Gig Harbor Washington to Bar Harbor Maine 2001

Well, we didn't get rained on. It was threatened and in our dirt site, it would have been a mess. People were wandering around with giant flashlights all night. The light made our bikes march across my tent. The first time I thought someone was stealing it. I heard people up and about even before Mike's alarm went off (at 5). As it went off I heard someone yelling, "Well are you going to get up or not?". I don't think the two were related but it amused me enough to get me up.

We were on the road before 6:30 and it was already 75 degrees and muggy. There was a thick cloud cover so we were only steamed, not much searing. Our Lake Ontario beans and rice wasn't even up to Lake Huron standards and didn't hold a candle to St Croix beans and rice. So, even after granola and a banana, I was getting hungry. We left so early that most places were closed. Then I didn't feel like stopping in a couple of towns. Then I looked at my map. One more town before a long stretch of nothing. Osceola was supposed to have a restaurant, but all I saw was a small grocery that looked closed. Just inside the door was a row of booths and a big stove behind the counter. A menu board listed burgers, etc. I asked the woman, the only other person there if she served breakfast. "Anything you want", she said. I ordered the eggs, sausage, homefries (with onions) and toast, plus pancakes. She looked at me and said, "You better be hungry." She gave me an enormous glass of iced tea and went to work. A man came in and chatted with her over a coffee. "You ever see Bert anymore? Remember Mary Wilson? She always used to get everybody for DWI. She followed Bert one winter day and he thought he was gonna get caught, so he got up to the top of a hill and stopped. Then he kept going. Since she wasn't at the top of the hill she was stuck and had to call out the forces and Bert got away." The two pancakes filled a plate as well as all the other food did. I ate and listened and told him about the ride between bites and gulps. I left a few morsels and was well fueled. They were impressed.

They had gotten rain in torrents last night and expected more today, so I got back on the road, after reading a long poem that ended every verse with Osceola, Osceola my ass. (Times are tough and they've drained the flesh from my cheek, Beer is scarce and it's drained the color from my beak.) The temperature was only in the low 80's but the air was thick with water. Sweat and condensation poured off of me. I stopped in a store for cold anything. Mike rolled in as I was ready to leave and while we talked, the downpour started. I walked around in it a little and it felt good, but it soon ended and we were back on the road.

Christopher Hibben

Mike had stopped at a bike shop and learned that the 3 hot babes were in town today! One had gotten attacked by dogs and the dogs' owner was taking her to get her bike repaired. We met a solo rider, Christopher Hibben, who'd started in Bar Harbor two weeks ago. (We expect to be there in a few days.) He'd also seen the two babes a little before us. He has a couple of months to spend visiting various people across the country and riding the Northern Tier. We tried not to discourage him too much. When he told us he planned to take a bus across much of the midwest, we let him know that was a good idea.

Then we caught up with the rains. We got completely soaked, the temperature dropped to 73 and I was loving it. I didn't even mind the constant hills (granny gear to high gear over and over and over.) Mike wasn't quite as pleased as I, but I was thrilled to be cool, even if it meant being drenched. I'd worn my swim suit shorts just in case.

We passed through several quaint towns filled with tourists and traps. Finally, at 93 miles we came to the one nearest our campground. We stopped and did laundry, then asked the bike shop guy (who'd seen the three babes and said they were staying at our campground) for a dinner recommendation. The pizza joint next door was about it, but it was good and I wanted pizza anyway. Problem was there were no tables and a 45 minute wait. We ordered a pizza to go and Mike finished laundry while I read a book.

Laundry got done, pizza was excellent, but it was nearly dark. The campground was only 4 miles away. 15 miles later we found the park in complete dark. We hadn't set up camp in the dark in a long time, but we can do it with our eyes closed.

We're well into the Adirondacks now. The climbing will only get more severe, but if we can do 85 miles tomorrow we'll be in Vermont. I can already taste the lobster in Bar Harbor, only 490 miles to go.