Sebago Lake, ME   June 15  

A crystalline day, gin clear and bright.

There was a bit of a delay in getting out of Portsmouth. I followed the directions to go across the bridge to Kittery, ME but when I got to the bridge it wasn’t there. The state had dropped the aging structure late last year and now there is nothing. (There are two high-speed multi-lane bridges further north but pedestrians and bicycles are not allowed on them.)  At a nearby corner sat a 12-person van that will shuttle people and bikes every hour between the two cities until a new bridge is completed sometime next year.

The morning ride was along the coast, through York Harbor, York Beach, Ogunquit, Moody and Wells Beaches, and Wells. The wind was brisk, the temperature bracing and the riding glorious. The Atlantic crashed on the rocky and dark gray sand shore. A lone wet-suited surfer attempted to ride the pitifully small waves. While walkers chugged along the beachside sidewalk in windbreakers and light jackets, a smattering of sunbathers bared their bodies but kept low out of the wind.

Then the route took me inland into the landscape of Andrew Wyeth Christina’s World. Large rolling swaths of fields rolled before me against the backdrop of centuries old farmhouses.

As I rolled here pick-ups hauling boats whizzed past, fisherman looking for a weekend of excitement on this 12-mile long lake.

My dinner included a lobster roll, a uniquely New England creation. Take a hot dog roll, jam it full of lobster chunks  and there you have it. There are two versions: toast the inside of the roll and drizzle the meat with butter or mix the lobster with mayo and sprinkle on some pepper.  Both are outstanding. Whole lobsters are selling for as low as $4.99 a pound.

To understand why I'm riding and raising money, please go to the first post--April 26.
To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride