Day One Hundred Fifty-four, 090801 - Searsport, ME

Day One Hundred Fifty-four, Date Saturday, August 1, 2009
Time in Saddle: 10:02
Distance for the Day: 91.6 miles From Jonesboro, ME To Searsport, ME
Accumulated Trip Distance: 7255.31 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 104’/40’, Highest: 430’ Accumulated: 4088’
Speeds: Avg: 9.1 mph, Max: 37.2 mph
Weather: 60° mostly cloudy, but broken and clearing
Expenditures: $20

Woke up 4:30am, got up at 5am, and was ready to go by 5:57am. One note from yesterday: my waterproof jacket was not designed for trike riding. In my reclined position, and the usual tilt to the right on the right side of roads, rainwater would gather on my chest and stomach, and “drain” under the zipper flap, into the zipper, and onto my shirt, underneath. It still keeps me warm, but my upper body got soaked. The new waterproof pants worked great, as long as I didn’t work too hard and get soaked by my own sweat. However, the two side panniers for my sleeping bag and tent/hammock definitely leak, and water gathers at the bottom of them, soaking my hammock and one end of my sleeping bag. I think water splashes up under the zipper’s flap. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do about that. I stopped for a mini mart breakfast of choco Muscle Milk (ugh!) and Danish ($5) at 7am, and stopped for grapefruit juice at 9:17 ($2) before continuing south on Hwy 1. I got drinks and food at a couple of stops during the day ($13). My trike’s gearing was still messed-up, and I still don’t know how to fix it, but I’m learning to live with it. I’ll have to get them fixed by a bike mechanic in the not-too-distant future. I stopped in an empty spot beside a for-sale business building to dry out my sleeping bag, hammock, ropes, and hat on the pavement. The weather turned beautiful, so everything dried pretty quick, while I ate the other half of my Subway sandwich for lunch from 12pm – 12:53pm. Near the end of the day, I made my stealth camp at a park with water views and that had open bathroom facilities (N44° 27.341', W68° 55.454'). It was officially closed, but I was able to roll in under the gate after taking my flag off easily enough. I used the bathroom facility to take sponge bath, wash hair, and change clothes. I hung my hammock in the dark, between trees, and called Auntie M at 9:15pm (6:15pm her time). There was only a distant, barely heard ‘swish’ of traffic noise; it was otherwise almost totally silent. I could see the lights of a small coastal town to the north, and tall trees towering above me through the mosquito netting of my hammock.