Tut tut...

It was pouring rain when we woke up this morning. We decided the best thing we could do was try to out-sleep it. By 7am the rain had stopped, and by 8am we were on the road again after having our respective coffee/tea at John's house.
We hit a few chain snafus, but thanks to our expert knowledge of chain fixing (thanks to Colin) we got back on the road fairly easily.
We biked on Pleasant "1,000 mountains" Hill Road, and made it to Brunswick quickly where we had a snack and took a brief snooze at the Little Dog Cafe. We met a cute boy who took this picture for us.
We made some new friends in the kids' section of the library there.
And then headed to Gelato Fiasco for a couple of tastes. One of us tested almost all of the flavors.
It was lucky that we re-fueled on gelato before leaving Brunswick, because we hit strip-mall hell on Route 24, and had to walk Harriet and all of our gear in scary places with no sidewalk OR breakdown lane. For long stretches of time. Eeek!
After the harrowing traffic we found the perfect spot to sit. It was as though they knew we were coming.
As we came into Bath, where we had originally planned to stop for the night, we stopped at a tourist information center where two men offered us a ride to Wiscasset. We graciously declined, so they crossed themselves and wished us luck.
So, up and over the long bridge we went.
Another town under our belts, not sure how many to go, but we're getting closer!
Going through Bath on Route 1 is not a whole lot of fun. We would not recommend it. It stinks, really. And there are tiny tiny breakdown lanes that make you want to pull out your hair. But thankfully just a little ways past the bridge there is a lovely gazebo that you can sit in to catch your breath.
There were some lovely views of inlets and estuaries on Route 1, but...
with newfound inspiration, we took a long detour off of the highway and found a place to sit and lunch in the shade. We even found a little bird bath to wash our faces in, complete with mosquito larvae. It was just what the doctor ordered.
The roads we took were beautiful and shaded, and in the afternoon we came upon a babbling brook, perfect for skinny dipping and synchronized dancing.Harriet lost her chain for the fourth time...
And we did a little foraging.
And finally: Wiscasset! We got a bite or two at Red's Eats, which was delicious, and ultra-cheap. The people there were super friendly, but unfortunately they couldn't think of anywhere for us to pitch a tent nearby.
So, we crossed the bridge into Edgecomb where we bushwacked through the woods and found a place to stealthily camp for the night. We were almost eaten alive by wild mosquitoes, but we did indeed survive. Phew... What a day! We biked over 30 miles, and damn it felt GOOD!

Double The Pleasure

Today is our day! We're off to great places! Luckily we have packed all the things we could need, including bubbles, sun hats, and little drink umbrellas.

All in all, we estimate that there are about 50 pounds of gear on the back of Harriet, but it feels like way more. Steering is a whole different sort of adventure. But we are ready for a challenge, so away we go!

First stop: badass graffiti. Harriet was amazed.

The smell of the sewage treatment plant near the graffiti: not so amazing.

As we rode around the Back Cove we passed a jogger who asked where we were going. "To Rockland!" We said. And we continued our chat. A few minutes later he said "Where are you really going?" And we said "To Rockland!" "Then why are you dressed so nicely?" he asked. He also suggested that we pump up our tires. We meant to do that. Really. But first:

We had a little sneaky time at the graveyard in Falmouth.
We felt like we had gone so far. It was time for a small picnic, so we ate nectarines in the mist.

We stopped at the Town Landing Market on Route 88. It was a kindof desperate situation; someone needed coffee! A kind gentleman offered to take our photo, and told us that the market was famous.

With coffee in hand, smiles were plentiful.

Shortly after our coffee break we rode past some road crew doing work. One guy yelled to us "It's the only way to go! Double the pleasure!" And how could we disagree?

Finally, on our fourth or fifth stop of the morning we remembered to pump up those tires. Now she rides like a dream. Whoopee! (On our detour through Yarmouth we stopped at Rosemont market for spicy cheese. Yum.)

And then on to the Royal River in Yarmouth, where we donned our nifty swim suits. Those bubbles sure came in handy! We went for a lovely swim...

Painted our fingernails...

Applied sun protection...

Re-applied our makeup for the afternoon...

And read stories aloud under the shade of the trees.

Once we were well-rested, we made our way back onto the road. We made it to Freeport before we realized what happened (we had missed our turn), and decided that stopping for ice cream was the only logical thing to do. Harriet took a rest under the trees in the park and awaited our return.

And then voila! We were at John's house, Harriet was unloaded, and we set up camp.

After a mini-break we headed back into town for local burgers and cold beverages.

John was a lifesaver, and helped to fix some things that broke earlier in the day, including the ipod player handlebar attachment (which came flying off when we almost hit a car on first take-off and came to a near crash-landing) and the whirligig plane (which lost its propeller when we sideswiped the graffiti wall.) Someone was still learning how to steer. We're not naming any names.

Harriet the Beast!

So, we think we have the finishing touches all done. We're packed and ready to go, and so is Harriet, of course. This afternoon we loaded her up, just for good measure. She's a little back-heavy, but we figure that only makes her stronger. She sure knows how to get attention! We drove her around the hill fully loaded tonight, to practice, and made it about 25 feet up the hill on Saint Lawrence Street before we realized the rest of it was just not going to happen... so, we hopped off and Hope pushed from behind while I steered up front. Our neighbor said "My son and I used to ride tandem! The key is to use all your gears!" And we told him that Harriet has just the one. He agreed that we might be pushing up a lot of hills. But that's ok. We've got stories, laughter, snacks, water, and quite the soundtrack prepared. The soundtrack is called "Harriet's Adventure."

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have tons of rain, but even if we do, we are prepared to roll with the punches. Because this trip is in honor of the fun and ridonkulous, and we are going to do our best to keep it that way.
We have a photo shoot at 7:15am tomorrow morning on the Eastern Promenade with Sarah, our official photographer, before we begin the journey North... where will we be going, I wonder?

progress!

On our way home from breakfast with Tim the Taurus this morning, Harriet developed a crush on this hot rod. She sidled up to him sneakily so we could snap this picture for posterity. I wonder what their kids would look like...?

Our preparations are taking a more feverish pace now that we have realized that we have so little time left until Tuesday when we depart for our adventure. I think you would be impressed.

We stopped by Treehouse Toys this morning for some practical updates including a bike bell for my handlebars, a nifty horn for Hope's, and a jar of the best bubbles that money can buy. We also cruised by Cyclemania where they helped us raise the handlebars and rigged on some waterbottle holders with tire parts and zip ties, because Harriet doesn't have as many piercings as some of the new-fandangled bicycles you see loitering about these days. She's au-natural, just the way nature made her (but with a few accessories for good measure).

When we got home, we installed the handlebar bag and made a plan for what is to come. Here is our updated to-do:

Done:

☒ plot mileage, stopping points

☒ install bell, handlebar ribbons, soundbox, airplane flyer

☒ tie up loose ends: births, postpartum visits

☒ find ipod and make sure it works

☒ adjust bike for proper fit

☒ bike tune-up

☒ put racks and panniers on bike

And a thousand thank-yous to Colin for helping us with these things... he was so sweet, and had all the right tools for the job. He even drilled through metal so that Harriet's accessories would fit just right!

Up For Discussion:

✄ packing list- half done, and is it really necessary? We may just end up packing according to inspiration the day before the trip.

✄ sew skirts etc. needed for trip- because we are cutting it close-ish on time, and despite the fact that I bought some beautiful cloth, this might have to be skipped. We do already have lots of beautiful skirts to ride in...

Still To-Do:

❑ plot stopping points for food, water, swimming, ice cream, coffee shops, and libraries.

❑ organize crew to meet us when we arrive at our destination

❑ organize return trip

❑ pack and put gear onto bike

❑ practice riding fully loaded

❑ make playlist and gather books on tape; put on ipod

❑ tie up loose ends: teaching, schoolwork, etc.

❑ weave festive adornments into tire spokes (I woke up yesterday morning thinking RIBBONS! Instead of crepe paper we are going to weave ribbons into our spokes because they won't get tattered when we splash through puddles.)

❑ ensure we have appropriate hats and sunglasses (on a side note, I went into an Asian market yesterday looking for one of those big straw hats. I found something that didn't look quite right, but I put it on my head anyway and went up to the cashier to ask if it was a hat. Apparently it was a basket for steaming sticky rice. Who knew?)

Whew! More to come soon...

Harriet's Makeover

Being that it's Wednesday and we're all leaving soon on a rigorous venture, we decided that Harriet deserved a little mani-pedi... she is a lady after all.

While Colin adjusted the seats, Hannah got down to the serious business of handlebar tassels and whirligig planes.

It's not a day at the spa without handlebar adjustments, chain tightening, luggage rack fitting, and polish!

Colin was a total lifesaver with all the right tools and amazing patience.

We even let him take an honorary ride on the new and improved Harriet. She's so fast and smooth now we'll probably have extra hours left over to spend at the beach, reading a book, maybe a boat ride... ah bliss!

Beat the heat!

It has been ridiculously hot here... for days. Yesterday morning I planned our bike route and started getting worried. What if it's this hot when we're biking? Will we have enough water? How will we beat the heat without popsicles? Hope started worrying about these things today, independently of me. So, if you have been worrying about this on our behalf, worry no more. We have a plan: ICE CREAM!

To-Do List:

I am making a big to-do list because there are so many things we need to get done in the next 10 days as we prepare for our journey. Woah! Thankfully, Hope taught me how important it is to add the things we have already done, because we are really in the middle of this journey already. This makes it seem a bit less daunting... I think...

Done:

☒ buy a tandem bike

☒ look up route on google maps

☒ drive the route to scout out the terrain

☒ practice biking locally to get prepared

Still To-Do:

❑ plot mileage, stopping points, and where to get food and water.

❑ make packing list

❑ sew skirts etc. needed for trip

❑ ensure we have appropriate hats and sunglasses

❑ organize crew to meet us when we arrive at our destination

❑ organize return trip

❑ adjust bike for proper fit

❑ bike tune-up

❑ put racks on bike (do they even fit?) and panniers.

❑ find ipod and make sure it works

❑ make playlist and gather books on tape; put on ipod

❑ install soundbox, bell, airplane flyer, hootie perch, handlebar ribbons

❑ weave crepe paper into tires

❑ pack gear onto bike

❑ practice riding fully loaded

❑ tie up loose ends: births, postpartum visits, teaching, schoolwork, etc.

Ok, we can do this!