Saturday, August 3, 2013

Uplands (Day 7: Thomaston to Belfast)

Posted by Jeff, 1/25/15

Miles: 36

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As we headed north out of Thomaston, it started pouring.

There was nothing to do but get drenched and keep pedaling.

State Route 90 (Camden Rd.) had fast traffic but good shoulders. Although coastal towns like Rockland and Camden are on the ECG route, the way to Belfast was, for us, through the Camden Hills.

Turning north on SR 17 (Rockland St.), we started our climb toward Hope. A driver stopped and offered a ride and a chance to dry off in her house. Her daughter had done bike touring. We declined her kind offer, and kept on. On our right, Mirror Lake exhibited only the gray sky.

As our route circled around Ragged and Bald Mountains, the clouds departed. The scenery made the elevation gain on Gillette Rd. worth it.

The new elevation also afforded a fast cruise down Barnestown Rd. into the center of the tiny town of Hope.

Hope has 1,500 people and a general store that was founded in 1832. True to form, it has a deli, groceries, plenty of beer, and a post office -- clearly the geographic and social center of the community.

Naturally, this is where we ate lunch.





Milkweed, a rest stop for migrating Monarch butterflies, lining the road








Only 8,514 miles to Madagascar* (* if we were going there, and our bikes were oceanworthy)








Now came the downhill!

The route into Belfast was SR 173 / Lincolnville Rd., Belfast Union Rd., Back Belmont Rd., and Lincolnville Ave. As with most of the day's cycling, no shoulders, but relatively little traffic.

The first thing we noticed about the town was the street furniture.

The Ornithopter and the Ice Cream Cone
(kind of sounds like an unpublished story by Roald Dahl)

The town sits on the Passagassawakeag River (my favorite Native American place name on the trip). Along the river there is a harbor walk, brewery, park, and marina. Also located here is the Front Street Shipyard.

Another cool feature of the waterfront is the footbridge that spans the river, connecting Belfast and Searsport. It was opened in 2006, a reuse of the old US-1 bridge. A pleasant bypass to the current US-1 bridge, it's just the kind of facility for an East Coast Greenway bike tourist, one that we hope to see more of between Key West and Calais. It was dedicated the Armistice Footbridge to commemorate World War I soldiers.

Looking south from the US-1 Veterans' Memorial bridge. The Armistice Footbridge is in the foreground.

It was practical for Eve and me, as we were camping in Searsport. Although mostly an RV spot, the campground let us pitch our tent in a grassy area near the office. We biked back across the footbridge for a satisfying Thai dinner at Laan Xang Cafe and an evening walk around downtown.

When you bike 30+ miles a day, walking never feels so good.

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