Nine relaxed days on our own in Maine. Eight mostly difficult rides and one rainy day of sightseeing and hiking. We enjoyed lobster almost every way possible. When you spend hours on a bike climbing up steep hills, you have time to intimately experience a region.
Here are my observations, in no particular order.

Maine has some of the most patient, polite and considerate drivers I have ever shared the road with. In over 315 miles, the only horn that was ever honked was when it was gently tapped and accompanied by a hearty wave and a smile! There were many times that we were climbing very slowly up inclines of over 15% and people just hung way back and gave us time and waited until they could safely pass. Incredibly, there was no sign of annoyance or frustration.

I remain fascinated by the white hydrangeas. They are stunning and so different from our purple and pink varieties in the southern USA. I became aware of them, and learned about the soil acidity impacting the colors last summer when we explored the Montreal area.

It appears to me that more than half of the rural homes in the area have detached garages. Why is that? Wouldn’t you want to get from your car to your house without having to go outdoors? One of our Uber drivers suggested it could be a tax issue, but this remains unexplained and unresolved for me.

Do they drive black and dark grey trucks so they can be seen in the snow? While riding across Texas in the spring it seemed that everyone drove a white truck, but here the most popular color appears to be black.

You’ve probably noticed that in most of our pictures I have a whistle around my neck. That is for dogs. In most cases when a dog is charging if I blow it at just the right moment the dogs will be stunned and stop in their tracks. This gives us enough time to ride away from the danger.

I never even came close to blowing the whistle. The dogs are not at all aggressive, most seem to be fenced and if they happen to be loose, they seem unconcerned with cyclists. When you are climbing a steep hill, it’s really nice NOT to have to worry about a dog giving chase.

And finally: the ocean. Maine has this huge coastline, but it’s sort of hard to actually see the ocean. It was not until our last day in Maine that we actually saw something that wasn’t a bay, or a harbor or a barrier island. It’s harder than you think to actually see the tide and the waves breaking on the coast!

And for those who are as interested in the lobster as we were, here are the rest of the meals we had.

Thanks Maine, you were a great host and we loved the time we spent with you! Up next, a very hilly Eastern Tandem Rally.