What do you mean bikes don't talk? Mine have always talked to me!
At first I thought that I would just use the plans I put together last year (and didn't use) for a long weekend in Nova Scotia. I had planned what I had been referring to as a long weekend consisting of 4 days of riding in Nova Scotia, with a final day riding (without gear, a short day trip) around Acadia National Park in Maine before I headed home. I looked at my plans, and realized that my planned second day of cycling in Nova Scotia was scheduled to be 70 miles. Hmmm... while I've done many days of that length on solo tours in the past, that's just not where I think I should start!
Out came the maps. I was still looking at a long weekend in Nova Scotia, switching my initial direction to ride north and east along the Bay of Fundy instead of heading toward the Atlantic Ocean via an off-the-coast route (the 70-miler I had originally planned). I quickly realized that given my short timeframe it would probably need to be an out-and-back type of ride. That's really not a problem, but it's also really not what I wanted to do. Thinking that there were more roads to choose from in Maine and that it might be easier to put together more of a circle tour there, I changed my focus. I was still thinking of the same number of days, but I was going to skip the ferry ride and stay on the US side of that vast body of water.
I pulled out my map of Maine and started exploring options. I'd like to visit Acadia National Park, both the main section of the park on Mt. Desert Island, and the Schoodic Penninsula to the east. And I'd like to do something that is a loop of sorts, not a straight out and back route. Bar Harbor, Mt. Desert Island, the Schoodic Penninsula... I think I'll keep heading east along the coast, and then try to loop back on a partial inland route to get back to my starting point. And look, there's a road in the area marked as National Scenic Byway, and there's one marked as a State Scenic Highway. Those are two roads that I definitely want rolling by under my wheels.
That sounds like a decision - my bike and I will be heading to Maine. Soon...
Yes Rover, I really am planning on traveling on one of those wonderful purple touring bikes. And yes, you're still a traveling dog, so you're coming too. You do want to come, right? Tell me, are you going to help me pedal this time, or are you going to just hang out and eat chocolate? Ah, that's what I thought!
