Teen Treks

We stared at our maps early this morning, mentally preparing ourselves for what seemed like a long and arduous day full of continuous roads and serious incline. Little did we expect the little adventures along the way that would make this day notable for more than just the miles behind us.

The day started out with a hiccup- not enough propane to percolate coffee… we fixed this real fast with a quick stop at the local coffee roasters, cozily tucked into a forested Maine cabin. Not far down the road we met a Russian bike tourist by the name of Igor. He was on the road for 7 months traveling all around the US and Canada. He joined us for a delicious lunch spread of seafood salad and warm baguettes and shared highlights from his journey on the road. We said our goodbyes and parted ways.

Later we found ourselves wandering through an Asian antique art and book shop somewhere along Route 1, in attempts to break the distance on a quite toasty, Maine day.

The Atlantic coast has become progressively hillier as we travel Northeast but our progressively more massive quads were able to make short work of today’s ascents and we finished the ride quickly with plenty of time to relax at this evening’s campsite. Once we arrived and set up camp, we grabbed our belays and started the extremely technical descent down one of Maine’s many rocky/boulder/cliff/mountain beaches. Okay, it wasn’t actually so extreme but it definitely did involve both feet and hands. As an added bonus for our tenacity as shore-seeking rock climbers, we also happened to stumble upon a multitude of fresh mussels that we may have collected a few of on our way back to camp. Those allowed us to cook the most delicious meal in all of New England because gosh darn those mussels were tasty. 

Learn more about the Teen Treks Maine Coast Trek.

The campsites that we’ve been staying in have been some of the best sites that one could really ever ask for. Yesterday’s site was a sort of mixture between an organic farm and an Oceanside campsite. There was an educational livestock barn, a farm store where the days produce could be purchased, and a cafe serving up some goodies with fresh ingredients. Honestly we didn’t really want to leave this morning because if we’d stayed we could have sat in on a canning workshop and then taken one of their “goat hikes” in the afternoon. However, we had places to be and swimming holes to find so we made our way “down east,” or maybe north, I can’t say for sure. Mainers seem to just kind of make up names for directions on the spot. In any case, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park was 40 miles ago and we’ve found a new place to call home for the evening. Where Duck Puddle Campground falls somewhat short in its name, it makes up threefold for in accommodations, scenic waterfront access, and friendly people. The ride here was hilly but it was nice to roll up to a campsite right on the water where we could cook dinner and wind down before the impending storm that we’ve been looking forward to all day. The pitter patter of the rain should keep us lulled to sleep throughout the night.

Learn more about the Teen Treks Maine Coast Trek.

Today’s blog post is brought to you by Trekkers Lily, Max, and Katie.

Today we began our day with a nice hotel bed under us for the second and last time. Shortly after, we set out for the open road and made our way toward the next camp. After about an hour and half of riding we had a nice long lunch where we spent plenty of time laying around and playing games while we digested. After that, we got back on the road and after only a few wrong turns we made it to Freeport. In Freeport, we visited the giant L.L. Bean store and it was giant. Trekkers Lily and Katie went on an L.L. Bean shopping spree while Max seizes the opportunity to rest in a hammock. After leaving the store, we went to the grocery store it get food for dinner and then we got to what was probably the prettiest part of today’s ride, right before the campsite. At the campsite we saw lots of cows, and we all drank some over priced and delicious milk. After that we went night swimming and ate hamburgers and s’mores. We have a long day of biking ahead of us tomorrow and are hoping to beat the rain.

If we do, you’ll find out.

The cows say hi / mooo

Learn more about the Teen Treks Maine Coast Trek.

Today was a day of rest. It was also filled with activities. Those activities included, but were not limited to: kayaking in the bay, swimming in the bay, further foot fueled exploration of the local scene, a Portland themed scavenger hunt created by the trekkers and for the trekkers, being used for our baguette by a local cat, fun fact theft (as a product of standing close by ongoing tours of the city and listening in without first acquiring permission to listen in), loitering, the purchase of used books out of a mini-van in the woods on a nearby island, picking ants off of a small dirt covered child that sometimes goes by “Dirty Desmond” and who also seemed to be affiliated with the book van in some way, team bonding, trading all of our pocket change for a rock, relaxing beach side rock climbing, more swimming in the bay, a sunset ferry ride, and pizza (sans tomatoes). As of right now, Portland has passed Portsmouth, Kennebunkport, and Newburyport. However the jury is still out on best port themed city as tomorrow’s ride will bring us right through the salty center of Freeport, Maine.