Day 77 - Dover, NH to Portland, ME - JOURNEY COMPLETE!

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Stats: 

Today's miles: 51 miles
Today's feet of elevation gain: 1,751 feet
Total miles traveled: 3,552.7 miles
Total feet climbed: 95,301 feet

Wow, what a mixed bag over the last 5 days!! Let’s start with the best…I completed the ride at 1:30 PM at East End Beach in Portland ME!!  Tim road with me the last two days (97mi). It was a great way to cap of a long trek, glad he was able to ride along. The ride was through typical New England countryside with plenty of hills and lots of beautiful woods and lakes. As we made our way to the beach, the section along the Portland waterfront/wharf was crowded with tourists checking out all the shops, restaurants and pubs. It was so interesting we went back for a celebratory lobster roll lunch and beers.


The earlier portion of the week was a little more challenging. On Tues 9/27 I rode the last stretch (for me) of the Erie Canal into Schenectedy and then started the route to Portland. All went well until the rain squalls started @ 3:00 in the afternoon. I was in the middle of no-where and was heading to Arlington NY. With the rain becoming more frequent and intense I opted to cut the ride short and stop in Cambridge. While Google maps indicated a motel and a couple other lodging options, they were either no longer in business or not accepting guests. My only option at 5:00 was to press on to Bennington (12mi off planned route) in the rain. Fortunately I pulled into the hotel just before dark with the rain still coming down.


I ended up staying another day in Bennington as the rain showers kept developing along the western side of the Green Mountains.


On Thursday I left Bennington hoping to recover some of my planned mileage. The route turned into a complete bust after about 12mi. I was on a little traveled gravel road (Thanks Google!!). The expression on the faces of the two women out walking their dogs made it clear that I was lost. I found a road to the nearest highway, hiked my bike up the embankment (because the roads weren’t connected) and road back to Bennington, feeling a little dejected, to plot a new route. I re-started just after noon and experienced a lot of the New England hills. It was great when Clare and Tim pulled in ahead of me after driving out from Minnesota for the final days of the trip. I was more than happy to load up the bike and call it a day.


I don’t have the final tally but the estimate was around 3575mi (stats show total recorded/reported miles) total for the trip. I’m happy to say I did it and I’m glad to say I’m done.


Thanks to everyone who’s followed and supported this adventure. It’s not something that everyone has the chance to do. I appreciate all the comments and words of encouragement. Thank you!


I plan to edit and release videos of some of the segments of the trip other than the raw videos from the western portions. More to come on that


Again, thanks to all who have followed or been part of this!




Location: Portland, ME, USA

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 1, 2022 at 5:48 PM

    Amazing adventure!!! I’m so proud of you!!! Love ya!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 1, 2022 at 5:48 PM

    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 1, 2022 at 7:23 PM

    Way to go Kevin!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JeannineOctober 1, 2022 at 9:21 PM

    Congratulations Kevin, quite an accomplishment. So great that Tim could finish the last miles with you.
    Enjoy a well deserved rest!

    ReplyDelete

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