Karen Perry's blog

More riding...........

Well it has been a while since I last updated our riding.  We have biked to work a couple times a week in the last few.  Typical rides leaving from Yarmouth.  Although it is nice to get to work by bike, it has become a mundane ride and we always end up at work!  The weather has been great for riding and we have managed to get a couple of our favorite rides under our belts for the season.  May 10th, Joe, Sue and I drove up to bike the Bear Notch Road Loop we like.  The temps were in the 60's as we started from the Ranger Station at the Conway end of the Kanc.  We stopped at the covered bridge and did a 3 part cache and then continued on our way.  By the time we reach the top of Bear Notch we were starved and finished all the snacks we had with us.  The downhill was an awesome 4 miles.  We decided not to stop at the store at the bottom thinking that there would be restaurant down the road.  Unfortunately, the restaurants were all closed until we got to Glen.  They were about to close but let us order anyhow.  The total loop is about 42 miles.

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Today, May 18th, we drove down to Ogunquit and biked a loop down through Cape Neddick to York and back to Ogunquit.  It was only a 27 mile loop but we had a great time.  The roads were great for riding down there, going through all the little towns and along the ocean.  Alot of the roads were rolling hills.  We ate breakfast at a restaurant in Ogunquit before we headed off on our bikes.  We had not eaten before we left home and did not get down there until around 11.  We each had an omelet which held us all day.  We got back to where we had parked my car and found I had a flat tire on the back.  Apparantly I had picked up a nail somewhere on the drive down.  So we had to take the bike rack off the car to get the jack and stuff out.  My spare tire is attached to the back and luckily it was brand new.  Joe got all but one lugnut off the flat tire and since the tool that comes with the car was cheap and wimpy he could not get the last one off.  However, luckily for us, Sue has AAA.  So she called and they sent a guy right over.  The guy got out of his truck and the first thing he said was "What did you do wrong?" to which Joe replied, "you must be the guy from AAA?" trying to be friendly.  However, as it turns out the guy was not.  His reply was "if I wasn't, I wouldn't be here".  We all just kind of looked at each other without saying a word as the guy proceeded to get the lugnut off and replace the tire.  He finished with a grunt and after we thanked him he drove off.    We all commented on how rude he was and started to load the bikes back onto my car.  A guy approached us that works in the Antique shop that we were parked at asked about our ride.  Sue told him how we had arrived back to find we had a flat tire and told him how we called AAA and that the guy who came out had the personality of a rock.  The young guy replied, "oh, that's my uncle"!  Of course Sue apologized all over the place and the guy laughed and said how grumpy the guy always is.  He knew right away who we were talking about, it was pretty funny.

Commuting to work, weekend riding

This past week the weather was great for riding.  It actually allowed us to commute to work two days this week, Tuesday and Thursday.  Although it makes for a long day, time wise, it is worth it to get out of work and then not have to deal with the traffic as you drive off. 

This weekend was taken up on Saturday with yardwork.  The weather was great, but we needed to get some things taken care of.  So we planned a ride for Sunday.  Sue decided to join us for her first ride of the season.  We parked in Portland and rode out to Baileys Seafood for lunch in Scarborough.  The bike path was completely clear of snow all the way out, unlike two weeks ago when Joe and I tried to do the same ride.  Unfortunately, the weather was not as bright and warm as yesterday as we rode in the rain all the way out to Baileys.  It was a light drizzly rain, but unexpected.  By the time we were done eating it had stopped and as we rode our last 1/2 mile the sky was actually getting brighter.  Oh well, it was still a good ride and since the weather was a little wet there were not that many people using the path so we had it pretty much to ourselves.

Round trip was only 28.5 miles.

April 20th, Gardner to Augusta - Kennebec River Rail Trail

There is a great paved bike path - The Kennebec River Rail Trail it runs from Gardner to Augusta.  We noticed it this winter when we happened to be up that way.  However, like most trails in Maine it is not plowed in the winter.  So since alot of snow has melted down this way, we decided to take a drive up there to ride the trail.  It is a very nice maintained trail that runs along the Kennebec River in most places and along working railroad tracks.  There is just a short distance to ride on the road through the town of Hallowell.  The whole trail is only 7 1/2 miles, but if you know the area you can continue further on either end.  We happened to park in Augusta, after eating lunch at Red Robin.  Then we pedaled our way to Gardner and just rode a little through town.  Since we do not know that area and did not have a map with us, we decided to just turn back.  During the ride to Gardner we were faced with a strong headwind, but once we turned around for the ride back to where we parked we were able to effortlessly cruise along. 

April 17 & 18

Joe took our bikes to work yesterday (on the 17th) and went to the bike shop first to get a new rim for my bike and 4 new tires.  During the day he changed them over.  The tires are bit different from what we had, actually better.  We might not have as many flats with these.  When he got home we did a loop down Route 100 to Mayall and over to Old 26 then back up Bennett.  It was getting dark by the time we got back as we had gotten a late start.  But it was enough to just get out and try out the new tires.

Commuting to work has officially started!  I had the day off today, but Joe did not.  He left this morning around 7am and rode a very chilly ride down to Yarmouth.  He was out at 3, so I headed from home at the same time and we met about 1/2 way down in North Yarmouth.  We actually saw 3 other couples out riding. The temps were in the 70's today and my first ride of the year in shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  Joe had a total of about 32 miles and I had 17.  Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow - but we are going to drive to Yarmouth and bike in from there.  I will be riding with my saddlebags for the first time since our trip south.  I packed my smaller ones and I will put them on the back so hopefully I won't feel the weight too much.  I guess we will see.......

April 12th & 13th and the week of April 14th

The weekend forecast was supposed to be a rainy one.  However, by noon on saturday we were looking at sunshine.  So we loaded up our bikes and drove up to Brunswick and rode a loop including the bike path, up through Cooks Corner and out Thomas Point Beach.   It was only about 15 miles, but we ran out of time because we had to be back in Freeport to drop off a bike we were selling.  It was an unexpected ride because of the impending weather forecast so we were happy. 

Sunday's forecast was much better so we planned on driving down to Portsmouth to ride from there to Hampton Beach.  However, on the way down we decided to instead drive to Nashua, NH and ride the Nashua Rail Trail to Ayer Massachusetts.  The last time we rode that route was during our bike trip to Florida - passing through.  The only disappointing part of the ride though was that at the end of the trail there is a store that has always sold Krispy Kreme donuts - we got there and the rack was replaced with packaged pastries.  Fig newtons were better for me anyhow than a Krispy Kreme.  We rode in a combination of sprinkles, heavier rain and sunshine.  The route down and back is about 26 miles.  We wanted to keep riding beyond the end of the trail, instead of turning around, like we did on day 3 of our bike trip south, but we were not quite geared up to continue on.  So turn around we did and headed back to Nashua. 

A lunch stop at Cracker Barrel in Londonderry New Hampshire and a stop at Yummies in Kittery finished off the day.

My bike went to the bike shop yesterday because the front tire was warped.  They did a quick fix but let us know that we need new tires and I need a new front rim.  Since the rims are my original ones with alot of miles on them, it is not surprising.  My tires are also the same ones I had before leaving in the fall for Florida, so it is also not a surprise that there is not much tread left on them.  So this weekend we will take the time to get those replaced.

Since my road bike was in the shop yesterday, when I got home from work I took my new "old lady" bike out for a ride.  I just did a short loop to get out after working all day.   Boy, that bike is some different from riding my road bike.  It is certainly not made for any hills, but it is a very comfortable ride.  It is actually a good workout because it is slower ride and you have to work harder to move along.

Today, April 16th, I got my road bike out and did a bigger loop than yesterday. What a difference.  The roads though are still so bad.  So many frost heaves and potholes.  Route 231 is really bad.  I made sure I took my phone with me though in case I got a flat tire, so I could call Jake.  But luckily I did not, I knew it was a possibility since my tires are pretty worn, but it was a chance I did not mind taking.

April 5th, 2008

Today was a biking day.  It started out rainy, but we knew it was going to clear.  Originally we had planned to drive down to Nashua NH to ride the Nashua Rail Trail, but since it was only going to be about 5 degrees warmer down there than here - we decided to go somewhere closer.  So our plan was to park in Portland and bike the trail over to South Portland to Scarborough and stop at Baileys Seafood for lunch.  But once we got over to South Portland the path was not clear of snow.  So we turned around and biked back to the truck and decided to drive to Baileys and then ride across the path at the Marsh.  However, less than a mile on the trail, it was covered with snow and impassable with our bikes.  So what now?  The sky was clearing more and it seemed to be feeling warmer, so we decided to go home and get our road bikes out!  We had been riding our newer bikes and did a total of 12.92 miles.

 

So we get home, Joe puts air in our road bike tires and off we go.  Boy did it feel great to be out on those.  The last time we rode them was on November 8th down in Fort Myers.  That was the day we rode them for the last time of our bike trip.  We had gone out earlier with Melanie and Doug and then we rode them right to the bike shop in Fort Myers that was shipping them back home.  So since getting them back, they have been tuned up and were just waiting for the right rode conditions.  Today was the day!  We rode down to Gray and did a loop back up Route 26 to home.  A total of 13.69 miles.  They are really smooth to pedal and ride so easily.  Our new bikes are more for slower riding and rougher terrain.  We can not wait for the weather to really improve so we can get out more and more. 

March 30th, 2008

Well, this winter has been pretty brutal and seems to be staying around awhile.  In January Joe bought a new mountain bike and I was using Jake's mountain bike.  We have been out a couple of times, but I found that Jake's bike was really too small for me and not comfortable at all.  So this morning we saw on the weather that the temps were going to get up into the 40's so we wanted to go for a ride.  I was not looking forward to the uncomfortable seat and the small frame so we went over to the bike shop and I got a new bike!

 

It is not a mountain bike, it is actually referred to as a "comfort bike".  I tried a couple of them out and decided on a Specialized Crossroads.  It is very comfortable, I soon found out as we drove into Portland and biked around the city.  We did not have our computers hooked up to either bikes so we are not sure on the miles, but estimate about 13-15.  It was a bit windy and cold at times, but it felt good to get out there. Once the roads are cleaned from all the winter sand and the frost heaves have settled down, we will get our road bikes back out.  But until then, we will get a month or so use out of these "winter bikes".  

 

Now that I have this bike, too I will be more anxious to get out there and ride.  So I hope to be able to update this site more often.  

 

We have had many people asking what our next trip will be.  Well we will not be able to take 2 months off like we did for Maine 2 Florida for a few years.  In the meantime, for the near future, we are planning on finishing the Atlantic Coast on this end by riding from home to Bar Harbor.  Our August vacation is set aside for that ride.  This year we want to ride our favorite routes around here and in New Hampshire.  We also want to explore down in the Providence area, as we have heard there is some great bike paths down there.  We have week long vacations in July, August, September and October this year so along with that time and our weekends we will cover some miles.

 

Until then............. 

January 26 & 27, '08 Ice Fishing and Snowshoeing

One of the things I do not find exciting or would be enjoyable - for me - is Ice Fishing.  Howeve, Joe does, so Saturday he and Dick set out on a day of fishing.  Unfortunately, we did not have fish for supper.  They had a good time though, standing on the ice cold ice for 6 hours and watching their flags to see if one would spring to action.  Actually, one did, but it was a false alarm.  Here are some pictures of their day:

 

 

 

Today Joe, Sue and I drove up to Bethel and snowshoed on some trails starting at the Covered Bridge.  It was cold and lighly snowing.  There are many trails and marshy areas, although we made our own trails, crossing streams and strolling up and over some ridges.  It was a fun day, stopping for lunch in South Paris.  When we got home, Joe, Jake and I headed out on our trails at home.  We blazed a new trail that took us out to an area that we had not been to in years.  I will go back out tomorrow and trim some of the branches to widen the trail.............

January 26 & 27, '08 Ice Fishing and Snowshoeing

One of the things I do not find exciting or enjoyable - for me - is Ice Fishing.  However, Joe does, so Saturday he and Dick set out on a day of fishing.  Unfortunately, we did not have fish for supper.  They had a good time though, standing on the ice cold ice for 6 hours and watching their flags to see if one would spring to action.  Actually, one did, but it was a false alarm.  Here are some pictures of their day:

 

 

 

Today Joe, Sue and I drove up to Bethel and snowshoed on some trails starting at the Covered Bridge.  It was cold and lighly snowing.  There are many trails and marshy areas, although we made our own trails, crossing streams and strolling up and over some ridges.  It was a fun day, stopping for lunch in South Paris.  When we got home, Joe, Jake and I headed out on our trails at home.  We blazed a new trail that took us out to an area that we had not been to in years.  I will go back out tomorrow and trim some of the branches to widen the trail.............

 

Last week biking.......this weekend snowshoeing

Well it was way too cold for biking this weekend, so the next best activity for us is snowshoeing.  Just Joe and I went out yesterday to Preservation Park at Poland Spring to find a Geocache.  It was a good hike, along Range Pond and through the woods - we even found the cache!  With the temps in the 30's and the sun out it made for nice day for hiking.  These two pictures were taken out on Range Pond.

 

 

 

Today's hike took us out to Auburn along the shore of Lake Auburn.  We parked on the back side of the lake and trekked on an old road that runs along the lake.  We went with Susan and our neighbors, Nancy and Dick Wells.  We had a great time bushwaching through the woods and following some trails already there.  Of course we had to finish off our trip with food, so we stopped at Ruby Tuesday's on the way home and cleaned off their salad bar.  The temps were alot colder than yesterday, but we all had layered enough to be warm.  Here are a few of our pictures from the day.