Bicycling New England, the
Erie Canal, & around Lake Ontario 2005
Portland to Kennebunk ME

June 17, 2005
Distance 43.0 Miles
Climbing Elevation: Unknown feet

We had a great start in that we avoided the very steep hill that was just to the east of our motel. We managed to find the correct bridge that allows bicycles to cross the Fore River in Portland but as we started across the bridge we heard a click click sound and it seemed to come from the front wheel. We continued across the Fore River Bridge and on the other side, after some debate we managed to make a left turn to visit a light house along the Maine coast that George wanted to see. Jim completed the left hand turn and had to wait for the other three to come across when the traffic cleared. Jim began checking the front wheel and found a 1 inch long roofing nail in the middle of the tire. It was just a matter of time before the tire went flat so he immediately began to remove the front tire so that he could replace the punctured inner tube. 10 minutes later we were again on our way, after fixing the first flat tire of the trip.

We continued on our way under overcast skies and unseasonably cold weather. The good news was that Mary Kay bought a turtle neck shirt at LL Bean yesterday to help keep her warm as she rides the bicycle. We continued our ride to the park which contained the light house where we got our first real view of the Atlantic Ocean and took some pictures of the two light houses in our sight.

We continued on our way. We did not encounter very many hills and at Scarborough we stopped at a bakery where we had a snack, coffee and hot chocolate. We continued on and had gone about 5 miles when our cell phone rang and George told us that he and Jane had to return to the bakery because Jane had left her Camel back water holder there. They were behind us so they only had to go back 4 miles. We continued on our way and traveled along a beach that had one high rise condo, motel, or apartment building intermixed with expensive homes or summer rental homes. This beach must have been at least 5 miles long and the road was flat as a pancake. Finally we turned inland and when up some very small bumps (they were too small to call hills). As we approached Kennebunkport on Log Cabin Road, we saw a sign for the Seashore Trolley Museum. We turned in and took a ride on an old fashion electric trolley.

Leaving the Museum we headed for Kennebunkport where we stopped for lunch. We then continued to Kennebunk where we are spending the night in a Franciscan Guest House. Surprise Jane and George arrived just as we did, although they had ridden about 15 miles more then we had. We then cleaned up and walked back to Kennebunkport for dinner.