21 SEP 05 - Down the coast of Maine

Maine may be the "Pine Tree State", but it's also famous for its blueberries and our high-end motel started the day with those complimentary muffins and great coffee. We soon motored the final 2 miles to Lands End and found a gift shop with pins (lobster and Maine-shaped). We backtracked across the bridges and islands towards Brunswick, ME, but avoided that small city and the busier US Route 1. In fact, we took the smallest roads closest to the sea, sometimes thru ritzy neighborhoods. Oh yeah, Maine does not have a helmet law and notice how nicely Mike has his camcorder swivel-mounted on his bike.

We stopped for the day's first break at a rural cemetery. We find cemeteries good for our heads: there are interesting epitaphs and names. How often will you find a husband's wife named "Experience"? When's the last time you saw a marker honoring a soldier of the Revolutionary War? And what's with some of the tombstone symbols, icons like sheaths of grain, willows, and pointed fingers?

We soon by-passed Portland, ME and in hindsight, we missed out on Allagash Brewery. We had sampled some of their Belgian-style brew back at OJ's house in Rochester, NY. Oh well, we made up for it when we came across a small farm market run by a little ol' Grandma who had good fresh cider. OJ kept her busy while Mike checked out the plumbing on the backside of the barn. Moving on, we eventually arrived at a deep bay without bridge or ferry, so we had to cut away from the sea up to US Route 1. We happened to pass a classic car lot and OJ pulled in when he saw a beautifully restored sample of Mike's recent eBay purchase: a spotless El Camino. We had a nice chat with the owner and he pointed us towards a nearby car wash to clean the salt and sand off our bikes. Yes, we gassed up and bought lottery tickets.

As we drove on, OJ saw a sign that he couldn't pass up. He had seen a similar sign back in New York and vowed to not miss the opportunity again. Yeah, it's kind of corny, but you're not going to see a sign with the name "OJ" in it. Speaking of "Mike's Cycle", how do you like those spiffy quick release hard bags that come standard on the Kawasaki Concours? Mike fabricated the luggage extension holding the waterproof rafting bag behind him. And that fairing keeps him warm and dry in damp weather. What you can't see is that he has cruise control and heated grips!