18.6 mi / 10.1 mph / 1295 ft. climbing
Home: Moody’s Hotel and Cabins

I ran into town to pick up some breakfast at the local coffee shop and brought it back to our room. On our way out we were lucky to run into Kristi (who had been out the night before) and chat about their wonderful yard, and life in Camden. In 2016 I remembered reading that John Travolta was a local celebrity, so it was fun to learn that Camdenites are too cool to prevent them from reporting sightings in a local Facebook group.

With two days to get to Brunswick and a train that would take us to Massachusetts, we had another short (but very hilly) day of riding. On somewhat busier roads than yesterday, but still a crisp, clear day perfect for being outside. For a relaxed lunch we descended a steep hill to a park on the banks of the St. George River.

We could get off US-1 and take the old highway to our lodging for the night, which is nicely isolated from the world by being at the top of a hill, but also that means it’s at the top of a hill. Moody’s is a 100-year-old vacation complex with echoes of families enjoying 100 summers here, but on our early-in-the-day, late-in-the-season arrival it was peaceful and empty (and at ~$100, by far the cheapest accommodation in the area).

After checking in to our cabin, I ran out to get groceries for dinner, taking one way out and another way back, but no matter which way you go there is no avoiding the steep inclines. Luckily Rett hadn’t noticed the farmhouse brewery on our way in just across the country road from Moody’s, because it probably would have been her favorite brewery that she’d ever been to. If it hadn’t been closed this week. So I just kept that little up-and-down secret to myself.

Our cabin was great, with plenty of that nostalgic, worn-in charm permeating its walls, but just the right amount of care and updates (heat pump! plenty of electrical outlets, which it surely wasn’t built with!) to make it more-livable without killing that charm.

When I was leaving the Hannaford Grocery store, a couple of 13-year-old kids on e-bikes pulled up behind me while I was waiting for the light. When it changed, they whipped around in front of me and my heavy load, understandably expecting to leave me in the dust. Instead, I was able to keep right on their ass, and thus it was particularly fun when they both noticed, glanced at each other with a “WTF?!” look on their faces, and redoubled their efforts to pull away. Watch out, old man’s still got it!!