A cross country ski trip I wanted to take in Norway got cancelled due to COVID. So I figured I would go bike camping in Maine, socially distancing and getting a good break from the city.
I didn’t have all the gear I would want, but after watching a few videos about Ed Pratt riding a unicycle around the world and Ryan Duzer riding a cruise bike across the USA, I realized that all you really need is a bike and a tent.
4 days and ~250 miles later, I was quite happy with my decision to leap into the bikepacking world.
Kennebunkport to Damariscotta - Day 1
Damariscotta to Belfast - Day 2
Rain!
I should note that we were actually planning to bike all the way up to Schoodic on day 2. This didn’t happen obviously, mostly due to the weather.
Belfast to Damariscotta - Day 3
It’s still raining…
That was pretty much the whole day.
Damariscotta to Kennebunkport - Day 4
Heading back, hoping for some good weather.
After getting a flat, I popped off the back wheel and started doing a routine tube change. I didn’t realize this at the time, but all the weight from my paniers broke my back axle. The ball bearings fell right out of the hub. We walked 2 miles (luckily) to the nearest bike shop to get a new axle.
We still made it to Portland, thanks to Bath Cycle and Ski for fixing my back axle.
Bite into Maine lobster rolls are the best I tried in Maine so far. Be sure to check them out next time you’re in Portland, Maine!
Here is a pic of the full rig with my Trek 660 and the unsaddle:
