Portland, ME - Sept 17

~ Mark & DD

Total Admiration

Congrats, Mark and Dee Dee! A toast!

Though it's not in your natures to boast,

   Perseverence, good luck,

   Help from friends, lots of pluck...

You have ridden your bikes coast to coast!

 

~Margaret~            TwinsOnBicycles.blogspot.com

Our fellow riders

Greetings to the rest of the P2A gang:

As we look out over the beach and the Atlantic, our thoughts go to the rest of you who made portions of the journey with us.   We're missing all of you.  Wish you were with us.

Sue, you traveled with us the farthest until your trip ended painfully in Michigan.  We know you will finish this trip.  You've become such a strong rider.

Rob, we put in many wonderful miles together.  Thanks for everything you did for the group,  including seeing us off on the final leg.  You are a great travel companion and a very generous host.

Bruce, the route master, thanks for initiating the trip and for all the hours spent planning the route.   It was a fabulous journey.....a dream come true.

Carol, Perry, Margo,  we had a great time traveling with you.   It was very nice to make some new friends.  Thanks also for keeping the blog going.

We just hope we will get to travel with any or all of you again.

From Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

Cheers,

Mark and Dee Dee

P2A

~ Mark

Maine - Sept 16

~ Mark

Franklin to Ossipee Lake

Saturday turned out to be a cloudy, cold, blustery day.  Rode down the White River to Lebanon, NH and then on to Franklin.

Today was a beautiful sunny day.  Up through Meredith, past Lake Winnipesaukee, around the dike (mountain formation) to Osipee Lake.

Found a campground still open.  Ice cream shop closed a couple weeks ago, but they dished us large bowls from the left over supply and said we could help ourselves to more.

Should see the Atlantic tomorrow.

~ Mark & DD

Ice Cream Camp, in the New Hampshire woods

Knocking off states

 You guys are making great progress!

 We got home about 8:00 last night from Portland. It was a long drive, but well worth the extra effort to get home at last and to be able to sleep in our own beds.

This morning I found a AAA Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine map and have marked your route on it. It sounds like you had a lovely time in Middlebury. And from your photos, it looks like you are now in the midst of autumn.

Bruce rallied this morning and is out with his weed whacker at MacDonald Pass cutting vegetation with the Last Chance Nordic Ski Club. With any luck, we will be skiing before December.

 I am home doing laundry and slowly unpacking 3 1/2 months of stuff--everything from wedding clothes to groceries.

 I am now 15 days out from my bike crash and the bruises are fading some. The only open "road rash" is on the shoulder that Dee Dee put a bandage on. And there are still a few scabs here and there. My stitches and drain are gone and I can once more wear normal pants and shorts. I am seeing our orthopod on Wednesday and will find out what I need to do (or put off doing) for a complete recovery. My right shoulder (not the one that hit the pavement) continues to be sore, particularly at night. Otherwise I am feeling pretty well.

 ~ Sue

Bethal

Rode from Rochester to Bethal VT in a steady rain.  Fairly busy road with variable shoulders....but mostly downhill.  Older B&B in Bethal seems to be only lodging or camping in area.  Room is quite nice and we are the only guests.

No cell coverage in Bethal, but town has free central wi-fi.  It's a bit intermittant at the B&B.

Learned today that highway 132 past Sharon is closed with a fairly long, hilly, gravel detour.  So we are thinking of just heading south towards Lebanon in the morning and taking 4 or 4A east in New Hampshire.

Weather is supposed to dry out but remain cool for the next few days.

~ Mark & DD

Brandon Gap - Sept 13

A wonderful stay in Middlebury, VT.   Poached salmon dinner with our wonderful hosts and some of their cycling friends.  A little route planning over the maps.   They recommended we take Brandon Mountain Rd over the Green Mtns. due to better condition of the road.

Beautiful ride south along lake Dunmore.  Cool, cloudy. ...great for climbing.   Brandon Mtn Rd is a nice climb.   About 1500 ft, the last 500 ft or so is very steep.

Very nice downhill, but in a steady rain.  Now stopped for lunch in Rochester.

~ Mark & DD

Middlebury - Sept 12

No rain so far today.   Heavy rain and strong storms are forecast for this afternoon.   Got an early start.  Took the ferry into Vermont.   Highway 74 was very hilly and very rough....add in very high humidity and it made for a tough morning.

Met a couple at the grocery store who invited us to stay at their home for the evening and dinner with a couple of their cycling friends.   Now having lunch in downtown Middlebury (very quaint college town) then ice cream.

~ Mark & DD

Blue Mountain Lake

Supposed to be hot and humid today, so we got up early and got an early start.  14 miles to Blue Mountain Lake.  Really beautiful morning.   Locals say good climb ahead around Blue Mountain.

~ Mark & DD

Post trip seclusion

Good to see Team Cress pressing on to the coast. Great photos. How are the drivers and the shoulders?

 After Bruce and Sue headed west on their epic drive, I packed the back of my truck with boxes destined for our house in northern MI, hitched the trailer and sashayed north to Harbor Springs to begin fall chores. I spent most of last weekend moving wood, putting the winter cover on my sailboat and installing electrical conduit in my shop. I felt virtuous, but sure do miss the rhythms of the Open Road.

 Hope we can retain Mark and DeeDee's institutional memory when Bruce, Sue and I swing into the saddle for Part Two.

 Stay safe. Rob

Raquette Lake - Sept 10

Day started with heavy rain, so we hung around in the brown barn at Boonville until 10:00.  Nice ride through Old Forge to Raquette Lake (Great camp for the Vanderbilts).  Moose River Road was very nice, as was South Shore Road.

Staying at the Raquette Lake Hotel and Tap Room (has a nice sound to it? ).  Rustic room for $40.

~ Mark & DD

Boonesville - Sept 9

Camping 2 miles east of Boonesville at the Brown Barn Campground. They let us camp in the barn. I think they have enough picnic tables even for our full group.

~ Mark & DD

Roosevelt Campground

From the Oregon side, here is where we sweltered in the shade a little over two months ago.

~ Sue

Deja vu all over again

~ Sue

Pulaski NY - Sept 8

Rode to Pulaski with fairly stiff headwinds.  Nice sunny day.   Staying at Stoney's campground.   Mike, the owner, gave us a cabin for the price of tent camping.  Josh, Mike's son, gave us a salmon cleaning demo.  Josh's son showed us how they wash the fish.   We also met Mike senior.

Had lunch at Dan's Chicken Shack.  Only open Sat & Sun.   BBQ chickens over a large wood fire.  We only ate half a chicken.

~ Mark & DD

Warm and dry!

Sometimes a motel room turns out to be a really good decision.

~ Dee Dee & Mark

Lake Ontario - Sept 7

Rode from the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario.   A cool, rainy day.  We are getting reintroduced to hill climbing.  The glaciers left some interesting topography along Lake Ontario.

Interesting ports at Pultneyville and Sodus Point.  The later was a loading port for Pennsylvania coal.

Overnight at a small motel outside Fairhaven.  Nice to be warm and dry.

~ Dee Dee

Got home

All okay except scratches on a window where a bird has been attacking its reflection. More later. Tons to unpack.

~ Sue

Erie Canal - Day 2

Another nice day on the canal trail.  Bought new tires in Pittsford at Towpath Cyclery.  Camping at Macedon by Lock no. 30.  No showers at the campground, but they let us use the showers at the village fire station.  We leave the canal tomorrow morning and head north to Lake Ontario.

~ Dee Dee

Three days in the driver's seat

Nearly 2,000 miles!
~ Sue

Yay!

We are going to stop in Bozeman to see Ellie this afternoon. Home tonight.
 ~ Sue

Back to the West!

~ Sue

South Dakota sky

If you like consistency, you'll be glad to know that a strong SE wind still blows across the Dakotas.
~ Sue

Erie canal - Sept 5

~ Mark & DD

They let us back in!

Want a Brewski? No Can Do-ski!

Sue's doctor would never condone
Drinking beer while on hydrocodone.
   She'll soberly choose
   To steer clear of all booze.
With condolences, call her cell phone!

Bet you are having more fun....

 .....than we are driving through Chicago.

~ Sue

Bird banding at Rock Point.

Spent an hour this morning touring a bird banding station at Rock Point Provincial Park.  Saw Black-throated blue warbler; American Redstart; grey-cheeked warbler, etc.  Very cool!

~ Mark & DD

Sept 3

Long day today.  Cool temps, tail wind equals 81 miles to Rock Point Provincial Park.  Local knowledge let us know we could get around bridge construction ahead.   Great riding on the Lakeshore Road.

Niagra Falls tomorrow.

~ Mark & DD