May 14, 2025
Day 3 Hampton Beach, NH, to Ogunquit, ME
Resilience is the word of the day
Average speed 11.2 mph
I was looking forward to an early start and a morning ride along the Atlantic while the sun was low in the sky. But, it was not that simple. I woke up to find my front tire flat. Two days, two flats. Maybe I should buy 90 tubes just in case. Then, the tubes I ordered from the local bike store (not naming them) were the wrong type. I ordered Presta, they gave me Schrader. I should have checked more closely, but didn’t. So, I had to try patching. The patch worked but when putting the tire back on the bike, I pressed too hard with the tire lever and created another puncture.
Thankfully Hank had some extra Presta tubes and it all worked out. Ad is visiting me in Ogunquit, and she’ll bring some extra tubes. I got moving at about 9am after a quick breakfast with Hank at the Blue Harbor Cafe.
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https://www.kuhl.com/kuhl/mens/jackets/ms-dynawool-jacket/?color=Copper
It is a bit heavy so when I got it I was thinking it might be too heavy. But, as it turns out it’s been colder than I anticipated so it’s worked well.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog!!
Take care,
Chuck
1 month ago
As I was leaving Hampton, there were Hank and Michelle on the side of the road cheering me on. What great friends.
The ride was spectacular. The ocean views of Hampton, Rye and into Maine at York are as beautiful as you can imagine. The sandy beach stretches wide at low tide and is enjoyed by the early dog walkers. In between the beaches are rocky shores with gulls, eiders and other sea ducks looking for food. Opposite the shore were huge mansions. Old ones, that must go back over a hundred years and represent old New England money. Acres of land right on the Atlantic. I wonder who owns them?
The terrain was a combination of flat along the shore and rolling hills moving inland a bit. Riding through Portsmouth, I passed the Naval Yard. My father was a lifelong NE Telephone employee, and in retirement he used to help manage pay phone installations and collections. The Navy Yard was one of his stops, which he very much enjoyed. It was nice to think of him.
Starting in Portsmouth, I began to see bicycle tourists going the other way, fully tricked out. They were mostly single riders, spaced out by a mile or more. I probably passed 10 from Portsmouth to York. They must have been part of a group, probably doing the ACA Atlantic tour heading south. It was good to see fellow adventure cyclist. It’s funny, after saying hi, you assess whether the person wants to stop a talk (none did), then you quickly check out their pannier and gear setup and start comparing!!
I arrived in Ogunquit at about noon, even with the late start - a very short day. I thought the mileage would be higher so I miscalculated, but Ogunquit is a great place to stop.
Ad showed up at about 3:30 and brought many gifts. My spare parts box, which had an extra Ortlieb hanger bracket (bag now fixed) and three new tubes with Presta valves to replace the wrong ones the bike shop gave me.
I am in good shape. We walked from the Sea View Motel (which is under construction getting ready for the season - I think we’re the only ones here) down to the Front Porch - a bar and restaurant my parents used to visit each year to celebrate their anniversary. It was pretty good. Now getting ready for Portland tomorrow!!
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Also, I am very much enjoying your journal and have just not found it! Thanks for the stories and photos.
1 month ago
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 123 miles (198 km)
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2 months ago