RECAP:

• Total days of cycling: 36
• Total miles cycled: 2,170
• Accidents: Zero
• Most significant challenge: Biking against strong winds
• Scariest moment: Encountering that black bear in Connecticut
• Best moment: The finish line

THANKS TO:

• Herminia, the love of my life, and I will celebrate 45 years of marriage in September. I deeply appreciate her for supporting my cycling madness. I told her that she can relax since this was my last long ride.
• The Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Team forced me out of my comfort zone so that my journey could be widely shared as part of the fundraising effort.  As a result, I reconnected with shipmates, some of whom I haven’t interacted with in 40 years. And we raised more than eight times my original fundraising goal.  CGMA: you’re the best at Taking Care of Our Own!
• To our donors: Thanks for touching my heart with your generosity and uplifting comments! Some of you offered safety tips for your local area, your home for an overnight stay, or opportunities to fellowship during a rest stop. Know that you have made an amazing difference for Coast Guard members and families in need.  I salute you all!
• Team Coast Guard–active duty, reserve, Auxiliary, civilian–Your presence at the finish line added a special touch.  You and your families are what this effort is all about.  Thanks for representing the Long Blue Line with great distinction.
• To the Bar Harbor ME community: Thank you for adding a local flair to the finish line.  Bar Harbor PD provided a safe corridor for me to ride the final few miles. Community members posted comments of encouragement even before I arrived (Thanks, Juliet). And one individual kindly gifted me with a tee shirt from Geddy’s Restaurant (Thanks, Heather). Herminia and I look forward to a future visit. Your expressions of support are emblematic of the kindness I was shown in communities throughout the ride.

FINAL COMMENTS:

• I planned this ride in conjunction with my 70th birthday, which I celebrate next month.  I established three goals: tune up my personal fitness, support Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and engage in the Joy of Bicycle Touring one last time. I accomplished all three.  Mission Complete!
• To those who say that you can’t do the ride that I just completed, my response is that you can if you set your mind to it. Contact me if you want more information.
• Thanks to everyone who shared in this journey with me. Here’s to life, here’s to love, here’s to you!

It’s been almost two weeks since I finished this journey.  I’m well rested and delighted to be home.

As I reflect on my journey, I salute the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Team for their impactful partnership with my fundraising effort.  In addition to their public relations effort, their work to choreograph the finish line events in Bar Harbor touched my heart. And, together, we raised over $25,000 to support Coast Guard women and men and their families.

Here are a few pictures provided by the CGMA team:

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Here’s a link to CGMA’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da8sR4cvpbI&feature=youtu.be

After the ride and celebration, I biked to the Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop. They expertly packed and shipped my bike, where it arrived at my home in a week.  The shop typically takes a picture of Atlantic Coast riders who have completed the journey:

Here’s a recap of phase 3:

• 10 days of cycling
• 575 miles cycled (57 miles per day)
• 34,000 feet of climbing
• Resting heart rate 62 bpm
• Blood pressure 123/67 (apparently I no longer need the meds)
• 20 pounds lost (has been steady since I finished the ride)

Observations:

• It was a difficult decision, but I’m glad that I amended my plan to allow me to recover from that cold or flu.
• Small towns in the mid-Atlantic and New England each have their own unique character. They are all interesting and worthy of a more in-depth visit.  The common theme is their patriotism and inspiring support of the military.
• Motorists continued to be respectful throughout the ride.

What’s next:

• Prepare my touring bike ready for “normal” riding.  I am in the process of replacing the bottom bracket (I noticed that the bearing were beginning to fail during the last week of riding).
• Try to lock in the health benefits of this journey.
• Celebrate my 70th birthday on July 23rd.

I awoke excited to complete this journey. The previous evening, I cleaned and lubricated the bike to ensure smooth operation for the final push to the finish.

As I began the ride, it started to rain.  Having served in Hawaii, I embraced the cool rain as a Hawaiian blessing.

I scaled most of the hills with ease. After 10 miles, I arrived at Thompson Island:

There I meet two Bar Harbor police officers who graciously escorted me the rest of the way.

As tourist traffic increased and the roads narrowed, I appreciated the added margin of safety provided by these law enforcement professionals.

When I arrived at Ells Pier, I was moved by the reception I received. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary men and women formed a color guard and cordon and rendered honors as I crossed into a finishing tape.

I received heartwarming congratulations from Herminia, Retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Skip Bowen and other Team Coast Guard members, Jason Wong and the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Team and volunteers, members of the Bar Harbor community, and the local media.

Here’s the welcoming crew and me doing the obligatory bike lift:

Here’s a picture with my esteemed classmate from the great Coast Guard Academy Class of 1978, Eric Chapman:

There are so many people to thank for their support. I’ll post a recap in a couple of days.

Talley for the day: 22 miles, 1,200 feet of climbing.

Today, I drove from Belfast to Bangor airport. I turned in the rental car, set up my bike, and cycled to Ellsworth.

Here a selfie leaving the airport:

There were several decent climbs along the route. My legs were strong. But I took my time because it was an unusually hot day.

Even with heavy exertion during climbs, I didn’t cough.

I enjoyed being on the bike again.  Today was a good day.  Tomorrow promises to be even better.

Tally for the day: 37 miles, 2,800 feet of climbing

Today I enjoyed a pleasant drive to Belfast. If cycling, this would have been the hilliest ride of the entire Atlantic Coast journey. Some call them mountains!

Belfast is a very picturesque town overlooking the Passagassawakeag River.  The name has Native American origins and roughly means “place of sturgeon.” I’ve embraced the name used by locals, the Passy.

Here’s the view of Belfast Bay from the back of my motel:

I skipped sightseeing today so I could inspect the bike and take a test ride. Test complete; test satisfactory!

I plan to turn in my rental car and return to biking tomorrow. My cough has entered a mostly unnoticeable phase.

Tally for the day: 0 miles

I enjoyed a short drive to Bath today. It was a Chamber of Commerce day!

This is my first visit to Bath so I took some time to tour the sites.

I drove to Library Park where I viewed the Spirit of the Sea Sculpture. Here’s a selfie with the sculpture and an American Gothic Style former church in the background:

Here’s a closeup of the statue, which was gifted by artist William Zorach to the City of Bath in 1962. The statue is believed to enchant both residents and visitors.

I drove by the Chocolate Church Arts Center, formerly the Central Church of Bath completed in 1847 in a Gothic Revival Style. I couldn’t stop to take a picture (no parking). For those interested, pictures of this interesting looking structure are available to view online.

I drove by Bath Iron Works. I know from experience to observe where the shipyard workers go to find a good place for lunch.  I enjoyed a delicious BBQ sandwich at Fiona’s Restaurant.

My cough continues to get better.

Tally for the day: 0 miles.

After 3 nights in Windsor Locks, I am feeling better—but not good enough to resume biking. I still have a bad cough, which is slowly getting better.

I’ve decided to catch up to my original schedule by renting a car and hauling my bike with me:

I’ll drive along my scheduled route in hopes that my cough subsides and I fully recover from this bug.  I tested negative for COVID so a few more days off the bike should be sufficient.

Today, I drove about 200 miles.

Driving seems different after bicycling only for more than a week. Hills seemed less onerous. I wasn’t getting pelted by road dust and gnats. I was less attuned to sounds. And these newest vehicles do much of the work for us—I was amazed when the windshield wipers came on automatically when it started raining.

Subsequent day mileage will be much shorter since I’ve caught up with my schedule (and driving mileage is generally much shorter than biking mileage).

The added rest will be good for me!

I deeply appreciate the well wishes I’ve received. I share many of the expressed concerns. Know that this disabled veteran won’t do anything to further compromise my health.

Tally for the day: 0

Today I woke up at about 2 am sweating profusely. I didn’t feel ill but I knew that  this wasn’t a good sign. When I finally got up, I had a runny nose and a scratchy throat.

Riding relatively healthy is hard. Riding ill is  nearly impossible.  So I decided to head East towards Bradley International Airport and wait there to see how the illness develops.

The ride was only 32 miles.  My legs felt rested as I attacked the hills.  But while riding my heart rate was unusually elevated and its recovery was unusually slow. Clearly, I’m not well.  So I took my time.

I encountered one blocked trail:

I pondered jumping the barrier but decided against it.  My previous bear encounter influenced my decision. That barrier would severely limit my escape options if I ran into another bear.

The detour added another 7 miles.

At the end of the ride, I realized that I would have struggled cycling my originally planned 69 miles. I probably would have hit the wall and needed to hit my satellite SOS button (which I’ve never used).

Sometimes we have to recognize our limitations.  Good call, today!

Assuming that I have a cold or the flu, my plan is to hang out in Windsor Locks for three nights.

Tally for the day: 40 miles, 2,000 ft of climbing

In anticipation of some heavy climbing, I got on the road earlier than normal.  My anxiety was heightened a bit because winds were forecast to be from the north 10 mph sustained 20 mph gusts.

My first 20 miles were along very smooth rail trails.

During the ride, I heard an unusual sound coming from my front wheel.  Cyclists are often symbiotic with our equipment. We know what good sounds and feels like.  When something is off, we immediately try to address it.

So I stopped, removed my front panniers, and inspected the wheel.  Sure enough, the quick-release skewer was not fully closed so the wheel had some play, which created an almost imperceptible wobble.  Easy fix—back on the road.

During preparation, my electronic route planner indicated that I would climb 17 hills today. It described the route as very steep, noting some 10-1/2 degree inclines. I didn’t believe it at the time. To my great chagrin, the planner was spot on.

The first indication of difficult climbing was when I felt like I should have been going faster than the slope was allowing, I guess it was an optical illusion.

When I arrived at my first 10-1/2 degree grade, I tried to power up it the slope but quickly ran out of breath as my heart rate approached my self-imposed limits.  It’s impossible to restart peddling when stopped on such a steep incline. So I suspended my pride, and walked while pushing the bike up to the top.  Over the course of the day, I probably walked more than a half a mile. I cursed my route planner for even suggesting this route, which included unpaved roads with similarly steep inclines.

I took a lot of breaks, including a break at Dunkin’ Donuts where I learned that June 5th is National Donut day. I purchased an extra donut for lunch.

As I was climbing a modest hill in South Kent, CT, a woman crossed the road to check her mailbox. She said hello and we struck up a conversation. Her name is Carolyn and her father and grandfather both served in the Coast Guard.  Small world!  Carolyn warned me about the coming hills.  I know, Carolyn!

I was so focused on hill climbing that I didn’t realize that I had crossed into Connecticut. I should have known because of the prevalence of rock walls:

At mile 49, I had the most hair-raising experience of the trip as I was climbing a hill in an area of rural houses.  A large black bear crossed the road about 80 yards in front of me. The foreboding creature didn’t see me.

Fortunately, I was downwind so the bear couldn’t smell the empty donut bag I was carrying. I froze, rejecting any thought to take photographic evidence.  I waited a long while before I high-tailed it up the hill. After about a mile, I stopped to process the experience. Wow!

Here’s evidence that I survived the encounter:

Day 8 was rough.  Time for a break!

Tally for the day: 63 miles, 5,500 feet of climbing.

My legs are tired but the aching is gone.  My eyes are clear—the irritation self-resolved.

The weather is clear but I will be fighting the winds.

I enjoyed a pleasant first 10 miles. Then I was routed to an apparently abandoned trail:

No worry since I had cell service and rerouted around the concern.

When I arrived in Otisville, I snapped this picture of their Veterans Memorial.  It’s good to see the Coast Guard included:

I stopped at a general store there, paying $1 for a bottle of water—the most affordable bottle since I began this ride.

I rode by some interesting rock formations called the Shawangunk Mountains—a hard, erosion-resistant ridge of quartz-rich conglomerate and sandstone, deposited about 430 million years ago. I didn’t realize that this majestic site was included in my route.

There were cattle farms along the base of the mountains. I was amused to observe a couple of cowboys wrangling cows using a 4-wheel vehicle:

Finally, I rode over the Hudson River:

My last 15 miles were on impeccably paved rail trails. Their trees provided some protection from the wind.

Tally for the day: 63 miles, 3,000 feet of climbing.