Day 7: Searsport to Sunset Point near Harrington, ME

This was our first day of riding in rain, which helped us appreciate how lucky we'd been for weather so far. Since we were still starting off on a very busy road, we opted to have those planning for a shorter ride start after lunch, when we'd be able to get somewhere quieter. Here's my Strava record of the route:



Rain overnight had kept our tents pretty wet, and even hanging under the shelter our wet clothes seemed to have gotten even wetter.

Hard to find dry sticks for the Biolite...

We rode out on highway 1 with the noise and spray of heavy traffic to urge us on. Shortly after we started, we encountered a very eclectic bike shop, Birgfield's. See https://goo.gl/maps/eqamb since nobody seems to have taken a picture... The shop was extremely dark and cluttered, with a wide selection of novelty bike horns but no simple bell that would fit Mike's handlebars. Steve T managed to find an orange jersey though, and I got a couple of tubes.

We pass Fort Knox a short time later, but didn't have time to stop for a tour, or a climb of the observatory on the bridge.

The van riders passed us and stopped along the road not far past Fort Knox, which was a much appreciated opportunity for me to get forgotten jacket and for us all to top up on snacks.

After our snack, we finally got a chance to turn off highway 1 for a much quieter road, along route 176. Within 500 metres, we encountered a field bursting with wild blueberries, and snacked again, as well as filling a water bottle with berries to share with the others.

The 176 led to the 172 back to Ellsworth, which was unfortunately busy again. We met the van riders for lunch in the Riverside Cafe (excellent!) where Laura mistook maple syrup for malt vinegar and discovered the taste sensation of maple french fries.

After lunch, it was Mike's turn to drive the van, which he might have been slightly more keen on after having a no-speed crash in the parking lot of a bike shop (after which he lay bruised and bleeding cursing his clipless pedals.)

The rest of us had a couple of suitable-looking alternatives to highway 1 for most of the rest of the day, more to the comfort of less traffic-tolerant riders. Rachel decided to make it a full rest day and went off with Mike to help with shopping (proving to be a surprisingly skilled scotch consultant for an 11-year old...)

Steve F and Derek took route 182, while the rest of the riders decided to try the Down East Sunrise Trail.

The trail is a mixed use recreational path, and ATV riding is one of the accepted uses. The surface proved a bit too rough, and both Sean and Lindsay had pinch flats within 5-10 minutes of each other, so we left the trail and followed after Steve F and Derek on the 182. The 182 proved to be a beautiful, scenic ride - and according to local lore, it passes by a haunted hill, with a ghost named Catherine.

We didn't see the ghost, but we did see a remarkable model railway on a sprawling property along route 182. Unfortunately, none of us actually got a picture of the owner as he rode past perched on a small engine.

After Cherryfield we got back on the 1, but at this point most of the traffic had split off onto 1A, so it wasn't too busy. We had a short stretch after they merged again before turning off onto a minor road down to Sunset Point Campground. This was a beatiful spot, with soft grass for our tents, a washroom nearby, power and wifi coverage at our sites and... fresh cooked lobster delivered to the site along with all the specialty dishes required!

Steve and Derek had arrived a couple of hours ahead of most of us, so they could see low tide (and Rachel walking in the exposed mud.)

This was Steve T's birthday, and he was presented with the Glenlivet selected by Rachel (who according to Mike, said "We like Steve, we should get the good stuff.") Somehow the scotch didn't make it through the evening...