusetts does not produce a free cycling map. But there is a commercial map available that is very good. I've been using Rubel Bike Maps for years to find interesting rides around the state.
The Granite State Wheelmen - bicycle club in New Hampshire - hosts a Seacoast Century every fall. The ride starts in Hampton Beach, NH and goes both south to the Massachusetts coast and north through New Hampshire to the Maine coast. I rode it last year and will repeat it again on September 21st. It's a great ride that follows the coast. If you're planning a tour in the area in the fall, this is a good ride for a change of pace day.
When I was in Portland I stayed at the Inn at Saint John. It was a charming inn, with a range of room prices. Since I drove there I just left my bike locked in my car, but they do have bike storage. The stairs to the rooms are steep and narrow, not the ideal place to carry a bike, so a storage area for our prized cycles is probably a good thing!
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