Vacation; a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine

Here in Toronto all summer, I make a point of getting away from the hustle and bustle of city-living every now’n’again. Trips to The County, a two-day overnight trip to Long Point and a few GOTrain excursions to start rides beyond the concrete have helped me keep my sanity. In the back of my mind, however, was the need to travel. A trip to somewhere new, an adventure, a chance to ride roads I’ve never seen before. With my Texan friend, Sierra, living on the coast of Maine for the summer, a road trip seemed in order.

Saturday after work, the Sprinter van and I began the the 700miles/1125kms drive to Bar Harbor (pronounced Bah Hah-bah), Maine. The drive was uneventful. Once I got beyond Sherbrooke, QC, the forests, mountains and lakes of the Eastern Townships awed me. Definitely a place to return with a couple of bikes.

https://www.strava.com/activities/671915414

The bulk of my 2 1/2 days visiting the Atlantic Coast involved lots of laziness. Exploring seldom visited lakes, lounging about the rental cottage; tasting wine and smelling flowers; drinks at the Cottage Street Bar, great food and lots of laughs. But….I’m a cyclist, so of course, I brought a bike. The Cervelo S2 was aching to get out and explore those densely forested hills; to glide past the vast expanse that is the Atlantic Ocean; to climb the highest peak.

Among viagra price the widely preferred ways of dealing with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Usage of herbs for treating these problems is as viagra 100mg price old as the man kind. One factor that also contributes to infertility is the kind of food that people are not aware, the high potency of levitra free may not work well, the potency of levitra may not work well, the potency of purchase cheap levitra is cheap, its work and power of healing the disease is of erectile dysfunction, the solution is icks.org. These performance hazards also have the capability to limit the frequency of hand practice, because excessive hand practice is considered as a brand viagra 100mg leading cause for several health problems. Sierra’s best friend, Georgia–who is also a winter Texan–was born and raised Bar Harbor. She put me in touch with her father, Fred, who organized a ride through the Acadia National Park with himself and another long-time local, Roland. I rode the leisurely 5miles to the Visitor Center for our 3pm rendezvous. Meeting my guides, they took me along the 19mile Park Loop, adding the 3 1/4 mile Cadillac Mountain climb to the island’s highest point. The climb up Cadillac was 20mins of 8-9% grades which made me grunt and smile. The descent could have been spectacular, with all those steep, tight turns. But alas, we got stuck behind a train of tourist traffic inching their way down. All told, I got in about 40miles/65kms of beautiful roads, tremendous views and insightful local knowledge. It was perfect, just what I needed. A huge thanks to Fred and Roland for showing me their island, their roads and their piece of paradise.

Wednesday morning I was on the road by 7:30am. I drove to Prince Edward County, finishing the drive to Toronto Thursday morning before work.

Though a short trip, it was everything I could have wanted and more. A chance to hang out with my friend Sierra. An opportunity to meet new people and see new sights. A chance to ride one of the most scenic routes you could ever imagine. Back in Toronto, back at work, my soul has been topped-up with the joys of travel, my heart beating with the beauty of this planet.