Day 3... our longest day yet

It seemed as though something was trying to keep us from leaving our heavenly B and B yesterday morning. We didn't start off until 10 am (we were delayed by tires that needed some attention and a (good) decision to canoe on the Old Saco River in the morning). When we left, mosquitoes were biting us, the rain started as soon as we got to the main road, our bags weren't packed well to distribute the weight, and there were some steep hills. These issues meant we hardly made any progress in the first hour or so, and I thought more than once about turning around and just staying at the Old Saco River Inn. But, we pushed on, and were soon in a groove.

Despite having the steepest hills so far, yesterday was net downhill, which really helped us make reasonable time and also bolstered our spirits since it rained off and on the whole day. The great parts about the day were that we found a bike shop that let us pump our tires (we had deflated them completely the night before to drain water that had gotten trapped on Tuesday, and it's very difficult to pump them up to the right pressure with a little hand pump.) They also gave us a presta to schraeder valve converter so if we need to pump them up again, we'll be able to use more pumps (the B and B had an air compressor we could have used if we'd had this converter). We also happened to stop at the bike shop during one of the heaviest rains of the day!

We got our first yahoo yelled out of a car. It was a one lane construction site, and as we rode by, a guy waiting to go the other way rolled down his window to cheer us on. We had left over cold pizza for lunch (yumm!) which we ate by some boat trailers on a road between two ponds. In Danville, ME, there was a sign that said road closed. We decided to see if we could get through anyways, and were so happy when we were able to walk our bikes around the huge backhoe blocking the road and over the train tracks -- something we definitely could not have done in a car. And, we finished the day riding near the Androscoggin River, which was a real treat. Just as we made it into Brunswick, the sun came out for the first time all day -- just for 30 seconds or so, but it was welcome, especially since we had just ridden through dark clouds and the heaviest rain all day. A few minutes later, we rode by a large Ferris wheel next to a beautiful old stone church. It was surreal to see the two together. Then, we rode across the river where there is a hydro station. We got to see the water pouring over the dam and pounding down across the rocks. It was awesome to be riding across the bridge so close to that.

After checking in at our B&B, showering and drying off, we got on our bikes again to go find some dinner. We ate at a lovely Vietnamese restaurant and then had gelato for dessert. It was delicious, but when we got home after 10pm, we decided we should have just ordered take out. A good lesson learned...
Speaking of lessons, we also learned that when you need something (water or whatever), you should definitely stop at the next gas station you see. In rural Maine, you might not see another for quite some time...

Despite the gray, rainy day, the terrain was still lovely. At the top of one hill, there was a view of a beautiful pond below, and a gaggle of Canada geese walking carefully away from us and the road. Just as we got on our bikes to ride off, the geese all took flight and flew off down toward the pond. It was hands down the best encounter I've ever had with Canada geese.

We're planning to get an earlier start this morning, and we'll see where we make it tonight. The great news is that there isn't supposed to be any rain today! Wahoo!