Crossing Tour - Acadia National Park

Yesterday’s ride took us to Bar Harbour on the coast of Maine as we headed to Acadia National Park.  The first part of the morning was a ride from Milbridge through Route 187, recommended by another FJR owner Larry had met the night before.  This route had everything going for it, new asphalt, sweeping turns, hills, fresh air and a lot of trees and at the top of the hills a beautiful view of the amazing valleys and lakes that make Maine so beautiful.  It was a great way to start the day.

A quick stop to check tire pressure and we were off heading to Ellsworth.  There is one crazy intersection in Ellsworth which we encountered on our last ride on our way home….it looks like you are turning into a mall as there is no sign showing that the route changes or how.  Again, similar to our last tour through, we got through it more by accident than intention but I guess the end result is we got through….we have dubbed it “that stupid freaking intersection”, aptly named and forever christened.

The park is actually two separate loops.  The ride is slow in most parts but the views of the harbours along the first route are really spectacular and reminiscent of how Bar Harbour has been represented.  That said, it is more than it’s harbours…there were beaches and forest and valleys and lakes as we made our way through.  It is truly a beautiful part of the state and we enjoyed riding under old stone overpasses which reminded us of the Blueridge Parkway in Virginia.

We had lunch in a quaint outdoor lunch stand that once used to be an ice cream stand.  Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound…..it is legendary for more than it’s lobster and I would invite you to check it out.  Between us all we had rolls of lobster, crab and scallops as well as a seaweed salad thrown in.  So good, great music playing and a unique atmosphere…all of the things that make stopping here great!

We headed back towards Ellsworth on our way to Lincoln Maine, our stop for the night.  First a stop at Dunkin Donuts, at the “stupid freaking intersection” only to find it is open only to drive through….no cup holders on our bikes and Larry needed more than a coffee…back to the gas station for our stop, where Jerry and I now have a liking to Starbucks Mocha in a can.  After plotting out our route, and getting refreshed we headed to the “stupid freaking intersection” and headed on our way.

We had a beautiful day and our stop at Whitetail Inn and Suites proved to be just as beautiful as our day.  Highly recommend this as a stop on our next visit as well.  We headed down to Forresters for supper where we had one of the best suppers so far on the road.  

The days have been so great and we have had great weather, night time sleep usually overcomes us about 10 pm….early for us but we will take it.  Nothing like a good nights sleep after a warm, fresh air filled day!  Pictures to come….

Crossings Tour - All about the crossings….

Today, we travelled over 200 km but only clocked about 160 kms on our bikes….and no we did not time travel……well at least not in the traditional meaning of time travel.

Breakfast at 8 a.m., and on the bikes and heading out before 10 a.m…….we made the short ride to the ferry to Deer Island.  The ferry was loaded including a huge dump truck with a dozer in the dump and a back hoe on the trailer he was pulling.

I was surprised that it cleared the deck.  The pilot advised us about staying on our bikes as they loaded and unloaded…now I know why.  Even sea legs came in handy!

We crossed from St. George to Deer Island and rode through to the next ferry landing that would take us to Campobello Island….summer home of Roosevelt and our next stop for lunch.  

  

Campobello Park is the only International Park in the world supported by two countries, Canada and the US.  They have maintained a legacy that has lasted many years and continues to this day.  We will come back to spend more time here….a weekend away to enjoy more of the local flavours and tours.  

We arrived at the ferry landing that would take us to the US crossing and low and behold, we have to get on the ferry from the beach…yup, no dock here!  As we waited for the ferry we were entertained by a minke whale who surfaced a few times and continued on their way…I assume he/she was looking for breakfast at this time of day.

The ferry ride was interesting not just from how you loaded on the ferry from the beach, but the pilot’s cabin actually pivoted around to steer the ferry from each direction…to do this they had to back out from the beach, cut the engine and set the ferry to drift, so to speak, as the whole piece on the side swung out and around to point in the other direction.  It was really cool!  

 

We made a quick stop in Jonesport, Maine for a bit of a break…..it was a beautiful ride thorough Route 187 and the stop was both restful and picturesque….at this point we were getting a bit weary despite some of our travel for the day being “chartered” and “chauffeured”.

We headed to our stop for the night in Milbridge, Maine.  The place we stayed had a beautiful flower and vegetable garden which was amazing.  A lot of great ideas for my own garden and as Larry pointed out I did have a little compost envy…..I am sure Larry is as thrilled as I am!  Supper at a local authentic Mexican restaurant and fortunately it was close enough to walk to and from.  Tomorrow we are looking at heading to the Acadian Park and Bar Harbour as we make our way north to Bangor!

  

Crossings Tour - Newfoundland to New Brunswick

Yesterday we took off across the province through the back roads of New Brunswick, touring our friends from Newfoundland on roads they have not yet travelled….through the countryside of Petty, Sussex, Hampton and the Kingston Peninsula we enjoyed the twists and turns all the way to the ferry at Carters Point where we crossed over on the Grand Bay/Westfield ferry.  

We were able to enjoy all back roads with only a little bit of highway riding as we hopped from one area to another.  We made a stop in Lepreau Falls.  A little known but amazing spot.

The falls is fresh water fed but the bottom of the falls is salt water fed.  There are actually three sets of falls, two of which are further up river..these are the major falls.  Larry’s Mother grew up around here and he still has family who live here.  We did make a quick stop to say hello while there.  Always good to see family.

Magnolia Tour - July 21

 It was a long days ride, but apparently an even longer blog day.  Sorry that I missed my last post for our July trip.

The last day of riding before heading home was the one we dubbed the Magnolia Tour.  Maine is home to two shows on the Magnolia Network that are favourites of ours……..Cabin Masters and the Lost Kitchen. We headed towards Bar Harbour with stops at these locations in mind.

First stop got us to Manchester, home of the Cabin Masters.  Upon arrival we were greeted by Ryan, who was hanging lights up around the building…..Great fellow and just as funny in person.  That’s the cool thing about them.  When we spotted Ryan and Ashley they were doing normal things that most of us would do around our homes….including Ashley inspecting her husbands work hanging the lighting!  They seem to be the same in person as they are on tv which makes them very approachable and honestly the big reason we enjoy watching them.  It was lunch time so we had lunch in the “Wood Shed” and bought a couple of stickers and tree ornaments, and then off to the next stop. 

Next stop was one we were really excited to find….get it…”find?”….the Lost Kitchen has become a favourite in our house and a hope….if you haven’t seen it check out their story….amazing space in the very middle and heart of Maine.  

Erin French has created an oasis with food instead of water, as the “Maine” attraction.  We had an opportunity to walk around the property and visit the gift shop.  I am always amazed by people who can make simple changes look like a natural design.  Being here felt like that.  

We will be submitting post cards for reservations this year…many of them, in the hope of coming here to share in one of her beautifully creative dinners.

We spent some time here just relaxing in the sun and wishing we had someplace on the bike to take so many things with us.  We settled on a couple of cookbooks, some jams, and some seasonings….seemed appropriate.  Needless to say, we got a little “Lost” ourselves.

From Freedom we headed to Bar Harbour….our last stop before heading home.  It was hot, lots of tired riders.  It was an early evening, after a feed of lobster of course.

It is so nice to be able to ride to Maine again.  One of our favourite spots that is close to home.   Always a favourite and now more reasons to keep coming.

Out of the Bubble - New…….again!

What a day!

Outside of every restaurant we want to visit being closed “that day”, the day was awesome….great roads, hot temperatures but lots of new experiences in an area that we though we had spent a lot of time.

We could spend a week here and not cover all of the roads we now want to travel.  The AutoRoad for Mount Washington was closed to motorcycles (or so the web site said) so we decided we would run the roads around the White Mountains….beautiful vistas and amazing roads were what we found…that and an amazing restaurant in Conway.

We started out on the number 2 highway and then moved over to the 16….down through the valleys and up through the mountains, the roads were smooth and fun!

A couple of stops along the way included a fabulous back drop for a mid afternoon snack and some shade…We were able to spend a little time here taking in the beautiful views (and a bum break)…we continued on until we came across the “PLUME”.  This site is very similar to Watkins Glen, in that you have to hike in a little….unfortunately we did not come equipped for said hike but it is now on our list of “to do’s”. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch in Conway (amazing family restaurant) where they also took our jackets and put them in the cooler….OMG, did I love a cold jacket!

The day ended, as it began…hot!…the Simons climbed Mount Washington but this hot chick, and her side kick decided on a dip in the pool while we waited for their return.

Out of the Bubble Tour - What is Old is New Again!

So we have taken the Bubble on the road again, this time with a trip to the south….south of the border.  Just a quick trip to a favourite spot - Mount Washington in New Hampshire, specifically the Mount Washington Auto Route.

Our trip began as usual, departing home, crossing the border and an overnight stop in Bangor.  I was surprised how the expectation of everything remaining the same, not changing or at least thinking that the time since our last trip would not have changed much.  Airline (Route 9) has been completely redone and is a really great road and ride.  Despite the heat of the day (exception being the very cool fog in Saint John and Pocologan) it was a comfortable ride as the sun did not make a full appearance.  Today we travelled 450 km so after a few glasses of wine, we were done (some of us more than other).

We headed for Gorham this morning…this will be our starting point for the next two days.  It was a different ride today than it was yesterday.  We had similar heat but with a nice chaser of SUN!

The road, though familiar in spots seemed more unfamiliar.  Not sure if it has been the passing time but my recollection of of our past travels just didn’t seem to align with what I was experiencing, except in a few places…a building, turn, a river or restaurant.  Maybe it was the heat!  Either way, we were happy to be back to our fun place and we are looking forward to the climb tomorrow, and because we are staying in the area, we are even going to get a chance to ride AROUND the mountains…..I look forward to the views again…………