Season 2 Episode 5 (9/12): Bath to Wells Beach

Season 2 Episode 5 (9/12): Bath to Wells Beach – 

80 miles. 2,708’ climbing. 

Our Warm Showers hosts personified the trust of this caring network by leaving to work in the morning with us still in their home to let ourselves out. 

We left around 8 a.m. and a nine mile comfortable ride brought us to Brunswick, home of Bowdoin College, and our breakfast stop highly recommended by loyal Shifting Gears reader Alex A. His endorsement of Wild Oats Bakery was spot on. The breakfast panini delivered in every respect. It was beautiful to look at with its etched in grill marks against a golden brown toast, and was a huge portion such that I moaned my way though 2/3 at breakfast and 1/3 at lunch. Extra points for the tomato basil bread. Best breakfast sandwich ever!

Wild Oats Bakery Paninis - artful and tasteful earned our highest rating.

The Bowdoin campus is lovely to ride through. Most memorable image is the theater that blends a gothic style older building with a modern glass extension. 

Later that morning, we pedaled through Freeport, home of L.L. Bean. I thought it felt like a charmless outlet center. 

Approaching Portland around noon, we met our first angel. We saw the sign at the entrance to the bridge saying no bikes, but by the sign’s position, we convinced ourselves it meant no bikes on the sidewalk, but okay on the road. Funny how we can convince ourselves of what we want to believe. As we started to ride on the road, a man, in a car waiting at the red light in the opposite direction, yelled (nicely) out his window that we can’t go that way, it’s an on-ramp to the interstate. Oops. He told us where to go instead to pick up a trail on another bridge to cross into Portland. Thank you angel for saving us. Thank you for the red light. Once over the bridge, we enjoyed a very scenic ride along the water on the Eastern Promenade Trail showcasing Portland’s location on Casco Bay. 

We were looking forward to our next stop for three weeks since my nephew Bram said we must go to The Holy Donut in Portland. After the experience, to rate them divine is an understatement. It was a 3 moans per bite experience (mmm mmm mmm). It’s more of a pilgrimage than a visit. These are gourmet donuts and from their own website have a “rather unique ingredient: riced potatoes, which add a flavor, texture, and consistency unlike any donut”. 

Go for the Apple Caramel.

A divine food pilgrimage.

An hour later, at about 2:15, we began what was a beautiful 10 mile stretch from Scarborough to Saco on the Eastern Trail. 

Eastern Trail over the marshlands

Heather on the Eastern Trail

By 4:30, I hit a low point. I was tired and had some cramps in my left quad and hamstring. The raw adrenaline of the first few days had passed. It hit me - the honeymoon phase of this ride was over and this was hard work!

After another hour and a quarter, we finally made it to our home for the night. We stayed with Jenny, a grad school classmate and friend of Heather’s. What a fun night we had with Jenny and her husband Jeff! Their home at Wells Beach, on the strip of land sandwiched between the Atlantic and the estuary, offers a unique vantage point for the east coast - you can marvel at both sunrises and sunsets over water.

Catching up with an old friend

© Copyright Mark Segal 2022