Out of the Mountains and On to the Coast

Today we went to Maine.  Joe’s 68-mile ride started out nicely with beautiful weather and road.  Before he left New Hampshire he found that he’d picked a road that just ended.  He was in disbelief because it looked like a farmer’s field, not a road.  Eventually it came out onto asphalt.  He rode out of NH and exited the White Mountains.  He passed the Welcome to Maine sign and the roads and weather were beautiful.  And then he did it again. The asphalt ended and turned into a dirt road.  He thought, “That’s not so bad, how bad could it be?  Done that before”.  Unfortunately, that dirt road turned into another jeep track with rocks and pebbles and he needed to walk. He should have known better because Garmin had called it a trail and not a road. Garmin told him he had 3 miles of walking up hill in rocks and sand.  Luckily it was only 2 tenths of a mile and then the road was paved.  Everything was going great until he was 5 miles from the end and he ran into a gravel road which was being freshly graded.  His tires were sinking in, and it was unstable.  Fortunately, that only lasted a ½ mile.  Joe said he takes the blame because he had to go off the traditional bike route because his bike rides need to include an RV park.  Map My Ride software doesn’t differentiate between a gravel or asphalt road, a dirt trail or the Lewis and Clark Trail.  Joe said thank God he bought a gravel bike.  He didn’t intend for it to be on gravel, but it has and has done its job.  And so, this evening he went over all his upcoming routes again.  It was nice to stay in one place because all the bike riding and the 3-mile hike yesterday tired those legs out.

As for us, Eastern Slope Campground in New Hampshire has a dog beach and Neptune and I went for a walk before leaving this morning.  I thought maybe he’d enjoy playing in the water.  He is a “Lab Mix” after all.  He didn’t make it very far in the water before asking to go back onto firm ground.  We still haven’t gotten him used to the water, but he did stick his head out the window when I was driving 50 mph today.  He’s come a long way.  This evening, he laid down so that Joe could not get his food from the microwave without climbing over him.  That is very typical Neptunium.  He’s finally getting used to the traveling house.  But he will be so glad to be home. 

Neptune and I followed the truck directions, and we went through some beautiful towns.  We moved out of the mountains today.  I was a bit surprised when we ended up going through a toll booth ($1) and then through another one ($1.50).  Luckily, I was so surprised to have to go through a toll booth, that I didn’t have time to be concerned about the RV fitting.  Earlier in the trip, in New York, I went through a tollway, but it was all automatic and apparently, I should expect a picture of me, the truck and a bill at some point in the near future.

Neptune and I arrived about ½ hour before Joe.  We are staying at Cedar Haven Family Campground.  There are a lot of amazing wood carvings all around.  And every campsite has either an Amish made swing or hand carved bench. They are very dog friendly with a free dog wash and dog watering stations throughout the park.  Hopefully in the future, we will come back here for a few nights and explore Freeport, Maine. 

The afternoon was spent reevaluating the route and doing some household business now that we have decent Wi-Fi.  The weather has been foggy, misty, sunny, cloudy and is also supposed to rain a bit tonight.  We’re about 7 miles from the ocean.  Close, but not quite there yet.

Only 3 more rides for Joe!  So hard to believe it’s almost over.  It is a summer we will never, and should never, forget.  We’re so very grateful for all of our supporters and helpers.  Thank you!