Of the possible eight riders for our trip, four showed up. It was somewhat unsatisfying when two of the four needed gas within 25 miles. Don’t people know enough to gas up before a ride? In addition to that inconvenience we encountered the aftermath of a car accident and some road construction and both delayed us. Other than those two minor distractions the ride was good.
We checked weather.com before we left, so we set out knowing that there was a chance of rain. The radar showed a narrow, well-defined band of rain that was slowly moving to the east and was due to pass through during our ride. It wasn’t raining at the prescribed meeting time so we set out. We headed south from Bangor on the west side of the Penobscot River. We crossed on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. In Bucksport we picked up route 15, followed it though blueberry fields and wooded terrain all the way to Stonington. Most of the roads were two lane highways with little traffic and decent surfaces. Though there were occasional glimpses of sunlight, it was mostly overcast and breezy. As we crossed the suspension bridge onto Little Deer Isle and the causeway onto Deer Isle we encountered our first bout with rain. The drops were sparse so we push on as it was only 10 miles to Stonington, a good decision.
We entered the town under gray skies. The clouds were low and the sea was calm. The harbor was strangely beautiful in a subdued or surreal way, you had to look at it a bit to grasp it. Stonington probably gets it name from it’s many granite quarries, one of which is still active and the harbor is home to a small fishing fleet. When we entered the Fisherman’s Friend restaurant there were very few patrons but it was crowded when we left. We all had seafood. It was good, very good, almost too good for the likes of quarrymen and fishermen.
As we enjoyed our lunch we heard the rumble of Harley Davidsons followed by a dozen “bikers” entering the restaurant. They were mostly couples out for a Saturday ride. The hosted seated them at the far side of the restaurant and our only interaction was a brief greeting, “be careful, ride safe”, as we left. While waiting for our checks, there was a second rumble, much longer and much louder, than the first. Outside we found a large throng of cycles and riders dressed in pirate gear. The two cruisers in our group drew little attention but the FJR 1300 and my NT700 drew some stares. I think they were baffled by the NT. At that moment I wished I’d ridden the Bonneville. I could have been the center of attention, but alas I didn’t want to ride it in the rain, a good decision because it had just begun to sprinkle.
I donned the waterproof liner to my jacket and we headed for home. As our bikes climbed the hill heading out of Stonington we could see that the light rain, a minor annoyance, would be short lived. Looking to the sky, the cold front had a very sharp edge separating the clouds from clear blue skies. Before we left the island, we experienced bright sunshine. We took a slightly different route home, but the ride was more of the same, fun roads and little traffic. With only 20 miles to go we stopped to make a plan and get gas. I informed the group that I would peel off from them to take a more direct route home for the last few miles. As we prepared to leave a young boy maybe 8 or 10 years old came over to look at our bikes. He was soon joined by his little brother and grandmother. The older boy was really taken by my NT, perhaps because it was red. I finally got the attention I so desperately needed, someone did like my bike after all!
