Life On A B-I7

The historic sights along the Erie Canal are a real treat for a history buff.

With the Erie Canal Trail and the Champlain Valley Trail behind me, it’s time to enter Vermont.

I took a cable ferry from Ticonderoga at the Southern end of Lake Champlain into Vermont. I’m about 50 miles from the Canadian border.

As I’m waiting for the ferry, I’m wondering why it’s not crossing the lake to get me. I can see it on the opposite shore. I wait for about 20 minutes until a car finally joins me at the dock. The driver looks at me and says, “are you going to raise the flag to let the ferry know there is someone over here?”

That was the beginning of a nice conversation that occupied the entire crossing. (The gentleman followed my Blog and sent me a congratulations message when I finished!)

While we were crossing, I asked the captain what would happen of the cable the ferry was running on broke. He thought about it for a minute and said, “we would end up in New York Harbor.” He added, “of course we would have to navigate several locks along the Hudson River and it would probably take about two weeks…

The Ferry landed in the hamlet of Shoreham Vermont. Vermont is the home of the Green Mountain Boys. Led by Ethan Allen and others, in the 1660’s and 1670’s, they were instrumental in establishing Vermont as an independent U.S. Territory.

In May of 1775, the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British, a key strategic victory in the early days of the American Revolution.

Vermont is green AND hilly.

There are 64 covered bridges like this one in Vermont. Yes, I think it would be fun to do a tour of all of them.

The reason they built covered bridges was to protect the bridge deck from from rot and decay caused by the severe New England weather.

Another State Line. I’m getting really close now. I can taste the finish line!

I’m crossing the Connecticut River into New Hampshire.

My body is starting to complain to me and I can hear it asking me when will I arrive in Bar Harbor?

The interesting thing about Vermont, New Hampshire and Main is that there is more climbing in those states combined than there is in either Washington or Montana.

This struck me by surprise.

It’s a different sort of climbing. The climbs are shorter, but steeper. The roads are also a lot more winding. I assume that is because when these roads were built, heavy earth moving equipment had not yet become available.

It’s no piece of cake making your way through the New England States.

It would be a lot of fun if you had a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300…

I always brake for Moose, don’t you? Another one of those road-side signs that is a statement of the obvious, like wash your hands.

I made it to the top of the Kancamagus Pass. This is the biggest climb in New Hampshire. 3,000 feet of climbing in 6 miles. This is world class cycling fun.

The locals affectionately refer to it as “The Kank.” It is steep, but also winding, and very beautiful.

When you top out, you really feel like you have accomplished something. This was probably the most challenging part of my tour but if was also one of the most beautiful.

The last State Line. I’m starting to get really excited. The ride from here to Bar Harbor follows the coast line for most of the remainder of the ride. Contrary to what you might think, that does not translate to flat.

You learn something new every day. It’s not likely I will look at my breakfast egg in the same way ever again.

This is the point where Forest Gump reached the Eastern Shore and turned around to head West again.

I didn’t realize I had missed this landmark until I was about 30 miles beyond it. That made it too late to turn around and go back so I stole this photo off the internet.

This is the home of the Maine Lobster Roll. It’s ironic that Maine is my destination. I can’t eat sea food of any kind.

You can’t miss the Lobster Shacks, they are everywhere. I’m told Lobster Roll is good. I’m going to have to rely on second-hand reports.

I’m really close now. I did not know Maine produced Sardines as well as Lobster. I can’t eat those either…

This is a Cable Stayed Bridge. It was the most beautiful bridge of my entire tour. I was pleasantly surprised to find one in this fairly remote area.

The Cable Stayed Bridge is a hybrid design suspension bridge where most of the load is carried by the towers allowing for longer suspended deck spans. The first Cable Stayed Bridge in the United States was built in 1983. The world’s longest Cable Stayed Bridges (many of them) are in China. These are a relatively new design compared to the more traditional Suspension Bridge.

The traditional Suspension Bridge (like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge) use two massive main cables draped over the top of the towers and are anchored to concrete blocks on the shore. The road deck hangs down from these main cables using smaller vertical suspender cables.

The Cable-Stayed Bridge uses individual cables attached directly to the towers and running diagonally directly down to the road deck. The do now use vertical suspender cables or heavy shore anchorages.

My SAG drove out from Washington to pick me up. The last day was only 15 miles. We met along the way and enjoyed coffee and pastry half-way to Bar Harbor. It was a relaxing ride in to Bar Harbor. My SAG may have enjoyed a Lobster Roll, you never know. After I finished the last 15 miles, we had a nice leisurely day in Bar Harbor.

After I got the bike on the bike rack. I’m pretty sure I heard the bike say:

“It’s about time I got that fat “bleep” and all of his stuff off of me!”

• 4,145 Miles
• 1 Flat Tire
• 2 Chains
• 3 Tires
• 2 Tents
• 101 Days
• 81 Days of Riding
• 20 Days of Rest

Would I do it again?

If you can say you don’t spend time wondering how other people see you, but instead, you are focused on seeing other people for who they are, then you are on the path to becoming your best self.

Use the links below to jump directly to the entry for a specific day. After viewing that page use your browser’s back button to return here.

You can scroll through all entries if you prefer. All entries are in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest). When you reach the bottom of a page, press the “Older Posts” link to continue scrolling newest to oldest.

Use the “Contents” link in the page header to access a categorized list of all entries on this site.

Washington

• The Beginning - Anacortes
• Day 1 - Anacortes to Rockport
• Day 2 - Rockport to Winthrop (Detour)
• Day 3 - Winthrop to Omak
• Day 4 - Omak to Republic
• Day 5 - Republic to Kettle Falls
• Day 6 - Kettle Falls to Ione
• Day 7 - Ione to Newport
• Day 8 - Newport to Sandpoint, ID

Idaho

• Day 9 - Sandpoint to Clark Fork
• Day 10 - Clark Fork (Rest Day)
• Day 11 - Clark Fork to Troy, MT

Montana

• Day 12 - Troy to Libby
• Day 13 - Libby to Rocky Gulch
• Day 14 - Rocky Gulch to Eureka
• Day 15 - Eureka to Whitefish
• Day 16 - Whitefish (Rest Day)
• Day 17 - Whitefish to Devil’s Creek
• Day 18 - Devil’s Creek to Cut Bank
• Day 19 - Cut Bank to Lake Shel-Oole
• Day 20 - Lake Shel-Oole to Joplin
• Day 21 - Joplin to Havre
• Day 22 - Havre (Rest Day)
• Day 23 - Havre to Malta
• Day 24 - Malta to Glasgow
• Day 25 - Glasgow to Wolf Point
• Day 26 - Wolf Point (Rest Day)
• Day 26 - Wolf Point (Supplemental)
• Day 27 - Wolf Point to Circle
• Day 28 - Circle to Glendive
• Day 29 - Glendive to Wibaux
• Day 30 - Wilbaux to Medora ND

North Dakota

• Day 31 - Medora to Dickinson
• Day 32 - Dickinson (Rest Day)
• Day 33 - Dickinson to Glen Ullin
• Day 34 - Glen Ullin to Bismark
• Day 35 - Bismark (Rest Day)
• Day 36 - Bismark (Rest Day)
• Day 37 - Bismark to Hazelton
• Day 38 - Hazelton to Gackle
• Day 39 - Gackle to Enderlin
• Day 40 - Enderlin to Fargo
• Day 41 - Fargo to Barnsville, MN

Minnesota

• Day 42 - Barnsville to Fergus Falls
• Day 43 - Fergus Falls to Osakis
• Day 44 - Osakis to Saint Cloud
• Day 45 - Saint Cloud (Rest Day)
• Day 46 - Saint Cloud to Plymouth
• Day 47 - Plymouth (Rest Day)
• Day 48 - Plymouth to Fairbault
• Day 49 - Fairbault (Rest Day)
• Day 50 - Fairbault (Rest Day)
• Day 50 - Fairbault (Supplemental)
• Day 51 - Fairbault to Rochester
• Day 52 - Rochester to Winona
• Day 53 - Winona to La Crosse, WI

Wisconsin

• Day 54 - La Crosse to Marquette

Iowa

• Day 55 - Marquette to Elkader IA
• Day 56 - Elkader to Cascade
• Day 57 - Cascade to Muscatine
• Day 58 - Muscatine (Rest Day)
• Day 59 - Muscatine to Bradford IL

Illinois

• Day 60 - Bradford to Odell:
• Day 61 - Odell to Iroquois
• Day 62 - Iroquois (Rest Day)
• Day 63 - Iroquois to Rensselaer, IN

Indiana

• Day 64 - Rensselaer to Fletcher Lake
• Day 65 - Fletcher Lake to Salomonie River
• Day 66 - Salomonie River to Monroeville
• Day 67 - Monroeville (Rest Day)
• Day 68 - Monroeville to Napoleon, OH

Ohio

• Day 69 - Napoleon to Grand Rapids
• Day 70 - Grand Rapids to Bowling Green
• Day 71 - Bowling Green to Fremont
• Day 72 - Fremont to Huron
• Day 73 - Huron to Cleveland
• Day 74 - Cleveland (Rest Day)
• Day 75 - Cleveland (Rest Day)
• Day 76 - Cleveland to Painesville, PA

Pennsylvania

• Day 77 - Painesville to Erie
• Day 78 - Erie to Dunkirk, NY

New York

• Day 79 - Dunkirk to Buffalo
• Day 80 - Amherst (Rest Day)
• Day 81 - Amherst to Erie Canal Trail
• Day 82 - Erie Canal Trail
• Day 83 - Erie Canal Trail
• Day 84 - Erie Canal Trail
• Day 85 - Amsterdam to Champlain Valley Trail
• Day 86 - Champlain Valley Trail
• Day 87 - Ticonderoga (Rest Day)
• Day 88 - Ticonderoga to Rochester, VT

Vermont

• Day 89 - Rochester to South Royalton, NH

New Hampshire

• Day 90 - South Royalton to Orford
• Day 91 - Orford to Lincoln
• Day 92 - Lincoln (Rest Day)
• Day 93 - Lincoln to Conway
• Day 94 - Conway to Naples, ME

Maine

• Day 95 - Naples to Brunswick
• Day 96 - Brunswick (Rest Day)
• Day 97 - Brunswick to Waldoboro
• Day 98 - Waldoboro to Rockland
• Day 99 - Rockland to Searsport
• Day 100 - Searsport to Trenton
• Day 101 - Trenton to Bar Harbor
• Final Entry - Bar Harbor

This is my final Northern Tier Progress entry. Thank you for experiencing this journey with me. The journey has been epic. I’m proud to have completed it.

Without a doubt, this has been the most challenging of my three coast-to-coast bicycle journeys crossing America. I hope there are more cycling adventures in my future. Even if this is my last big bicycle adventure, I will keep on writing and posting when the spirit moves me. Feel free to join me here anytime you would like.

Once again, thank you to everyone that has been a part of this adventure. May all of your journeys be as wonderful and as exciting as this one has been for me.

RECAP

• Start: June 1, 2026
• Finish: September 9, 2026
• Days Riding: 80
• Total Days on the Road: 101
• States: 13
• Average Miles per Day: 52
• Total Miles Traveled: 4,145
• Tires: 4
• Chains: 3
• Rain Coats: 2

Day 1, Anacortes, Washington. June 1st, 2026.

Day 101, Bar Harbor, Maine. September 9th, 2026.

Itinerary | Maps

Use the Contents link at the top of the page to explore the site. Enjoy!

Route

• Trenton to Bar Harbor

Metrics

• Miles: 15

Note

• A short day to the finish line.

Thought For The Day

• Use your gifts and your time to help others, not just help yourself.

I will wrap this story up tomorrow…

Bar Harbor, Maine. Day 101

Itinerary | Maps

Route

• Searsport to Trenton

Metrics

• Miles: 45

Note

• One more day of riding and then a short day to the finish line.

Thought For The Day

• Anger can’t always be avoided. The best way to make anger go away is to first recognize it, then tell yourself to set it aside.

This is my last day of what could be called serious riding. Tomorrow is “Photo Day.” A 15 mile stroll into Bar Harbor. But that’s tomorrow. I still have to get through today.

I would be exaggerating only slightly if I said this has been the most wonderful adventure I have yet undertaken. The people. The sites. The pain. The joy. The list goes on and on. There are few things I would trade for having experienced these last three months. Would I do it again? Yes; In a heartbeat. But undertaking an adventure like this has to be supported. Not just by yourself but by everyone that cares about you. I am so very grateful for everyone I have met along the way. everyone at home, everyone that has followed me, everyone that has been a part of this experience in even a small way, even those of you I don’t know.

Adventures can be big or they can be small. The size doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we look for adventure, when we find it, we grasp it. I met a lady on the street today, she said, “I admire what you’re doing.” She added, “it’s important that we keep moving, isn’t it?” I simply said, “yes it is.” Keep moving expresses a big part of what this is all about, also sharing the experience has made it more fun and rewarding.

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge A “Cable Stayed” bridge. It was mind blowing riding across on a bicycle.

Early celebration. Difficult to choose! I tasted the New England, the Heath, and the Coastal. The Coastal was the winner!

Itinerary Maps

|

Route

• Rockland to Searsport

Metrics

• Miles: 44

Note

• Two more days of riding and then a short day to the finish line.

Thought For The Day

• If you make a mistake, no matter how small, gracefully acknowledge it. Don’t forget to apologize if that is possible.

My body’s ability to fully recover after each day of riding is starting to decrease. Each day is now starting to get a little bit harder to pull off. I’m glad I got as far as I did and I’m close to the finish. I think I’m reaching the limit of my long-distance endurance. Yes, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” You won’t find out what that is until you push the boundary. And so I have. And so I do.

Belfast has a very cool shipyard walk. It looks like all the luxury yachts on the Maine Coast come to the Belfast shipyard for repairing and refit.

|

Camden, Maine

Searsport, Maine

Itinerary Maps

Route

• Waldoboro to Rockland

Metrics

• Miles: 47

Note

• Three more days of riding and then a short day to the finish line.

Thought For The Day

• Ambition is good but ensure it serves mankind in some way.

When cycling the Maine coast, you can expect to encounter 1,500 to 2,000 feet of climbing about every 50 miles. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine combined have more climbing than either Washington or Montana. When I began the journey, I thought if I made it through Washington and Montana, the rest would be a breeze. I was mistaken. Every state has his challenges, you just keep meeting a different set of them as you move from one state to the next. Perhaps if I’d looked ahead more carefully before I started, I would have realized that Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine would present the most challenging hills. I feel a little silly, not having realized that starting out.

This morning was chilly. Fall is definitely in the offing. This morning was the first time I’ve had to put on warm clothes to begin day’s riding in several weeks.

One of the things that make cemeteries in the east different from those out west is the fact that there are more of them and they tend to be smaller. Each small church in each small community had its own cemetery. Another thing that makes them unique is that they seem to be perched on, or near, the top of a hill.

I was having breakfast this morning and a group of ladies asked me if I was going to Port Clyde? I asked them why and they explained because that’s where Forrest Gump turned around when he reached the East Coast. I thought about it for a second and then I said, “well, that would be appropriate, but I’m going to Bar Harbor.” I think they were a little disappointed with my answer.

Being allergic to seafood goes a long way toward making your menu choices simpler when you’re visiting Maine.

Have one for me! Don’t ask me why I pedaled over 4,000 miles to get here when I’m allergic to seafood… if you look carefully, you’ll notice that hot dogs are also on the menu. That would be appropriate, since that’s how I began the trip.

Itinerary | Maps

Route

• Brunswick to Waldoboro

Metrics

• Miles: 45

Note

• Four more days of riding and then a short day to the finish line.

Thought For The Day

• Gloria Steinem said, “Everything We Do Matters.” Always think before acting. Be courageous and work on developing determination. 

When I’m in the city, it’s amazing how many people I see on bicycles with the seat set too low. I don’t understand that.

I had to get off the bike and push it up several hills today. Maine is very hilly. The hills aren’t that long but they tend to have a steep grade as you approach the top. A lot of times I’ll get about 2/3 of the way up a hill and there’s just no point in continuing to pedal. Peddling up steep hills also puts the chain in tension. I’ve never had one break (probably because I’m not strong enough to do that) but I have had to replace the chain twice on this tour.

I’ve seen yard signs along the way that simply say “Be Nice.” I’ve been thinking about these signs quite a bit. I’m sure that phrase can have many interpretations. As I reflect on it, what comes to mind for me is we should vote for politicians that are nice, not politicians that are mean and show disrespect. I believe the inability of some to be nice is hurting all of us. Politicians that are nice and use evidence based facts to back up their arguments are an even better choice.

I’m the blue dot. It’s the coastal route from here to Bar Harbor.

Religion is performed on a much smaller scale here in New England than it is back home.

Itinerary | Maps

Route

• Brunswick, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 0

Note

• My last laundry day. I’m going to get a haircut today so people in Bar Harbor don’t think the men in Oregon are all wild-things. Speaking of hair. I’ve noticed that in New England, it seems like a lot of men have been working on their beards for a long time. I think more research is needed on this topic…

Thought For The Day

• What lesson has today taught me? We should ask ourselves that every night.

It was a very chill day. After visiting four barbers, I was unable to get a hair cut. I’ll just have to live with shaggy hair until I can find a shop, hopefully before I reach Bar Harbor.

I’m excited to be concluding this journey in just a few days. That said, my desire to make this my last adventure is anything but a foregone conclusion. I don’t have a plan for the next adventure, but it’s out there, somewhere.

I’m excited to get back on the road tomorrow!

It’s time to wrap up this adventure. The fall colors are starting to come in.

Itinerary | Maps