Maine – Biking 100

Maine # 48 – Eastern Trail

Kennebunk, Maine

June30, 2021

We did it!! Biking 100 miles in all lower 48 states. This wonderful journey we began so many years ago is complete.

Our map of the lower 48 is filled. Note wooden plaque our granddaughter made for us.

Temperatures were near 100 so we didn’t begin our ride until almost 6 pm. It was 86 degrees when we finished.

We traveled on the Eastern Trail from woods near Kennebunk through historic towns of Biddleford and Saco both with on road sections.

We needed to keep alert for trail signs in Biddleford as we road the 4.5 mile on road section.

We had ridden the South Portland end of this trail in 2019 with Landen in tow.

Bug Light lighthouse – we began our ride here in 2019.

We spent 2 nights prior to our ride at Sunset Point Campground in Harrington, ME. Our campsite overlooked the bay, a wonderful view.

We spent Monday relaxing, reading and watching the tide roll out. There were some nice trails along the bay which I enjoyed.

High tide – amazing 12 – 13 foot tide changes.

We so enjoyed our day of rest on the rocky shore line at Sunset Pointe.

Maine – Downeast Sunshine Trail

Ellsworth, Maine

June 26, 2021

We spent a quiet night in Newport, Maine. After our ride yesterday and a long drive we were a bit slow getting going this morning but finally got on the road to Ellsworth, Maine to ride the Down East Trail.

Downeast Scenic Railroad passed the trail head while we were getting ready to ride. It followed the trail for a short distance.

The Down East Trail is named for its location in Down East Maine, dubbed by early Mariners for being “downwind” from more western ports such as Boston. Also, it’s one of the first trails to experience sunrise in the United States.

What can I say about this trail? Bad news first – it was loose gravel, sometimes big rocks, rutted, and washboarded. ROUGH!

Good news – there were some areas of smooth going, the scenery was pretty, the ATV riders were courteous and the deer flies didn’t carry us away.

We passed through woods and marshlands. Wild flowers were still in bloom. We road 12 miles out of Ellsworth and it was pretty remote.

We are spending the night in Ellsworth and may try another section of the trail in the morning. Wish us luck!!

Kennebec River Rail Trail, Gardiner, Maine

August 30, 2019

We stopped in Freeport to visit LL Bean on our way to the trailhead.

Freeport was a bit too touristy for us . A real shoppers paradise. We managed to escape LL Bean for under $200. Yay!!

This was the LLBean flagship store. Incredibly large and busy as was all of Freeport.

We had fun!! This trail provided some nice hills, some steep, some short and sweet! The trail was within site of the river almost the entire time which kept it interesting. We began our ride in Gardiner and took the trail to Augusta, state capital, of Maine.

The state of Maine has preserved the railroad tracks hoping to one day put them back into use. We crossed from one side of tracks to the other several times.

Along the Kennebec River in Augusta, only 39 navigable miles from the Atlantic.

Across the river from the trail in Augusta we could see Old Fort Western, an 18th Century wooden fort built in 1754. Benedict Arnold used this fort during the American Revolution.

The trail took us through Hallowell, a quaint little town with a friendly river front area.

Granite City park, along the river front in Hallowell. This is a tribute to the cities past, it was know as “Granite City “.

We had lunch along the river in Hallowell. Lenny and Landen enjoying main course of PB&J!!

Most all of these little New England towns have beautiful churches with tall steeples. I enjoy seeing everyone of them.

We enjoyed this uncrowded trail with it’s scenic river views, small towns and of course that biking thing. We have banked 25 miles in Maine and will return in the future to complete our 100.

Tomorrow we head back to Massachusetts to complete our 100 miles., the LORD willing.

Eastern Rail Trail, Portland, Maine

August 29, 2019

We moved to our campsite yesterday morning. Landen a bit tired so let him get a good nap and then headed for Sam’s Club to resupply.

We got caught in a downpour at Sam’s and the cashier made Landen a rain hat.

The Eastern Trail is also known as the East Coast Greenway. We started our ride at Bug Light Park. No, not Bud Light.

Bug Lighthouse was erected in 1875. The unique style sets it apart from any other lighthouse in the world. It is the official seal of the city of South Portland.

There is a fort just to the left of the lighthouse. Someone told us it was built but never used.

This was the perfect place to begin our ride. We love breathing in the salty ocean air. It reminded us both of California.

This trail goes all the way to Kennebunk about 30 miles away. We knew that some of the trail was paved, some hard pack and some on road. Our plan was to ride as far as we could before the pavement ended.

Remnants of the original railroad track.

Loved riding through these tall pines. We passed some areas of forest that provided nice cool shade. Also, some salt marshes where we saw various marine birds.

We were able to ride as far as the Wainwright Sports Complex before the trail began to follow a busy highway. The sports complex was beautiful with soccer fields, baseball and football fields.

Liberty Ship Memorial in Bug Light Park. During WWII the park was the site of a major ship building facility. At one time 30,000 people worked here.

Oh what a perfect day, our first Maine miles, a nice bike ride, breathing good salty sea air, a bit of history and PB&J’s.