Solo 70 Miler along the Coast

In keeping with the ocean theme I have going, yesterday I did something totally fun. I took the day off from work and instead of sleeping late, relaxing and puttering around the house, I went for a 70 mile bike ride up and down the New Hampshire and Maine coastline under glorious blue skies all by myself.

I thought I might have had a riding buddy or two but when that didn't pan out, I started teetering about if I should go or not. I mean really, what was I thinking? But thankfully, I got myself up and out the door by 7:00 a.m. before I could fully talk myself out of it.

Basically my ride was this: I parked at Hampton Beach, hopped on my bike and rode up the coast 35 miles and back to the beautiful Nubble Lighthouse in York Beach, Maine. This particular route was a leg of the Seacoast Century I did last September and I was looking forward to trying it again.

The route took me through Hampton, North Hampton, Rye, Portsmouth, Kittery, ME, and York. And although it was generally a flat route, it still had its share of challenges: dodging open car doors and pedestrians near the beaches, crossing metal grated bridges, navigating (and getting slightly lost on) the streets of downtown Portsmouth, and some strong cross and head winds to contend with on the way back. There was even a roundabout thrown in for good measure and multiple open ice cream stands, which I successfully managed to bypass (though I would have been SO there if the lines weren't so long).

Overall, it was a beautiful ride on a beautiful day and I'm so glad I pushed myself out the door to do it. Here are a few more pictures from the route. The above shot is from York Beach looking out at Nubble Lighthouse in the distance.

Total ride time: just over 4.5 hours. I'll be doing this route again during the century in September and I'm looking forward to having some company - and maybe some ice cream - next time.