July 12th St. Andrews to St. John N.B.

One last blog.

Today was pack up and go home day. I built a box for the bike and another for the trailer out of scrounged cardboard and duct tape. Loaded them on the bus for Calgary. Above are two adjoining views of the waterfront in St. Andrews. Of all the little seaside towns I've been through it is easily the most appealing. It is the real life equivalent of the town in the Popeye movie "Sweet Haven". I half expected Popeye to row up to the dock in his dingy, with his pipe puffing smoke and saunter into town to get a shot of rum. "I'm good to the finich because I eats me spinach"

Here's water street. It was hosing down last night when I rolled into town so got a motel and headed for the laundromat to wash and dry things out before going home. Had the seafood platter at the Chef's restaurant so got to have seafood once. Lots of little Bistros and Souvenir shops along this street. Quite touristy. Today I caught the bus to St. John and will get the plane out of here tomorrow for Calgary. Next time I do a trip I hope it will be with Shelley and she can add her comments too.

July 11th Pembroke to St. Andrews

This marker was beside the road a little north of Pembroke this morning. I momentarily toyed with the idea of going to the equator since I was halfway there already. Never mind - one trip at a time.

There are four fishing boats in the shot from just south of Calais. (They pronounce it Calis)It was a foggy drizzly day today. Great, I loved it until it really started hosing down and then -

Doh!

Flat tire. No big deal. Last time I had a flat I bought a spare tube for the trailer and so had it changed, pumped up and ready to roll in twenty minutes. I set the bike back on it's wheels and turned to pick up the trailer pack. A big truck went by and blew the bike over. I picked it back up and loaded the trailer. When I got under way and checked the GPS for the time it was gone! It had flung off the handlebar when the bike was knocked over. After a half hour of crawling through the tall grass by the road I found it.

Got across the border into Canada at St. Stephens no problem. They immediately recognized me as a slightly demented but harmless transcontinental cyclist. They get special training to be able to do this. The photo above is the world famous Ganongs chocolate factory in St. Steven. You have probably eaten chocolate from there. The front part is a museum but I didn't see it advertised anywhere that you could actually taste the chocolates so just kept going.

Echo Lodge, Lower Bayside, just west of St. Andrews. This rambling old Farmhouse was built by my great great grandfather, William MacCoubrey. It was nice to see that it was being kept in good shape by the current owners who I did not get to meet as no one was at home. Our mother, Jean, always spoke fondly of the good times had here when she went to grandad's farm in the summertime.

Front tire in the Atlantic. I had to drag the bike a half a mile across mud flats to get this photo as it was low tide and the tides here are huge. Pretty good feeling to have made it across the country. No one there so I just put the camera on a rock with the timer and jumped in the picture as I have done many times. Tomorrow the bike will go on the bus to Calgary and I'll get myself to St. John to catch a plane to Calgary. End of trip. Hope you enjoyed the blog.

July 10th Milbridge to Pembroke

It was foggy and cool this morning which lasted most of the day and was a welcome change from the heat. I wasn't sure what to make of this place. Probably some old character living here with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with. This part of Maine is pretty backwoodsy. Not very prosperous looking. Lots of people put firewood out for sale at the ends of their driveways. It is on the honour system. If you need some just put two dollars in the tin can. In some parts of the world that wouldn't work but apparently it does here. That says something good about them.

We are out of the Maple syrup country and into the blueberry zone. You can get blueberry anything. This place looks like a blue smurf might live here but it is actually a blueberry place near Whiting.

Here's a fish boat pulled up with some lobster traps behind it. Now lobster traps don't look like the wooden slat ones we used to see. These look like they are just made of chicken wire. I don't think they will sell very well as souvenirs. I have seen lots of boats pulled up and many for sale along this stretch of road. One woman I talked to said that seafood prices are on the rise because of the disaster in the Gulf. This will likely put pressure on the Atlantic fishery. I talked to a Fisheries Canada employee who said the quota system we have is under constant pressure from all sides. Hopefully it won't end up like the cod fishery.

July 9th Brewer to Milbridge ME

How can you tell that you are getting close to the ocean? One clue is that you start seeing lots of little seafood places called galleys. This place had Haddock, crab and lobster in various ways. I was anxious to get my first view of the Atlantic but things were conspiring against me this morning.

There's an old Irish cyclists curse that says "may a hot wind be in your face, all the hills be really steep and all your roads be under construction." See photo above. Road construction in Maine usually involves drilling and blasting because of the granite. This morning I was trying to figure out how I had angered the cycling gods who had put the curse on me.

Eventually they took pity on me and the wind shifted off to one side, the construction ended and the road flattened out somewhat. In the early afternoon I was treated to my first glimpse of the open ocean just above the sailboat. The scent of the sea had reached me an hour before this. To smell the salt air and seaweed is always a thrill and immediately brings back a flood of good memories.

Today I ended up in the town of Milbridge. This lovely old home is right beside the motel I'm in for the night. This place is not the exception here as the town is full of beautiful older homes. At one time the people here were doing very well for themselves. A home this size in Calgary would likely be a couple million dollars.

July 8 Skowhegan to Brewer

Here's an old mill which is beside the Kennebec River in Skowhegan. You can sit on the patio and watch the water coming over the hydro dam just out sight on the right side of the picture. Maine is a very attractive state, very much like New Brunswick with lots of forest, lakes and big salmon rivers.

Here's an example of what I mean by attractive. This tree lined road is just East of Skowhegan. Nice way to start the day with a smooth cruise along this river. It was cool for the first bit this morning but by noon it had heated up into the eighties again. Most of the day was spent grinding up steep hills. In some places too steep to pedal up so had to get off and push. Constant up and down which gradually wears you down. The old bent bike is not a good hill climber. It would much rather be cruising along on the flat. Nevertheless still did 90 km. today

For the last several days I've been seeing lots of pickups which are dump trucks. About one ton trucks with dump boxes on them. I think the main reason for this is firewood. Lots of homes have firewood piled out in the yard. It is probably the cheapest way to heat in this area and a small dump truck is the perfect machine to haul and dump a load of wood. Here someone has neatly stacked his winters worth of wood in the yard. This scene with it's split rail fence could have been taken two hundred years ago if it were not for the travel trailer in the background.

Bangor on the Penobscot river. Pretty city. It reminds me very much of Inverness in the Northern Highlands which also sits on an excellent salmon river. The river Ness which flows out of Loch Ness of monster fame. As far as I know no good whiskey comes out of Bangor though.

July 7 Rumsford to Skowhegan

Up at four this morning and rolling early to beat the heat. The first ten miles was a pleasant cruise along the tree lined Androscoggin river. After that it was a climb out of the river valley and over into the Wilson River basin. When I dropped it down to start the climb nothing happened. The bracket holding the front shifter had broken into two unrepairable pieces. I was just about to chuck it but decided to hold on to it for some reason. So what to do? I had not passed a bike shop for hundreds of miles and had no idea when I would come across another one. I struggled along for the next twenty miles using only the middle seven gears. It was pretty hard going and I knew I could not keep going like that. Amazingly in the next place there was a a store which was a combination wood store showroom and bike shop with three bike mechanics! My fluke luck is holding.

Here's Reid who scavenged parts and used some of the ones I had saved to patch together a new front shifter for me. I filled my self up with cold water from their cooler and was on my way

Near Mercer I took this photo of the lopsided tree. The power line crews have kept the branches near the power line trimmed back so the tree responded by putting out its growth over the road.

Great shady spot for me to take a rest. The temperature was in the nineties again today with high humidity on top of that. When you put a cold drink on the bike it starts dripping with condensation in minutes. I have my hot weather riding technique figured out now. I'm in bed by eight and up by four so have a few hours before it gets hot. By ten it is cooking so you have to stay soaked down constantly and back off on the speed. Just chug along at a rate that is not stressing your heart. At Norridgewock this afternoon it was 95 degrees F and I was coping fine. Did 100 kms in spite of mechanical problems. It's all in the technique!

Here's a home in Skowhegan which is very typical to this part of the country. Huge and with steep roofs covered with metal. I have seen several signs warning to watch for falling snow beside steep roofs but I have paid them no heed. Haven't seen a flake since leaving "the Hat"

Things in Maine do not have the monied look of "Vuhmaant" In Hardwick a bundle of firewood was five dollars but can be had here for two. Yuppies don't do wood. They just pay too much for it.

July 6th Shelburn, N.H. to Rumford, Maine

Above is a photo of the road just west of the border into Maine. North New Hampshire is heavily wooded with mature trees hanging over the road. The shade is a welcome relief. The whole Eastern U.S. has been having a record heat wave with temps in the 100s F. I camped at Silver Birch campground but didn't sleep too well because of the heat. Got up early to get some miles in before it got too scorching hot. It was a good plan gut gang awry because shortly after entering Maine ran into 10 km of construction. When on a bicycle this is a real trial because the pavement is torn up and you end having to push in gravel at places. At other times you have to sit in the dust and searing heat waiting for traffic from the other direction. Car drivers don't have much patience for cyclists under those conditions.

After entering Maine things started to flatten out a bit as you travel along the Androscoggin River. Some good cropland was apparent along the road. This crop of potatoes was near Bethel You can almost see the heat waves shimmering off the land. Today I was using some of my old Kamloops cycling tricks. Go into every gas station and take your shirt off and soak it under a tap of cold water. Fill water bottles with tap water to keep it wet as it will dry out in about twenty minutes. Pour water through the holes in your bike helmet and down your back. Stuff paper towels in the front of your helmet to stop the sweat from running into your eyes. Drink about a liter of water each hour. Even with doing these things you can see on your heart rate monitor that your heart is under considerable stress and into the red zones as soon as you hit a bit of a grade. Then it is time to quit and get into someplace with AC.

This memorial in Rumford is the first one I have come across for the Civil war. That looks very much like a Civil war field cannon. The monument lists towns which contributed men to the Rumford regiment and also Mexico. Mexico! Why were they getting soldiers from Mexico? Turns out that Mexico is the name of a small town near here. I'll go through it first thing tomorrow morning.

July 5th North Concorde, Vermont to Shelburne, New Hampshire

After leaving the campground on the moose river this morning I passed over it on a bridge. Like a watery Troll a huge beaver came out from under it as I was taking a picture of the early morning mist on the water. He whacked his tail three times at me to say "keep moving you guy on the funny bike. This is my River and my woods and my mate. A slightly smaller beaver had come out to check what all the tail whacking was about. I had no desire to jump in the river and have it out with him so just moved along.

After about six miles this morning I crossed over into Lancaster, New Hampshire. Since it was still quite early traffic was light and I took this photo of this well maintained city. I have been impressed by the number and variety of churches in the places I have been passing through. I also made note of how deeply religious most Americans are. Not much is said in a conversation with them without God being brought in before long. They have great faith in the power of God. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. If it inspires them to great acts of courage and wisdom then it is. If they think God will look after things and they don't have too worry about the future then it is a very bad thing. If we make a mess of the world I don't think God is going to step in and fix it for us. That's my take on it anyway and we are running out of time! O.K enough about that.

Here's the inside of another sugar house I stuck my head into today. The big stainless tank in the middle is wherre the sap gets boiled. It takes about 100 gallons of sap to make a gallon of maple syrup. When you look at it that way it's not surprising that it's quite expensive.

Finally crossed the River into New Hampshire and left the rotten Adirondacks behind. So now the White mountains and dozens of other ranges in the Appalachians lie ahead. The highway shown here turned left and headed up into the hills you see here. Groan. At the end of the day I know when it is time to quit as flames start to lick at my calves, knees and tendons. I think I'm getting too old for this.

July 4 Morrisville to North Concorde Vermont

Got an early start at 6 A.M this morning and before long was passing through the picturesque town of Hardwick. While stopped to buy a couple of cold drinks a elderly woman, probably in her eighties but spry and sharp, came over to talk. When I told her my destination of St. Andrews her eyes sparkled and she said she was familiar with the area as she grew up in St.Stevens which is on the border with Maine near there. She asked if I had family there and I replied that I had deep roots there but few relatives remain. She asked what family it was and I replied MacCoubrey. Her face lit up and she said "I knew the MacCoubreys! As a young girl I spent my summers on Fred MacCoubrey's farm. Fine people the MacCoubreys." She grasped my hand and shook it firmly and wished me a safe and happy trip and stood waving as I pedalled away. Amazing how the good deeds and attitudes of family members can reach into the future and span distance. People remember. Sometimes it is an incredibly small world.

These motorcyclists pulled up beside me at a scenic lookout. I couldn't help but be impressed by the big Victory tourer that this woman was piloting. All four of them had eye catching big twin cruisers. Beautiful bikes. Nice People who were pleased to meet a fellow Canadian. Also it was nice to see the girls on their own big bikes instead of just perched on the back. I think I might like to have the BMW painted in this rich glowing metallic maroon.

This is the village of Walcott. Towns in this area were established in the late 1700's so the cemetery's have more people in them by far than the towns. Very hilly going again today so spent most of the day in bottom gear. Made 25 miles in the first four hours. I was leaving a trail of sweat going up the hills as the temp was cooking hot. Knocked off at 2:00 at the designated campground only to find it right full of people celebrating the fourth of July. Fortunately two nice families let me share a spot at their site as they had extra room. Lucked out again!

Here's an old sugar house. This is where maple sap is boiled down to make maple syrup and sugar. This is a fairly important industry across northern Vermont. Some sugar places are the size of small factories.

July 3 St Albans to Morrisville

The scenic Adirondacks The leg cramping, lung popping, heart breaking Adirondacks. It was a steady steep climb up for the first two hours this morning. Then the roller coaster ride started. When it is like that it takes about double the time it would take to cover the same distance on the flat. It would have been not that bad but by noon the temp in the sun was about 100 Fn degrees. This is why I started the trip in May. To avoid the hot part of summer which I have done pretty well so far. Tomorrow I change my M.O. It will be up at first light (5:00 A.M). and knock off at Noon.

Northern Vermont is all about tourism. It is very attractive country with old towns dotted about the landscape. Many old barns are Antique stores or wood working shops. The area I'm passing through is close to Stowe which is a famous expensive ski area. Lots of beautiful high end homes tucked away off the road. The towns are filled with craft shops, bistros and educational institutions. River canoeing companies are packing racks of canoes around. There are lots of cyclists on the road zipping by me on ultralight racers. This covered bridge is near the village of Cambridge.

This is the Lamoille river which I am camped beside tonight. As soon as I had my tent set up and stuff tucked away I went for a wade in it. Kids were floating by on inner tubes. I was lucky to get a spot in the campground here because it was full but the manager let me pick a spot down by the river which was not actually a camp spot. I don't need anything, just a little patch of grass, so sometimes it pays off to be on a bike. Tomorrow I will get on highway 2 which goes across Maine.

July 2 Westville, N.Y. to St. Albans, Vermont

It was a warm cloudless day so it was a good idea to get an early start and get the hard climbing part done early. Climbed steady for the first three hours but it was not hot until noon. About then I passed through Chateaugay which dates from 1795. French name but very American town. Even if "Old Glory" was not flying out front of the town hall you would know "you are not in Canada any more Dorothy". The architectural details are the give away. The town hall has a very colonial look to it. Chateaugay has the largest array of wind generators I have seen so far on the trip. East of here you begin to follow the Great Chazy river downstream to the East and the going gets way easier.

After following the river for a while I came to this sign. I immediately stopped and put in both hearing aids and listened carefully. Not a single moo. Not even a faint one. Then I realized the problem. This town was founded over two hundred years ago and no doubt the name had been corrupted over time. It was originally Moors, as in "Othello the Moor of Venice". Moors like who were kicked out of Spain. With this thought firmly in mind I kept a sharp look out as I passed through town and before long spotted a pair of probable Moors. They were unloading a van behind a convenience store. I have heard the language of the Moors spoken in the teeming medinas of Tangiers and Rabat and would recognize it immediately if they were speaking Moorish. I pretended to be absorbed by my map and casually edged closer to hear what they were saying. Once I got close enough I was disappointed to hear them speaking American English. "You want somethin" guy" one of them said. I stuck with my map reading cover and asked them if they were from around here and if they had been here long and did they know the way out of town. "Yeah we been here a long time. We are from Gonisatagway(or something like that)and the road you are standing is the way our of town." Then I noticed they were unloading cases of cigarettes. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. They were not Moors at all. That was just a ruse to throw people off. They were Mohawks bringing in cheap cigarettes to sell to Quebecers. I scuttled around the corner and pedalled out of there before anything unpleasant could happen.

Here's the bridge across from New York to Vermont at Rouses Point. Big marina here with tons of deluxe boats. The enonomy of this area is highly tourist and recreation oriented. A far cry from the U.P. I just paid triple for a room here compared to what I would have paid there. I didn't want to stay in a motel because the weather is quite nice. I was given a bum steer by the Tourist booth about a campground so ended up having to stay in a "cheap" motel. I was lucky to get anything because it is the July 4th long weekend. Good conditions today and did the most so far in one day. Over 140 kms.

July 1 Iroquois to Westville, New York

July 1st happenings were on the radio as i rolled along the St. Lawrence today so i was feeling quite patriotic and happy that we still have an intact country in spite of the Separatists. Just west of Cornwall is this large monument. There is also an interpretive center about the battle of Chryslers farm which I walked through and talked to the young fellow there who had the summer job of tour guide for Parks Canada.

In 1812 the Americans would have liked to kick the British out of North America. Eight hundred British, Canadians(many of them French) and Iroquois held off 4000 Americans. If this battle had been lost the history of Canada might have been much different. A pivotal time which not many people know about.

That was almost two hundred years ago so I thought that the "Muricans" have probably got over it by now so went over the bridge into New York. The American Border agent warned me to be careful of the Mohawks as I would be passing through their land. They were quite friendly and gave out directions or waved as I went by. Their dogs were a different matter. Three times big loose dogs come out for me and had to peddle like mad to leave them behind. Came as far as Westville and camped by the river here as for once it was not raining. The campground manager had an English bulldog named Isabella who was quite well behaved and expressed an interest in the sandwich I was eating because it had cheese in it. Just to make friends I gave her a small piece. She has the typical snoring breathing of the English bulldog so now it sounds like there's a drunk passed out under my table as she waits for a possible second piece of cheese.

Will cross over the top of New York into Vermont tomorrow.