Day 70 – August 12 – Brunswick, ME to Camden, ME – 61 Miles

Today we were going to try to get to a location where our ride to Bar Harbor would involve relatively low mileage.  Belfast would have been ideal.  I already had some doubts about making it to Belfast given the issue we discover last evening with the brake cable on Joe’s bike.  I checked with a number of local bike shops and found none that were open on Sunday.  I had one last hope that we might be able to make the repair.  I know that Walmart sells bicycles and accessories.  I was not sure they would have a brake cable.  A Google search located a Walmart Supercenter about ¼ mile off our route between Brunswick and the next city, Bath.

We got on the road around 8:00 and navigated our way through Brunswick.  We made it to the Walmart Supercenter on the Old Bath Road by 9:00.  A check of the rack of bicycle accessories found a bicycle overhaul kit with all the parts needed to replace both the front and rear brake as well as derailleur cables.  The repair went quickly and we were back on the road before 10:00.  The day just got a lot better and we were both feeling relieved.

There was overcast and a very light sprinkle when we started today, nothing very significant.  Bath was our next city and involved the crossing of the Kennebec River.  The bridge provided a good view over the Naval Shipyard and we could see a Navy destroyer being serviced.  The bridge was new and provided wide ample lanes as well as a dedicated bike lane.  We were about half way across when that light sprinkle quickly turned into a deluge.  By the time we reached the east end of the bridge in Woolwich, we were totally soaked.  We took refuge at a Mobile Super Pantry.  We had coffee and hot chocolate as well as sandwiches while we waited for the weather to clear.  It was about noon before we were peddling north on US 1.

Traffic on US 1 was extremely heavy.  Our routing took us off of Route 1 where possible, and other less direct state highways and county roads.  While not as busy as US 1, they were still quite busy compared to similar roads we had cycled over the last week. Shoulders on which we could ride were rare and we were often forced to ride in more of the lane than was usual.  On US 1 shoulders were present on most of the route. The grades on US 1 were less severe than those on the county roads.

There was a wind that was generally out of the south. On US 1 we were able to make good time.  Heavy rain reappeared for long enough to give us another good soaking.  We passed though the towns of Wiscasset, Waldoboro and into Camden.  Coming into Camden, the sky to the west was dark gray and it had begun to mist heavily.  We decided to make Camden out stop for the evening.

Forecasts are calling for a clear and sunny day tomorrow.   There were very few opportunities to take pictures today.  When it was not raining, rain was threatening and the countryside was clouded and foggy.

We hope to finish in Bar Harbor tomorrow.  At times, that idea is hard to comprehend.  At times it does not seem that long since we were in Seaside, OR.  At other times it seems like a lifetime.  I am not sure how many people we have talked with about our ride, just this evening we met the Wirth family from Boston on vacation.  They made a donation on the spot.  This is something I will miss.