Going Green Going South 2024

  New Haven, CT to Rye, New York Today’s ride was tough.  We had 60 miles of urban cycling and warmer temperatures. Lots of traffic, no trails and no rural roads.  We did manage to find things for Joe to photograph and we enjoyed the water views when they came. We started cycling without breakfast and went about 20 miles when we decided to stop at a Dunkin Donuts that was in a shopping center.  Right next to DD, was a bakery so we went there instead.  The shop was filled with an unbelievable variety of pastries.  Lis, the baker, told us that she just got some blueberry muffins out of the oven.  We could not believe the amount of blueberries in each muffin.  We usually prefer muffin tops but these bottoms were the best we ever had. We are sad to announce that our ride is being terminated here in Rye, New York.  With the high temperature alerts for the week and long cycling days ahead, we decided to call it quits.  Leaving from here is ide...

  Hartford to New Haven, Connecticut Leaving Hartford on an early morning Sunday was ideal because there was no traffic.  The temperature was cool but pleasant.  We cycled about 15 miles on the road and had only 1 big climb that rewarded us with a long and fast downhill ride.  Most of the rest of our 60 mile ride was on a paved trail.  The trail was busy with Sunday cyclists and walkers, enjoying the day and the weather. A number of passing cyclists asked about our travels.  However, we were not the lone cyclists with panniers on the trail.  One fellow heading in the opposite direction said that he will get the train in Hartford to take him back to New Haven.   We finally found a “mom and pop” restaurant along our route.  It was called Uncle Bob’s Ham and Eggers and was crowded.   We must have looked desperate because we got an outside table immediately while others were told of a 45 minute wait. This is the first time on this trip ...

  Pomfret to East Hartford, Connecticut About 95 percent of today’s ride was on trails.  We had a short ride from our B & B to get on our first trail and a short ride off the last trail to get to our hotel.  The road connections between the trails was minimal. While that was great news, we sometimes wondered if we would have been better off on the roads.  The trails were mostly gravel/dirt but we had some that were asphalt.  The condition of the trails at the Pomfret end were challenging.  Sometimes we were riding single track trails that were very rough, sometimes very sandy, and sometimes very muddy.  Each condition caused us concern.  Another challenging feature was the entrance gates at each street crossing.  They must have been designed by a very skinny walker.  We had a difficult time getting our loaded touring bikes around those barriers.   On a positive note, the tree canopy kept us cool as the day warmed up.  Also...

  Warwick, Rhode Island to Pomfret, Connecticut  Our morning started out with another Jeff issue.  He had a hotel flat in his front tire.  We never heard of such a thing.  The tire was good last night when he checked it but not this morning.  The guy must live under a dark cloud.  Once that issue was resolved, we got back on the Trestle Trail and continued south.  This section of the trail went through wooded areas and along many lakes and boggs.  We suspect that no railroad would be allowed to be built through this environment today.    The trail lasted about 15 miles before we were back on the roads.  At mile 20 we stopped at a convenience store with a sign indicating a deli within.   We each ordered an egg salad sandwich but they were out of egg salad.  So we went for tuna salad sandwiches but they only had enough tuna for one.  Finally, we got tuna and chicken salad sandwiches and coffee and ate them out...

  Framingham, MA to Warwick, Rhode Island This morning started out with some frustration when Jeff’s GPS would not turn on.  Without it, he could not let Joe out of his sight as we cycled through 5 miles of early morning traffic.  Once we got on the trail, things settled down and we cycled 5 more miles to Coffee Haven.  There we enjoyed their coffee and fresh baked goods.  Since Joe is our official techie, Jeff handed over his GPS and within 30 seconds it was working. (Joe, searched Garmin’s problem solver page and found the solution. )  Fueled and technology in order we cycled the trail for some more miles before getting back on the local roads.  We eventually reached the Blackstone River Trail where we enjoyed traffic free cycling.  The trail runs over 24 miles from downtown Worcester, MA, to India Point Park in Providence, RI.  We enjoyed every minute of the trail.  Both of us were surprised that on this trail walkers were instru...

Salem to Framingham, Massachusetts While today was a longer day, it was mostly on trails and cycle lanes. We estimate that this was about 80 percent of the time. The trails were flat, some gravel and some paved. However, it was not a cake walk.  The traffic was excessive and moving between trails and crossing roads was a headache.   The only hill we had was about 18 miles from our endpoint and it was on a very busy road.  We were tired, but not from the cycling, but from the traffic stress. On a positive note, Joe was delighted with the quality of light for his photographs.  He frequently stops to take a picture and probably only posts 25 to 50 percent of those on his camera. Cycling into Lynn Massachusetts was delightful.  The trail took us along the bay and we watched the sun rise above the water. This part of the trail was busy with walkers and bikes. We were at the top of a gentle rise and stopped as a group of older women walked up the hill, taking up most ...

  Newburyport to Salem, Massachusetts Our morning started off sharing sweet memories of yesterday’s ride.  While today couldn’t be better, it was almost as great.  Our B&B included breakfast and we were greeted by Catlin, our lovely and charming innkeeper. She provided several fresh fruit choices (in yogurt or plain), yogurt, breads and muffins, and poached eggs with a hollandaise sauce.  We ignored all the cereals, and other stuff except for the coffee.  We met her 5 year old daughter and 4 year old son. It was tough leaving there.   We quickly arrived on a trail that took us out of town.  However, it took us a long time to cycle that short trail.  The first mile must have had 20 sculptures and other artsy things.  It was full of trail art and Joe wanted a picture of each item.  No sooner did we get off the trail and onto the road, we came across a classic car restoration shop.  More pictures were taken of the cars, trucks...

ADDENDUM to yesterday's post: Joe cycled on unpaved trails in yesterday's rain and when he got to the hotel he was a muddy mess. He entered the hotel but was ordered out by the manager.  Joe went outside and cleaned up himself and his bike with rags provided by the manager.  It was a most unpleasant seven hour day of cycling through non-stop rain. Kittery, Maine to Newburyport, Massachusetts We started in Maine, cycled through New Hampshire, and are staying in Massachusetts.  While not yet mentioned, we also went through the state of Confusion when we couldn't correctly interpret our GPS's directions. Joe was cycling from the hotel and I was cycling from the rental car return location.  We programm ed our GPSs to meet at the Elephant coffee shop in Portsmouth.  A 15 minute ride for both of us.  However, we each ended up at a different location.  There were 2 elephants in the room:(  Once we got together we toured the town and then got on our route...

 Portland to Kittery, Maine Today it rained and rained heavily and we had a 64 mile ride.  Because of the weather, length of ride and Jeff going into Afib yesterday, he used a rental car to drive to Kittery.  Joe, however, was determined to cycle regardless of the conditions and pedaled the whole way.  Because the next 2 days are short and the weather is supposed to be nice, Jeff plans to keep cycling.   Map of today Trip total map Pictures

Edcomb to Portland, Maine  It was difficult leaving our luxurious lodging this morning, but the road awaited us.  We cycled across the river to Wiscosset for breakfast at a coffee shop. They didn't open until 7:30 and customers were already outside waiting for it to open--a good sign.  The offerings were limited to freshly baked pastries and coffee.  The aroma was wonderful and we had difficulty making a selection.  However, the barista was more interesting than the pastries.  She had on a leopard print top, skin tight cutoff shorts and tattoos running up her legs. While we did not notice, the tattoos rose to her butt cheeks that were exposed by the short shorts.  The music was funky and she danced while she worked. After we had our order and sat down, one of us went back to the counter several times to get cream for his coffee, napkins, and to take pictures for our blog.  At least that is what he said. The morning started off cool but by mid...

Rockland to Edgecomb, Maine Today started off with rain and cold temperatures but we left the hotel anyway.  The forecast was iffy as to what the rest of the day would bring.  The rain lasted about 2 hours but the sky was overcast all day.  Not a good day to sight see and take pictures,   We encountered more hills than yesterday, some steeper and longer, but still managed to get to the top without walking.  Along the route we saw 3 other long distance cyclists going in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, we met on hills and while stopping is easy, getting started again is difficult for the uphill cyclists. We just waived and kept going without exchanging stories.   While it was a rough day for our old bodies we ended up at the Sheepscot Harbour Village Resort. We have a suite with 2 bedrooms, living room (with fireplace), kitchen, and a bath bigger than some of the rooms we stayed on past trips. For dinner we walked across the half mile bridge ...

Belfast to Rockland, Maine Last evening we had several hours of severe thunderstorms but woke up to calm weather and moderate temperatures.  We headed to the only eating place opened at 7 a.m. that was just a few miles on the other side of Belfast.  We got to "The Only Doughnut" just a little after 7 and faced an offering of exotic doughnuts.  They didn't serve anything but doughnuts and coffee.  We each had 1 toasted coconut doughnut and coffee; could have eaten several more but we behaved ourselves.   Most of the day was spent on country roads with a few unpleasant hills that required using lower gears, and a few enjoyable downhills.  One of the more interesting downhills took us to the shore of   Megunticook Lake.  That was a nice diversion from the hours of cycling through wooded areas.  While going through all those wooded areas we hoped to see some moose but the only wildlife sighted were a few wild turkeys.   While ...

Brewer (Bangor) to Belfast, Maine Unlike past trips, we slept in until 5 a.m.  For those of you who don't know, both of us are early risers and 5 is actually late. After a light breakfast we were cycling in cool temperatures on low traveled country roads for the first 22 miles of the day.  We enjoyed many fast descents and found the climbs to be easy.  A perfect morning. At mile 22 we crossed the Penobscot River to see Fort Knox.  No we weren't in Kentucky and this fort was the first Fort Knox in the United States .  Named after Major General Henry Knox of the revolutionary war.  Its granite structure was started in 1844 to keep the pesky British out of the United States. After leaving the fort ,the East Coast Greenway route took us onto US Route 1. While it had a lot of traffic, its wide shoulders gave us plenty of room. We stayed on this highway until we reached Belfast.  Along the way a local cyclist stopped us to chat.  Steve, has taken severa...

  June 4, 2024 A warm welcome to our family and friend followers.  Another year and another trip for Joe and Jeff.  It is hard to believe that we have been cycle touring for over 20 years and are blessed with our shared friendship and passion for bicycle travel.  As expected, the drive to Bangor, Maine was long and we were excited to return the rental vehicle and cycle a few miles to see Bangor’s points of interest and get back to our hotel across the river in Brewer, Maine.     Bangor, Maine was established in the mid-19th century with the lumber and shipbuilding industries. Lying on the Penobscot River, logs were floated downstream from the Maine North Woods and processed at the city's water-powered sawmills, then shipped from Bangor's port to the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles (48 km) downstream. We cycled by the lumber barons' elaborate Greek Revival and Victorian mansions and the 31-foot-high (9.4 m) tribute to the legendary lumberjack, Paul Bunyan...