I wasn't looking forward to leaving as we were made to feel very welcome here, like one of the family
but soon enough we had to say our good-byes to our new friends and hope that one day soon we can meet again
I wasn't paying particular attention to Mike's instructions and which roads to take and which to ignore. In fact I didn't even look at the map to familiarize myself with the geographics of which roads we were going to take. My first mistake was not programming my GPS (Garmin Dan's older brother) to ignore Highways.
After leaving Mike & BRW we turned left and then Garmin Dan had other ideas and lead us off track and we had to do a U-turn to get back on track. We went over the bridge and got caught in some backlogged traffic. Garmin Dan said to stay left. I rely on my GPS and usually just follow the purple line. It has not failed me before. We both had our final destination of the day programmed into our units.
At a critical junction Garmin Dan indicated to stay left while my purple line showed a right turn coming up so I changed lanes and my leader didn't follow. I managed to trap myself in major construction traffic and couldn't get out. I also didn't know which way to go as I did not familiarize myself by looking at my maps beforehand. My intention was to just follow my tour guide
My purple line eventually got me back on track and I was rolling down the highway looking frantically for my tour guide but which way did she go. I ended up miles north and took an exit which took me west and I stopped at a gas station for map consultation. I missed the exit for US1 as I did not program ignore highways . . .
after a few text messages and a bit of backtracking we finally got back together.
It's hard to be humble, accept defeat and keep your mouth shut as you are being scolded for not following our original plan which was "to just follow". I now know just how David felt when he was also being scolded the other day by his lane splitting maneuver
The next stretch was my turn to lead and I must say that my GPS got confused when the highway signs said to turn left and my purple line said to go straight. Of course I followed the purple line. But since I got confused I didn't signal my lane change intent and again I got the "evil eye" for not using my signal lights . . .
When I get tired I guess I start to wander back and forth so when I nearly ran off the road into the ditch I stopped at the next opportunity
Maybe I got attracted to the words "bare naked" but anyway it was time for a late lunch and beverage stop. We decided that this was to be our dinner and just eat something light later
Guess who had that large Haddock burger ? This is now my 2nd lobster roll of our trip
We now had to make up time for our 3 hour journey has now turned into a 7+ hour marathon, so Karen took the lead and stepped up the pace and we stopped at this viewpoint for a photo of this famous bridge
and was recruited to snap some group photos. We arrive at our campground late, nearly 6:30p and set up our homes for the night
We are right on the rocky beach
and the sun is nearly setting. Sunset at Bar Harbor, Maine
I like that you're giving us a warts-and-all account of your adventure. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I had never heard of a lobster roll before, but I think I'm going to have to find one. Like, soon.
The constant mentioning of lobster is making me very weak. I am glad that temptation is an ocean away and I can stick to my vegan cuisine.
ReplyDeleteIt is always hard to follow but the leader rules even if you think you know better ;-) I guess that in general the female kind is more familiar with the concept...
Bob, pick one: GPS or signs... :) Not both. I loved the backroads of Maine. They were clear and fast, except when going through a small tourist town where traffic invariable backed up. Hitting "Detour" on the GPS usually got us into residential and out of the way of Main Street.
ReplyDeleteYou taking a day off for Acadia?
Gorgeous pictures. I truly wish I was still on the Tour.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I was never lane splitting, and I never even filtered. Lane splitting is when you ride the white line between lanes while traffic is moving. When you make your way to the front of a line of stopped cars, it's filtering.
I never even filtered. I used the empty lane where parking was permitted, but there were no parked cars. I was in a lane that for some reason no one was using.
Sheesh.
Kidding aside, it's fascinating how too Garmin units will give opposite instructions. I had the same thing when I was using Navfree on my iPhone and the Garmin. Generally they both got it right. The Garmin was only really wrong once because its maps were out of date and there had been new road work. The Navfree misled me by not knowing where the Bellefont KOA was. The Garmin knew precisely.
Garmin Dan also took us on some loopy side trips. Your Garmin and mine always seemed to be on the same page though.
Ride safely.
Your GPS units are getting ME lost and I'm not even moving.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Sonja, these lobster mentions and images are really making me feel left out.
We tried our Sat Nav out for the first time on our motorbike last Sunday - was an adventure in itself! lol! Best thing about touring is pulling in and having a beer and a nice meal - oh and the lovely roads!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing that Karen is used to dealing with unrully 5 year olds! Ignore the electronic gadgets, you're supposed to be on vacation. 7 hours for a 3 hour tour makes it sounds like you were rushing.
ReplyDeleteKeep sampling (and posting pics) of the different lobster rolls or other preparations. I discovered lobster rolls at a MacDonalds in Rhode Island. Even their version was delicious though it was a very un-MacDonalds price! What was the other item on the plate with the haddock burger? And is BRW short for something? I know it as the airport initials for Barrow, AK.
BRW = Beautiful Redheaded Wife. How Mike refers to her. :)
DeleteAhhhh the GPS unit. It's taken us on some long routes that should have taken half the time and we usually have to make that choice - signs or GPS, only one, not both.
ReplyDeleteSo if it was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, does that make you Gilligan and Karen Ginger? (ala Giligan's Island 3 hour tour)
Is it down to just the two of you riding for now? The food looks yummy. That looks like a lot of potato salad with that haddock burger.
Captain Zumo has led me astray a few times but generally he knows where we're going. Like Edward I generally use Mapsource to create my routes and I like to zoom in on them to make sure I'm not going to be taken on some wild goose chase off the beaten track...
ReplyDeleteTake it easy Bob, don't like hearing about near misses...
When I care about my Route, I establish them ahead of time in Mapsource as well. If I completely let Ms. Garmin lead me along, I often have to shake my head ....."no, we won't be doing that". Most of my riding is close enough to home so that I have a fairly good idea of the main roads and even a vague idea of which direction I need to take.
ReplyDeleteOn the one-way streets in downtown Boston I was completely at her mercy and we got along just fine.