Rainy gray morningMy wish for today was one more ride around Park Loop Road before I hopped in my car for that long drive home. That wish was quashed by the steadily falling rain since my bicycle insisted that the riding conditions weren't ideal. Wet pavement, water falling from the sky, and temperatures in the 50s didn't appeal to my bike-riding desires, especially since I had a reasonable choice today.
Bicycle resting today
Park views, four wheels home
Conversations again flowed around the breakfast room, and I continued chatting with Lynn and Robert into the morning. It was a good morning for relaxing; no one was moving too fast to attack activities in the rain.
In spite of the weather - or maybe because of it - I decided to do one more loop around the park before I headed for home. The ranger at the entry station recognized me from my entry yesterday on my bike. She agreed with my desire to see the park in very different conditions, and also thought that the car was a better form of transportation for this morning. It was definitely interesting to see the coast on two very different days. Yesterday greeted me with both blue skies and clouds, with heavy surf, and challenging winds. Today both the ocean and the wind were quiet while rain decorated the landscape. It was still beautiful, but definitely different.
After my short loop through the park, it was time to turn my car towards home. I had a quick stop to make as I passed through Ellsworth though. I am absolutely addicted to Maine wild blueberries, and my B&B hostess told me that she purchases hers from a local company that picks and flash-freezes the berries. She purchases 30 pound packages, but she told me that the company also sells 10 pound packages of berries and she thought they would be willing to sell direct to a consumer like me. I stopped and picked up a blueberry supply, and hopefully the berries survived the trip home and retained a bit of their chill. I figured it was worth a try.
When I started my trip I chose to exit I-95 in Augusta and wind my way towards Route 1 and the coast. Today I follwed Route 1A to Bangor before I hopped on I-95 to head (relatively) west towards home. From Augusta, it looks like I-95 veers pretty far inland, but driving the two paths seemed to take about the same amount of time. After I got home, I checked the distances following each of the two paths and found that the total distance is very close. It's 18 miles further going all of the way in to Bangor, but there are fewer miles of back roads to traverse. Since it seemed to take the same amount of time I think I'll let my mood direct my vehicle again the next time I head for Acadia National Park. And there absolutely will be a next time.
Home again... My bicycle jumped out of the car and absolutely insisted on going for a ride. Of course I listened, and my bike and I wandered off for a quick spin on some of the flat roads near home.
