Tales from the Dirigo

 

Earlier this year was our second Dirigo Dynamo, an overnight bike ride from Boston to see the sunrise at Old Orchard Beach. The route starts in Somerville heads north through Massachusetts and the New Hampshire coast, arriving in Portsmouth around midnight. We proceed through Maine, following the well-signed Eastern Trail. Most of us return by train from Portland on the Downeaster. A couple ride reports follow:

2012 Dirigo Dynamo by Lovely Bicycle!

2014 Dirigo Dynamo at Yurtville.

Dirigo Dynamo Photos on FlickR.

If you are interested in the Dirigo Dynamo, chances are we will ride again summer 2016. We are are tentatively organizing an odd year Dynamo to Provincetown. We will probably watch sunrise on the beach in Wellfleet. Return could be by either by ferry (BHC or BSC) from Provincetown, or Cape Cod Flyer from Hyannis. If you are interested in joining us, comment below.

 

ToddlerLand Found

I found ToddlerLand in greater Boston! It has everything a toddler needs to have a fun filled morning.

Of course we begin with a train ride.

Then we find a big field to run and romp, and the many dogs are fun too.

A brook to look at little fish and water bugs. However, toddlers probably shouldn't play in the brook since many dogs already do.

But do not fear when it is a hot day, there's a great splash pad at the top of the hill. And the playground has a sand box too.

Wooded paths, where we can play with sticks.

Trails with waterfalls.

And a pond with ducks, geese and frog statues to top it off.

Where might this be, but Beaver Brook in Belmont. It's just a hop, skip and a jump from Waverly. Which you can get to by train from North Station or by bus from Harvard Square.

The southern historic section is the most easily accessible from Waverly, and where you will find most of the fun toddler activities. Once out of the train or bus stop, walk northwest along Trapello Road. About 200yds you'll reach the playground on your right, a little further on your left up Mill Street is Duck Pond and nice wooded trails.

If you are looking for more trail walking go to further north to the Rock Meadow section that extends into Waltham. If you need still more trails to walk along, just keep walking along the Western Greenway, walk to Belmont Center, downtown Waltham, or all the way around back to Waverly. But I digress, this degree of walking is mosty for older kids.

First just take your toddler out on the wooded trails and paths. Find sticks to bang against rocks, fish & bugs to watch, and dogs to pet. That is fun enough.

 

Camp Boston

Summer is almost here and thus camping season has begun. I grew up thinking of camping as either hiking on trails or car camping. But since moving to Boston I've learned that there is also bike camping, ferry camping and train camping. Though I haven't made the time to go on all of the camping trips I've wanted, I have found the time to compile a list of camping destinations near Boston.

Boston Harbor Islands (DCR & NPS)

The closest and most iconic Boston camping destination, and possibly even the easiest. There are three different islands you could camp on, ranging from old forts to secluded wilderness. Peddocks Island will soon be offering tent and yurt camping too. The islands are beautiful, with unique views of Boston, and often a lot of rabbits. For being so close to the city, they are also very remote, no water or electricity, and you can only get there by ferry, water taxi or private boat.

To go, pack light or pack in a rolling device and take the T to the Aquarium stop. The ferry dock is adjacent to the Christopher Columbus Park (not next to the aquarium). The ferry goes to George's Island (no camping) where you catch a second ferry to your particular island. You will need to be able to carry all your stuff in one trip to get on and off the ferries. Of particular note due to its remote nature, campers have to bring your own water, and carry of all of their trash.

Wompatuck (DCR)

Wompatuck State Park is on the South Shore and I don't know much about it, however it is large and I understand it has many good bike trails & roads. There is also the adjacent Weir River Farm and Whitney Thayer Woods, not to mention the nearby Worlds End Reservation; all are places I've been wanting to visit and haven't. It might be a great bike camp destination by taking the ferry from the Acquarium dock to Hingham and cycling the six miles to the campground, or take the train from South Station to Nantasket Junction for a four mile ride.

Ponkapoag Camp (AMC)

The AMC is well known for their White Mountain lodges and camps, but they are based in Boston and have a camp in our own backyard Blue Hills. It is very much geared to families. Reservations are focused towards week long stays, though I believe you can reserve a weekend. They have both tent areas and cabins. And for the parent that can't take the full week off, it is close enough to the city where you could still commute. It probably isn't best to cycle there, but a combination of the red line and Bus #240, and three mile walk on trails through the Blue Hills.

Camp Acton (Town of Acton)

Off of Acton's Pope Rd across from a few farms is a dirt road that ascends to a trail leading to a dozen distantly separated campsite in a small forest of large pine trees. This is a secluded place to legally camp that few know about. It is a great destination for bike camping, it is only 20 miles from the city, much of which is on the Minuteman Bikeway and the Reformatory Branch Trail. The trail is also wide enough to easily bring your loaded bike into the campsite. It is also right on the Bay Circuit Trail and one could easily walk with a pack the four miles from the Concord train station

Harold Parker State Forest (DCR)

On the border of Andover and North Reading is this large state forest with a campground. It has mostly wooded with many lakes and walking trails. It is also 20 miles from the city, however the route is on busier streets. It is also on the Bay Circuit Trail and can be reached by foot from either the Ballardvale or Andover train stations with a 6 mile walk.

Winter Island (City of Salem)

A city beach and campground on the northeast tip of Salem. I know next to nothing about this destination, though Salem is a fun city to visit, with many museums, a nice downtown and a set of bike paths that go to the nearby quaint village and New Englang sailing mecca, Marblehead. Winter Island is also 20 miles from the city, though the roads in this direction are particularly unfriendly to cyclists (at least while the Northern Strand is not yet complete). Taking the Salem Ferry LINK or the train to the Salem station would be a good alternative with or without a bike.

Of course, there are plenty more campgrounds nearby, and further a field on the Cape, in Maine, and further, including Salisbury Beach, shown above. The following map collects many, and hopefully more as I learn them.


View Bike Camping Nearby in a larger map

200km to Portland & Return by Train

The plan: a beautiful fall ride along the New England coast from Boston to Portland, then catch the evening Amtrak Downeaster back to Boston.

The reality: we made it to Saco, fifteen miles short of Portland, where we encountered a huge Amtrak fail.

Jon and I wanted to get one last long ride under our belt before the winter restricted us to commuting and the short west Boston jaunt during the rare warm winter weekend. To further encourage us, the leaves were turning a little late this year, so there was still a little color left in early November, especially along the coast.

I knew that I would need all day to ride the 200km (120 miles) to Portland, so we met at my place before dawn for coffee and bagels. With lights running we headed north through Medford and Malden. By the time we hit Saugus the sun was up and time to switch our lights off.

Though rather direct, the route from Somerville to Peabody involves many turns making navigation a challenge. Once we arrived in Hamilton we rode on Route 1A much of the way to Saco. The ease of navigation here allowed us to spend more time enjoying the ride and the views. I believe our favorite section was the farming land and salt grass lands between Ipswich and Newburyport.

North of the Merrimac River our route was the coastal road all the way to Portsmouth. This stretch was largely uninterrupted coastal vistas. The southern portion is mostly large expanses of sandy beaches.

Further north the coast becomes rockier and thus hillier. But we were still fairly fresh, and the views were very worth it. If we lost any time on this section it was because the temptation to admire the views was too great.

We pulled into Portsmouth about 1pm, just over six hours on the road. We found a good sandwich shop and ate them in the square. The day had become quite warm, and there were people everywhere outsode enjoying the day. Following lunch we headed north once again, this time to cross the Piscataqua River into Maine. The old downtown Rt 1 bridge is closed to automobiles, but you may still walk your bike across.

The portion in Maine was more wooded and the leaves had turned less. The roads were a little hillier, but still quite comfortable. While passing through York we found this great pedestrian bridge that we stopped to cross, and it provided a nice place for a snack.

Before we knew it we had arrived in Ogunquit. The traffic was heavier; more so as we reached Rt. 1. We decided turn inland towards back roads instead of riding on the busy road. The hills became more difficult, primarily because I was tiring. At least it afforded us the luxury of riding on a portion of the Eastern Trail, which was a true luxury. Aside from a few blow downs, the stone dust path was a pleasure to ride upon. The sun had just set, so we enjoyed the quite darkness without worrying about motorists.

This section of the Eastern Trail ends in Biddeford - there is another good section near Old Orchard Beach that I had ridden before. By the time we arrived in Biddeford it was getting too late to push on to Portland and still catch the 7:55pm train back to Boston. Knowing that there was a stop in Biddeford/Saco, we decided it was most prudent to have dinner and catch the train here.

This proved to be a great idea, until the train arrived and the conductor wouldn't allow us to bring our bikes on! I'd never caught the train in Saco, but I'd done so at Portland and Wells by bike without any trouble, indeed the past times worked very well. When we decided to cut the ride short at Saco I couldn't have imagined that Amtrak would not allow us on the train. Why would Saco be any different?

The only real difference is that Amtrak says so. Yet they don't say on their online schedule. Afterwards I found the fine print under the reservations & tickets page. They also display this bike caveat on their printed schedule, but they are only available at the stations, which wouldn't have helped us here.

So that every one knows, the Amtrak Downeaster only accepts bikes at Boston, Wells and Portland. I won't let this end my bike/train trips on the Downeaster, but it sure limits my ability to do so. it is a shame with the Eastern Trail passing through Saco/Biddeford and the Rockingham Trail near the Durham, NH station.

The route north was fairly straightforward, go north on the through road closest to the Ocean. To make it even easier I used Google Maps and selected the bike routing option, which provided a very good route. We also saw that this route is also arrowed from Ipswich, MA to Ogunquit, ME, and probably beyond. I can't recall the arrow, it was two letters. Does anyone know who arrowed the route and what the full route is?

View Larger Map

The only thing I would do differently next time would be to continue north along the coast through Kennbunk or Kennebunkport, instead of going inland. This may also save a little time and allow me to get to Portland without missing the train.

If you made it this far, I would like to share a short dream. This is a great route at a good length to ride north leaving just before sunset. The goal would be to reach Old Orchard Beach for the sunrise, have breakfast and continue on to Portland to catch the train home. A Boston version of the Dunwich Dynamo. We could call it the Dirigio Dynamo. Anyone in?

Portland

Portland, ME has become on of my more favorite nearby cities to visit. It is near and similar to Boston, yet the differences are striking.

Like Boston it was settled on a peninsula, unlike Boston they did not fill the surrounding harbors and bays. The city still feels like a peninsula with water surrounding three sides. The architecture is similar, but without the multiple high-rises. The streets are still narrow, and the traffic isn't overwhelming.

A couple weeks ago, my wife and I took our son to Portland, and one of the nicest things for him was the abundance of parks. There were many playgrounds, but the open space, fields, trees, ponds and hills alone were entertainment enough. Deering Oaks Park is particularly nice.

Our friends, Dorea & Angela, over at Carfree with Kids recommended the Eastern Promenade, above. They also noted that at the top of the hill is a great cafe and next to it is a little market where we also got lunch. This area is probably one of my favorites, with nice restaurants, beautiful old homes, the signal tower and an expansive view of the boats sailing across Casco Bay.

The promenade is near the top of a hill and it can be a long ride up to from the bike path, but well worth it. Speaking of bike paths, Portland has an ample supply. The back cove trail is nice with a crushed stone surface. Our favorite is the one along the bay just below the Eastern Promenade, it even has a narrow gauge tourist train, what more could one ask for?

The bike paths are primarily flat. The rest of the city is quite hilly. With modest traffic on a rather small peninsula with the abundant bike paths, cycling around the city remains a pleasure. Even the random cobble stone streets can be fun.

There is, of course, more to do than just bike around and go to parks. Here is a hand full of things we either did and would recommend, or would like to have time to have done ourselves:

• The Standard Baking Company, down by the old port, by far the best bakery I've been to.
• Portland Velocipede, a pleasant bike shop and they carry just about any urban utility bike that you may want, which includes a couple different bakfietsen!
• Local 188, a fabulous dinner and even better drinks. I would recommend a reservation.
• Children's Museum of Maine, we didn't get here but I've heard many good things.
• Casco Bay Lines, which is the local ferry service. Of particular fun in Portland as there are so many islands that you could go visit.
• Duck Fat Restaurant, after we returned I heard of this place and was sad that I missed it.

As for lodgings, we stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown. They had a small bike rack in the parking garage, which wasn't secure but was out of sight. It also had a door directly into the hotel and elevators making loading & unloading easy. The indoor pool was an added bonus.

The price was reasonable, and on the lower end for downtown lodgings. Some of the B&Bs are similar or less expensive. On past trips, we once stayed at the The Inn at St. John, which is inexpensive, quirky and a little far from the center of downtown. On another time we stayed at the The Percy Inn, which was a nice B&B on the border of the arts district and the west end neighborhoods, but a little far from the Old Port where most of the action is.

Portland is a fun place to be, and so is getting there from Boston. The Downeaster, an Amtrak train from Boston to Portland, is a great way to get there. The seats are comfortable, the conductors are helpful and the cafe car has decent food. For those, like us, wishing to take their bikes, well that is easy. The train has a large baggage car with bike racks, which we had used on a previous bike trip to Maine.

But this time we also had a cargo bike instead of two standard sized bikes. I knew it could fit in the baggage car, but I wasn't sure that would all work out. Luckily the train crew worked with us to get the baggage car open so we could get the two bikes in. Initially they wanted to put both bikes into the coach section; maybe they do not use the baggage car for bikes once summer has passed. Once in Portland the crew helped us get the bikes off the train, which would have been difficult to do it alone since the platform where the baggage car stops is 4' lower the car deck.

Worried that I would have to lift the bike back up the 4' when we left, asked the station agent for extra time to load. The agent requested that we load with business class. To our pleasure, they stopped the business class and baggage cars at the high section of the platform so we didn't have to lift the bikes.

I would definitely take large cargo bikes on the Downeaster again. Though I would definitely ask the Boston agent to let us board earlier.

Lexington on Skinnies

We are having a great 2011 snow season in Boston, assuming that you like snow. On the weekends, I love snow, especially skiing in it. And Lincoln is perfect for that.









I decided to catch the 8:30 train to Fitchburg, which also happens to be the ski train to Wachusett Mountain. The ski car was about half full; it was nice to see a number of folks using the train to go skiing.









The Ramey's successfully joined me at the the Waverly station. We detrained at Lincoln, where we donned our skis and set out to tour the town's great trails.









A particularly nice part about skiing in Lincoln, is that everyone else does too. In other words, the ski tracks are clean without many people walking over them in snowshoes or postholing with boots. Why search out groomed trails when skiers following each other create such a nice trail by themselves?









About halfway through the tour we skied through the deCordova sculpture museum grounds, thus the first image. The museum shop, open year round, has a nice space to take a break and eat a small snack. It was a perfect rest and allowed us to enjoy the remainder of the day on the trails.









But far and away the best part of skiing in Lincoln is the scenery. The woods are spectacular, especially this time of the year.









And you even get to ski by the Gropius House.
To find such natural and manmade beauty so close to Boston is spectacular.









Skiing around Lincoln finally wore us out, we returned to Lincoln Center. We took the 2:42 train after picking up some hot chocolate and snacks for the ride home.

The MBTA runs eight trains each way on the weekend. The Fitchburg line schedule is what you want to check.

Once you exit the train in Lincoln, across the parking lot in front of you is a grocery store, perfect for picking up a second breakfast or trail snacks.

To find the ski trails, walk down the platform in the direction of Fitchburg and continue along the parking lot in the same direction, you will reach a lightly plowed road next to a playground. Follow this road - you may be able to ski on the road - at the end of the road you will reach a large field where the ski trails begin.

Someone with a good sense of direction could probably ski here for hours without getting lost, but I would recommend a map. A trail map is available at Town Offices, I bought mine at the town library.

Alternatively, you can use a USGS topo map; it doesn't have the trails, but it does have major buildings and roads. The correct map here is the Maynard map. This particular PDF map is also georeferenced, and can be used with the PDF Maps program on an iPhone, which will both show the map on the screen and plot your GPS location on the map, making navigation fun and simple.

Enjoy skiing in Lincoln, and let me know how your trip goes.

And just for fun, here is a short, first-person video of me skiing down a short hill in Lincoln.

Winter Please

Autumn has almost come and gone. Yet I do not despair, we are approaching one of my four favorite seasons.






As usual, I have been planning some bummels & jaunts for the winter. And even more usual, I probably won't be able to do half of them.

Here are a handful of ski trips that I'm considering, most of them are T accessible. So, if you have an opportunity to try one out let me know, I'd like to hear your report.

Town of Lincoln
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust has protected over 1000 acres in Lincoln and has over 50 miles of trails. Most of the trails are perfect for xc skiing. In fact there are more winter trails than summer trails, since wetland areas are frozen and passable with skis. And getting there is easy, take the Fitchburg commuter rail from North Station or Porter Sq Station to the Lincoln Station, train schedule. Trail maps are also available at Lincoln Town Offices; I bought mine at the Town Library.

Minuteman Trail
Our favorite urban bicycle trail is a great place to xc ski in the winter. A couple years ago I skied from Davis Sq to Arlington Center right after a storm. The Cambridge portion was already plowed, but the Somerville and Arlington section was great. Year round cycling has become more common and Arlington and Somerville plow their sections more frequently, so getting out soon after a storm is more important. I don't know whether Lexington and Bedford plow their sections, so you could take the 77 bus to Arlington Heights and ski into Lexington. The 76 and 62 busses will take you right into Lexington Center.

City Streets



Or you can ski along city streets immediately after a storm. Saturday night storms are particularly good, since cities don't plow as regularly on Sundays.

Middlesex Fells
The Middlesex Fells is a good option after a storm, though walkers pack the trails fairly quickly. The fire roads are nice and wide. They do tend to be stoney, so you need 6-12" of snow, and still you might want to take a pair of rock skis. The Friends of the Fells provide a very good map of the Fells. The following bus routes get you into the Fells, 99 from Malden, and the 132 from Malden, another option is to take the commuter rail to Winchester and walk the half mile to the Fells.

The Blue Hills
The Blue Hills provide great terrain and is easily accessible from the city. Most of the wide trails on their map are good ski trails. The rangers have even developed a Ski Routes pamphlet. As for access, it seems that bus route 240 from the Ashmont station provides access right to the heart of the the Blue Hills.

Now I understand that setting your own tracks isn't everyone's cup of tea, so here are a few more options.

Weston Ski Track
The Weston Ski Track is the closest cross country ski center. They groom, set tracks and even blow snow. It is near the 128 & MassPike interchange in, of course, Weston. But what's better, it is near two rail stations. Riverside, the end of the D line, and Wellesley Farms, on the Framingham/Worcester line. Both stations are about a mile away, though the ski trails are a little closer to Riverside.

Great Brook Farm
I will also share my favorite local cross country ski center, even though it is not transit accessible. That is Great Brook. It is an old farm in DCR land in Carlisle, which I think is better than the Weston golf course. They have ski rentals, and a wide variety of trails; some of the hills are a bit of a challenge. They even have a night skiing loop lit with kerosene lamps!

If you read this far, you should probably learn that I'm not only a fan of cross country skiing, but I do enjoy downhill too. Here are a couple downhill alternatives.

Blue Hills
The Blue Hills, same ones mentioned above, also have a downhill ski area. It isn't really transit accessible, but it is close, especially if you live on the south side of the city. It might also be fun to take light backcountry skis, take the bus to the Blue Hills, and ski across the reservation to the downhill area.

Wachusett Mountain
This is another nearby DCR reservation. The roads in the reservation and to the top of the mountain are closed in the winter, which affords good cross country skiing. There is also a downhill ski area on the north side of the mountain. And of course, my favorite, they have a ski train!

I hope this whets your appetite for skiing this winter. If you make any of these jaunts, please let me know. I'm sure to share my own this winter.

To Battle Road & Walden Pond

Maggie wanted to visit Walden Pond and enjoy the fall foliage. We left around 8:30 a.m. via the Minuteman Bikeway, which wasn't very busy so early in the morning.


View Larger Map

Just past Lexington Center, we took a left on Paul Revere Hill Road. It is a rather lightly traveled road that goes by the Lexington Golf Club. It is a pleasant ride, and the hill isn't as steep as the parallel Mass Ave. At the end of Paul Revere Hill Road we ended up at the Minuteman National Park.



From there we took the Battle Road toward Concord Center. Yes, I dressed in seasonal camoflage.



And we stopped often to enjoy the changing leaves.



Stopped for a mid morning snack at Walden Pond. The color along the shore was fascinating.




We didn't want to spend all day touring, so we took the noon train from Lincoln. We got back home before 1pm to finish our day.

Indeed, a wonderfully simply morning jaunt to some beautiful nearby areas.

Apple Biking

Mmmm, apple scraps are yummy!
Maggie is making apple pie, and I'm writing while enjoying the left over apples.

Yes, it is autumn, and we just came back from picking apples and seeing the New England foliage change, while on a bicycle ride.



We rode along the Nashua River Trail with two new friends, Megan & Kyle. We started at the train station in Ayer and rode north with a brunch stop in Groton Center.

After brunch we continued on the trail to Sand Hill Road (marked by another small parking lot) where we exited the trail in order to reach our destination of Autumn Hills Orchard on Chicopee Row.


View Nashua River Trail to Orchards in a larger map

The roads to the orchard are back roads, with little traffic on a Sunday afternoon. Chicopee Row was a bit busier. It is mostly uphill to the orchard, steep at the end. This was handy later.



The orchard is on a hill with the red barn at the bottom. This is a view of the barn from the top. Between the apple trees, you can see our bikes leaned against the barn.



Rows of Macouns, Empires, Courtlands, Mutzus, Golden Delicious, Sun Crisp, Spencers, Kendals, and surely more! And gorgeous views!



Reaching for the highest Mutzus.

The folks at the orchard were extremely nice, and bicycle friendly. They sent us a very nice email when I asked if they were open and if bikes were welcome. They had some cyclists visit earlier this year, who picked too much to carry home, and so the orchard organized an apple delivery.



Now this is why I was glad the trail was mostly downhill from here. One bag, ten pounds, we had four bags. That's a lot of weight on our 3-speeds.

We left the orchard about 90 minutes before the train departed Ayer, and we had about 30 minutes to spare.

After a short train ride home, it was time to make apple pie.



Rolling out the crust.

From Apple Bikes

The apple corer, slicer & peeler. A valuable tool when you have 40 pounds of apples. Of course we were too tired to do more than two pies tonight. But in a few days we'll be floating in apple sauce!

And now for how.

Quite easy, I'd say.

We took the train from Porter Sq to Ayer. Check the MBTA schedule for the Fitchburg/South Acton commuter rail line. Make sure you know the time the train leaves Ayer to go home, you don't want to miss the train. There is a cafe on main street if you have time to kill. It helps to have a back up plan, like the next train time and cash for dinner.

Getting the bikes on the train isn't too difficult, so long as you can lift the bike up and down the four steps onto the train. The conductor will tell you where to put your bike, but it is usually in the handicap space near each entrance. When carrying 20 pounds of apples, make two trips.

Where to go, well my map above shows Autumn Hills Orchard a round trip of about 17 miles. The map also shows another orchard in New Hampshire if you want to ride further, Brookdale Farms, round trip would be about 32 miles.

If you'd like to stop in Groton exit the bike path at the parking lot with a blue building labeled "Buckingham." The town center is one block away via Station St.

Potentially more important than the above is how to make Apple Pie, here's Maggie & her recipe.

Hi there. I come from a family of pie makers. My parents raised four kids who can make pie. When I would bring friends home from college I would nap while my Mom showed them how to make pie. I've been doing it since I could wield a pastry cutter. If I make pie for my dad, he says "This is really good, almost as good as your Mom's. You just need a little more practice."

I like to make my own crust, but if you're uncomfortable with that, just buy a frozen one at the store. If you want to give homemade crust a try, just be flexible, and don't get too wound up in having a beautiful pie. It will taste good even if it all falls apart into a crumbly mess.

Crust:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup shortening
5-6 ish tbsp ice water*

Mix flours and salt. Cut in shortening and butter using pastry cutter (or two knives, a fork, your hands, or a food processor) until the crumbly bits are the size of split peas. Sprinkle ice water over the mixture and stir with a fork to combine. It will still look quite crumbly, but it will stick together if you pinch it. Pour half of the mixture onto a floured surface (I use a piece of canvas). Smoosh it together into a disk. Roll it out out until it is approx. 11 inches across. Transfer to 9" pie plate. Roll out other half of dough and set aside while you make the filling.

*I was feeling fancy tonight, so I mixed 1/4 cup ice water with one egg and a splash of lemon juice. Ice water works just fine too.

Filling:
6-8 apples peeled and sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg

Toss ingredients together and pour into prepared crust. Top with second crust. Trim and pinch edges. Cut several vent holes in the top. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 30 minutes more. Pie is ready when crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Enjoy!

Weekend in Maine

On labor day weekend Maggie & I decided to take a Saturday & Sunday tour from Portland to Wells, Maine. It was a surprisingly simple bike trip that we could easily do without driving.

Happily, the Amtrak Downeaster train from Boston to Portland takes bikes! With a some campground research and train tickets purchased we were ready to go.



Saturday morning we loaded our luggage onto the bikes and headed to North Station. Catching the 8:50 am train to Portland meant riding into town while traffic was pretty light. Once we picked up our reserved tickets (you need to reserve a bike spot too) we tried to find out where we would put our bikes, which the station attendants didn't seem to know. So we proceeded onto the platform with our bikes. Before we passed the first car the conductor approached us, resolving the obvious question, and directed us to the baggage car immediately next to us. He helped us get our well laden bikes into the car and let us put our bikes in the racks. We unloaded some items for the two hour ride and left our bikes in good care.



I quite enjoy train rides, so getting to Portland was half the fun. Maggie knitted while I read and watched the scenery pass by. We had time for tea and our second breakfast. Train rides are always over too soon, and left the train to get our bikes at the baggage car. This proved a little more difficult since the platform is low, near track level, and the conductor had to carefully lower our loaded bikes to us. (The platforms are high in Boston, so there was only a slight lift up into the baggage car).

With bikes packed in Portland, we headed on our trip south along Cape Elizabeth and on to our campsite near Old Orchard Beach. Here is a little map of our trip with a number of key points along the way:


View Southern Maine Trip in a larger map

Saturday is in green; pan south to see Sunday in purple.

The first part is along a bicycle path beside a busy road. The path & road follow the southern edge of Portland around to the Casco Bay Bridge. Unfortunately, the path ends abruptly at the bottom of a hill just past Danforth St. This left us to intimately cope with a strange, busy street, and then bike back up the rather steep on ramp to the bridge. If I make this trip again, I will take the path at Danforth St., keeping me further away from the busy street and avoiding the short climb back up to the bridge.

Once on the bridge there is a nice large bike lane with very fast traffic. The ride would have felt much more comfortable if there was a curb between the bike lane and the traffic. At the bottom of the bridge we met up with the South Portland Greenbelt. This is a very nice path for cycling but took a little effort to find (the entrance is on the opposite corner once you get to the bottom of the bridge).

After winding along the greenway, we rode through a nice neighborhood before finding our way on to Shore Rd. and out to Portland Head Light. We found a pleasant space by the light to eat lunch.



We continued along Shore Rd. circling around Cape Elizabeth. The traffic is a bit busy at times, but all-in-all quite comfortable. I would avoid more of Route 77 next time because of the traffic, but it did have a wide shoulder.

The highlight of the afternoon was the Eastern Trail, which takes you out across the Scarborough River. The trail is quite nice, hopefully some day soon it will connect to the South Portland Greenbelt.





The trail continues on, but we had to take a left here towards the Bayley's Camping Resort. We have never camped at a resort before. The accommodations were nice, but I'm not sure a tent site and showers is worth $50/night. Admittedly, there was live music till 10pm, but not everyone finds that a plus after a full day cycling. There are some less expensive campgrounds south Saco (shown on the map above), but Old Orchard made the best mid-way stop for the night.

For dinner we cycled out to Pine Point to the Rising Tide Restaurant, at a coworker's well founded recommendation. The lobster stew was great!

Morning is time for breakfast

and packing up the tent.


Then we were on our way. We continued into Old Orchard Beach. I had many friends try to steer us away from Old Orchard, but I think I like the kitsch, and may have to come back next summer for a short weekend trip to check out the pier.





We proceeded down the coast towards Camp Ellis, a quaint little seashore community at the mouth of the Saco River. It sure would have been nice if there was a ferry across the river here. The nearest bridge was in Biddeford, 5 miles upstream along some busy roads.

Once south of the Saco River we took an inland route to Kennebunkport through a more rural countryside.



Kennebunkport was amazingly busy. The most congested roadways outside of a major city. We stopped for a short lunch, watched people in the town, and continued on our way. It was about 2pm and we planned to catch the 3:22pm train, so we focused on our destination in Wells. We arrived with about thirty minutes to spare and proceeded to wonder how we get our bikes onto the train.

There wasn't any station attendant to ask, so we figured the conductor would help us once the train arrived. This plan seems to work pretty well. The conductor opens the train doors at the high level half of the platform and we waited for everyone to get on & off the train. The conductor then directed us to bring the bikes onto the coach car and into a vacant handicap space instead of the baggage car, which wasn't open.

With a strap we were able to keep our bikes from shifting during the ride, and we proceeded to find a couple seats and fell asleep for the ride home.



Amtrak Schedule & Tickets:
http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/schedules_fares/full_schedule/
Remember to get tickets for your bikes too.

Things I would do differently next time:

• Take Danforth St. in Portland to the Casco Bay Bridge
• Avoid much of Route 77 on Cape Elizabeth
• Ride the full length of the Eastern Trail
  
• Continue the first day south of the Saco to camp at more modest accommodations
  
• Spend more time on Sunday cycling in the area north of Kennebunkport
• Find another route to the Wells Station, Route 9 is very busy, maybe Burnt Mill Rd. or Cole Mills Rd. would be better.