I’d found a nicely renovated small motel just outside Camden, Maine, the owners having lived in Garland, Texas for many years, a suburb near my home. The rains had come during the night and it was a great excuse to take a day off. I holed up from the gray, cold rain in the room and caught up on the ride report. I have to remind myself at times to stop and just take a day off here and there. Since leaving Dallas, I haven't been doing marathon mileage days, however they have been fairly long and after seven days straight it was time.
The next day dawned clear and my goal for the day was to get into Canada, and it couldn't have been a better day for riding. It was sunny and crisp, about 55°, when I got on Highway 1 going north. The little motel in Rockport and the town of Camden were just what I’d needed. I grabbed a bagel and coffee at a little café in downtown Camden, where the previous morning I had met another adventure rider named Phil, who lived in the area and rode a BMW R1200GS similar to mine.
If you're needing to make time through Maine, Highway 1 is not your answer. It wanders through many small towns and communities with stoplights, traffic and slow speed limits. It's not the equivalent of The Pacific Coast Highway, however the little towns along the way are charming.
I exited from Highway 1 and headed for Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor as my first destination for the day. The Loop Road through the park takes you through a substantial amount of forest before reaching the classic Atlantic coastline, replete with rocky cliffs and green forest along the water. There were plenty of tourists and hikers since the weather was so beautiful, and it was apparent older travelers take advantage of the slower season in September.
After running through the park, I rode through the town of Bar Harbor just to say I'd been there. It featured plenty of tourist shops and brightly painted buildings, along with tourists on the sidewalks and waiting for whale watching boats.
I continued my way north, stopping in the little town of Milbridge for a sandwich, where even the locals were discussing what a gorgeous day it was. It truly was, but my mind wandered as to which direction I would head the next day, knowing that the tropical storm that used to be hurricane Dorian was a day or two behind me. One part of me said to go see my friends south of Québec and then loop up the Trans Labrador highway, while the other said just to grab a hotel for a couple of days until the rain passed, then continue through Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
As the sun dropped lower in the sky, I passed a sign for the town of Lubec, proudly stating that it was the easternmost town in the United States. Lubec was my goal, but first I wanted to see the West Quoddy Head lighthouse a few miles away. From the road to the lighhouse, I could see across the inlet to islands on the Canadian side.
There were only a few tourists at the old lighthouse, painted in red and white stripes. I wondered if this was the easternmost point in the United States and received the answer with a large slab of marble stating just such a thing. The view of the bay and inlets were really great, and when I went inside the visitor center I got engaged in conversation about Newfoundland with two of the volunteers. They warned me that the folks in Newfoundland were friendly and love beer!
From the lighthouse, the town of Lubec was only a few minutes away and shortly I found myself at the base of the bridge crossing over to the island of Campobello in Canada. I’d considered staying in Lubec, however there was plenty of sunlight left in the day. I pulled off the road briefly and dug my passport out of my case, putting it into my pocket and taking a deep breath before rolling over the bridge to the Canadian Border Agency. I've crossed the borders of many countries many times, but I always get a bit nervous since you never know what can happen. There was one car ahead of me and the agent was stern but nice, just asking a few questions.
There is a park on Campobello Island named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who apparently had a history of vacationing on the island.
After a few moments on the road, I spotted the small sign for the ferry over to Deer Island. This particular ferry is privately run and delivers travelers between Campobello and Deer Island, where another Canadian government ferry carries travelers to the mainland of New Brunswick.
I turned onto the gravel road which led down to the water, and three or four cars were already parked and waiting. I stood in the gravel at the water’s edge and watched with a couple of others until the ferry made its slow turn and came quickly to the shore. The ferry operators were highly efficient, depositing the cars onto the land and quickly loading us. While the government ferry is free, this ferry was private and charged a small fee. I hadn’t seen an ATM on Campobello to get any Canadian money, but luckily they accepted the $12 fee in US dollars.
I talked a bit with the driver of a pickup parked next to me, and before I knew it the boat was approaching the shore of an island. I geared up and got on the bike, ready to exit, when they dropped the ramp on the gravel shoreline and an SUV pulling a cargo trailer exited off onto the island, driving through the grassy field up to a house. No other cars moved, and the ramp came quickly up. We pulled away and continued our journey. I remained on the bike, since I’d assumed we were landing and had geared up completely. Apparently the ferry made a special run to private islands just for the owners.
Eventually we reached Deer Island, where they very quickly and efficiently offloaded us and I caught the loop road to the north end of the island, where the Canadian government ferry sat unloading. This particular ferry takes you from Deer Island to the mainland of New Brunswick near St. George, and is free.
It was late in the day by the time I was off the ferry and my plan to make it to St. John's was set aside for local accommodations in St. George.
It had been a long day, and the fatigue caught up to me, but I was glad to have made the Canadian border and broken out of the USA for a new horizon.