Yesterday was a fine day for a motorcycle ride, partly cloudy with highs in the mid 70s.
We recently acquired a 2000 Suzuki Savage for my wife. The folks at Bangor Motorsports checked it out for us. This involved an inspection (required annually here in Maine), a tail light was replaced and the oil was changed, probably for the first time ever. She is now addicted to the thing and wants to ride constantly. However, she lacks the confidence to go on her own. I know it’s a hardship, but I have to ride with her pretty much every time she’s free. My only complaint has been that every time we head out she asks me to take her wallet and anything else she wants to bring along. There is no place to put anything on a Savage and the NT is a little like a two-wheeled closet. I was determined to rectify this situation. I learned that Friend & Friend Power Sports in Ellsworth had a Cortech Super Mini tank bag and we decided to head south to see if it would fit on the Savage.
As we headed out of Bangor though Brewer on route 1A, the traffic wasn’t too bad. That’s good as she still lacks a little confidence on the Savage. The traffic in Holden was even thinner and the pace wasn’t too fast. At East Holden 1A and 46 cross and sometimes there can be a little bit of a traffic jam. Today it was colossal. Northbound traffic was backed up for almost three quarters of a mile. Why? Good question. It may have been people headed to the American Folk Festival in Bangor or just people headed home from a vacation on the Maine coast. Alternatively it my have been the approach of tropical storm (hurricane) Irene. In any case I’m glad we were headed south.
At Friend and Friend we perused the motorcycles, chatted with a few salesmen and located the tank bags. The Super Mini bag was perfect, big enough to hole a wallet, bottle of water, camera and a few other small items. It’s a hit and I’m off the hook. We got the one that’s magnet mounted. Easy on, easy off. Magically it becomes a small purse when removed from the bike.
We cruised through the typical Ellsworth traffic nightmare and continued south on route 3 towards Mount Desert Island. Just a bit more than two miles is the intersection with Beechland Road. Just beyond that on the eastern side of the road (left) you’ll find Crazy Dave’s Pit Barbeque. Throughout the summer months Dave sets up his mobile unit here, unless he is out doing a festival or fair. We had pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and soda. Highly recommended.
It was off the Rooster Brother, a store for cooks located were route 1 crosses the Union River Bridge. We looked around the store, and before we left we bought two coffees, and chocolate chip and ginger cookies. We sat on a small bench overlooking the Union River and savored the treat before heading home.
We made our homeward path on route 1 to Bucksport. Traffic can on route 1 can be very heavy during the summer but we were lucky. In Bucksport we crossed the bridge onto Verona Island. Historic Fort Knox, not the one with the gold, can be viewed from the bridge. To exit Verona Island on the western side, one uses the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. It is a cable-stayed bridge that opened about 5 years ago. It comes complete with an observation tower that extends over 400 feet into the air. Route 174 is found at the western end of the bridge and connects to route 1A. You pass though the villages of Winterport and Hampden as you return to Bangor. Traffic was light and we returned safely home, super mini tank bag in hand. Asphalt and weather was great!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Route 15 South
Ride: Sunday July 24, 2001
Where: Route 15 from Brewer to Caterpillar Hill roadside picnic area and return.
Road conditions: good to excellent - some new pavement, significant bumps are few and far between but route 15 south of route 1 has many small bumps.
Short cut - As you are heading south on route 15, about 4.3 miles past the turn off to route 199, route 15 takes a very sharp left turn. Here you should “turn right” onto Hinckley Ridge Road. After another ~ 3.9 miles there is another fork in the road. You don’t want the left branch is Union Street and takes you into Blue Hill. Instead take a right (i.e. go straight) on Beech Hill Road. In about two-thirds of a mile you’ll reach an intersection where you will go right onto the Mines road. This will put you back on route 15.
There’s a marina and small park in Bucksport, both of which will provide excellent views of Bucksport Harbor and Fort Knox, The latter is now a state park which is across the bay in Prospect.
Caterpillar Hill picnic area provides scenic views of Penobscot Bay and it’s many islands, and the Camden Hills on the west side of the bay.
Brewer to Bucksport - good quality two lane road. Gentle curves and modest elevation changes, with occasional glimpses of the Penobscot River and Mt Waldo. Overall quality of this stretch of road is very good to excellent. Current road construction is aimed at eliminating severe bumps and could slow you down a little. Be careful at the five railroad crossings along the way, some of which cross route 15 at an oblique angle. Speed limit is variable as you go through several small towns where the speed limit is 35 mph. Traffic is variable depending on time of day and day of the week. On the weekends you’ll see many other bikers. As you approach Bucksport you pass the paper mill. There can be significant truck traffic when wood chips and other raw materials are delivered. Opportunities to pass are limited.
Route 15 merges with US 1 in Bucksport and the two are one for about four and a half miles and this stretch of road will likely have the most traffic as it is the coastal route to Acadia National Park. The road is excellent with passing lanes on the hills and wide shoulders. At the Shell station, route 15 branches off to the right and heads for Blue Hill. The route climbs over some ridges the exceed 400 feet above sea level. This high ground crosses blueberry fields and other open fields that were probably farmed in the not too distant past. These offer views of distant mountains and hills.
In or near Blue Hill, depending on where you took the proposed short cut, you will proceed west on 15 out of Blue Hill. The stretch passes by passed now abandoned copper mines that were active from the 1880 to the 1960s. This four mile segment it through wooded terrane and the road has some sharp, banked curves with rapid elevation changes and can be bumpy in some areas.
At Gray’s Corner, route 15 goes left and 176 goes right. As this is a ride on route 15, go left. The road quality is great as it knifes through both wooded and open countryside. The open areas are strewn with boulders deposited by retreating glaciers 13,000 years ago. As the road cuts across the west side of Caterpillar Mountain you’ll find an overlook equipped with picnic tables. Here you can look out over Penobscot Bay with it’s many islands. If the humidity is up the view will be hazy and if it’s down it will be crystal clear.
Round trip on the ride is about 2 hours.
Where: Route 15 from Brewer to Caterpillar Hill roadside picnic area and return.
Road conditions: good to excellent - some new pavement, significant bumps are few and far between but route 15 south of route 1 has many small bumps.
Short cut - As you are heading south on route 15, about 4.3 miles past the turn off to route 199, route 15 takes a very sharp left turn. Here you should “turn right” onto Hinckley Ridge Road. After another ~ 3.9 miles there is another fork in the road. You don’t want the left branch is Union Street and takes you into Blue Hill. Instead take a right (i.e. go straight) on Beech Hill Road. In about two-thirds of a mile you’ll reach an intersection where you will go right onto the Mines road. This will put you back on route 15.
There’s a marina and small park in Bucksport, both of which will provide excellent views of Bucksport Harbor and Fort Knox, The latter is now a state park which is across the bay in Prospect.
Caterpillar Hill picnic area provides scenic views of Penobscot Bay and it’s many islands, and the Camden Hills on the west side of the bay.
Brewer to Bucksport - good quality two lane road. Gentle curves and modest elevation changes, with occasional glimpses of the Penobscot River and Mt Waldo. Overall quality of this stretch of road is very good to excellent. Current road construction is aimed at eliminating severe bumps and could slow you down a little. Be careful at the five railroad crossings along the way, some of which cross route 15 at an oblique angle. Speed limit is variable as you go through several small towns where the speed limit is 35 mph. Traffic is variable depending on time of day and day of the week. On the weekends you’ll see many other bikers. As you approach Bucksport you pass the paper mill. There can be significant truck traffic when wood chips and other raw materials are delivered. Opportunities to pass are limited.
Route 15 merges with US 1 in Bucksport and the two are one for about four and a half miles and this stretch of road will likely have the most traffic as it is the coastal route to Acadia National Park. The road is excellent with passing lanes on the hills and wide shoulders. At the Shell station, route 15 branches off to the right and heads for Blue Hill. The route climbs over some ridges the exceed 400 feet above sea level. This high ground crosses blueberry fields and other open fields that were probably farmed in the not too distant past. These offer views of distant mountains and hills.
In or near Blue Hill, depending on where you took the proposed short cut, you will proceed west on 15 out of Blue Hill. The stretch passes by passed now abandoned copper mines that were active from the 1880 to the 1960s. This four mile segment it through wooded terrane and the road has some sharp, banked curves with rapid elevation changes and can be bumpy in some areas.
At Gray’s Corner, route 15 goes left and 176 goes right. As this is a ride on route 15, go left. The road quality is great as it knifes through both wooded and open countryside. The open areas are strewn with boulders deposited by retreating glaciers 13,000 years ago. As the road cuts across the west side of Caterpillar Mountain you’ll find an overlook equipped with picnic tables. Here you can look out over Penobscot Bay with it’s many islands. If the humidity is up the view will be hazy and if it’s down it will be crystal clear.
Round trip on the ride is about 2 hours.
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