It was a beautiful sunny to partly cloudy day with high temperatures pushing 60°F. Not badthis time of year. The ride up and over the hills between Bangor and Ellsworth was scenic. I passed through Ellsworth with no significant traffic issues and on down towards MDI. The causeway to MDI passes on to a small island, Thompson Island that has a visitors welcome center. As I went by I noticed a
fellow rider down on one knee looking at his front tire. Concerned he might be having trouble I circled back and offered help. Turns out he was just admiring all the tread he still had remaining on his tires that were quite old, but he was grateful that I stopped.One thing to worry about on the Maine coast is air temperature. When the ocean really warms up in the summer, it's about 55°F, so you can imaging how cold it is now. When there is an onshore breeze, the air temperature plummets. In July it can be 85° in Bangor and 55° in Bar Harbor. Well last Sunday the breeze was onshore and as soon as the ocean came into view it got cold, real fast. I hadn't taken lined gloves along on the ride, so my hand were freezing while
I was on the island.On the way home I needed tape to repair a small tear in my Goretex jacket so I stopped atCadillac Mountain Sports in Ellsworth and a helpful sales associate directed me to it. I alsostopped at the Dunkin Donuts for coffee, mostly to warm my hands. By now I was away from the sea breeze and the remainder of the trip was warm.
One more thing. Most of the road surfaces were in great shape with one notable exception. Maine Route 3 between Northeast Harbor and Eagle Lake Road was almost impassable by motorcycle. I recommend you avoid this road until repairs are completed.
