Thirty-eight years ago as we began our married life, we cycled out of Strafford, Vermont and began a year-long bicycling adventure traveling around the world. (The photo is from Nepal.) Then came another wonderful adventure -- children and careers. With children on their own and our careers behind us, we entered the next chapter, again with a bicycle adventure. That one was more modest, train trips across the country and five weeks on bikes from Los Angeles, CA to Portland, OR; but it greeted us with we good riding, great sights, and interesting people.

After two bicycle trips on the west coast, we tried something different. With an old dog along for the ride and a camper in the bed of the pickup, we set off for the desert southwest exploring national parks, enjoying daily cycling, and even playing a little golf.

In Spring, 2017, we decided on an international adventure. We landed in Lisbon, Portugal and rode a loop through Portugal and Spain and back to Lisbon. Once again, seeing the sights, meeting people, and pedaling 1600 miles were wonderful!

In March 2018 we left Maine after a big snow storm and headed to North Carolina for some warmth - we didn't find it. We went further south to SC - still didn't find it! But we did discover new places to cycle and explore!

It is now August 2023, kids are married with families of their own (five wonderful grandchildren) and we are off on another adventure! Our first stop will be Lily Bay State Park on August 13, then head north and west, across Canada and into Alaska driving and camping with bikes and a canoe. Here is the family, though missing Miles' wife, Baily.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Heading home....

          Well, the bikes are boxed up and we're settled into an airport hotel passing time until our Lisbon to Boston flight departs tomorrow morning. It actually feels like we've been just passing time for a few days now, as our last real ride was Sunday, when we rode 63 miles across the Setubal peninsula to a campsite just off the beach in Costa da Caparica. The peninsula is crisscrossed with major highways that made navigating bike-friendly roads challenging and frustrating. Then, what we hoped would be a quiet little beach town turned out to be a bustling suburb of Lisbon -- a bit of a disappointment. But, the campground was quiet and nice so we spent two nights sandwiched around a day on the beach.
 
Each boat needs a tractor or two to help launch
          We left the campground early Tuesday morning and rode a few miles on a bike path to the ferry terminal for the half hour river crossing to Lisbon. Off the boat we negotiated city streets until we found the wonderful little apartment we rented for a couple of nights. Lisbon is called the "city of seven hills" and by the time we got to the airport today, we'd climbed them all one way or another. 
 
A walk to a miradouro near our apartment
 
           Yesterday started with a search for bike boxes. Everyone told us it would be easy, but it wasn't until the third bike shop, and the one farthest from the apartment, that we scored our prize. Then the mile and a half walk through the city lugging the awkward things.  With the boxes secure in the apartment we walked through old Lisbon visiting the castle and taking in the sights. By the end of the day the exercise app on the iphone said we had walked 10 1/2 miles and climbed the equivalent of 39 flights of stairs!
Found boxes!
 
 
          This morning we set out early with our empty boxes for a subway station half a mile from the apartment. Got the boxes to the airport hotel then subwayed back for the bikes. It was nice to be back in the saddle for one last ride -- six miles on a bike path along the river front and up one last hill to the airport. With the riding done, we finally dared to acknowledge what is a first for us -- a major ride without a single flat tire or mechanical issue!! Special thanks to our local bike guru, Dick Bartlett at Kingdom Bikes in Blue Hill!
            A fabulous cycling adventures draws to a close -- it's been a great ride!!             A couple of signs we saw yesterday 
 
 
          Here's hoping it won't be the last cycling adventure. In fact, on the way to the airport today we crossed paths with a retired couple from England on a tandem bike heading home from Gibraltar.  They may have given us next spring's itinerary. Who can guess the place?  1200 miles on a paved off-the-road bike path taking in virtually the whole country, rich with beautiful scenery and interesting culture, and a medal awarded upon completion?!                 Until then, thanks for coming along. 
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3 comments:

  1. Walt EApril 27, 2017 at 6:22 PM

    I loved the blog and looked forward to each post. Your photos and descriptions are fascinating. You will be welcomed home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard PalmerMay 3, 2017 at 4:45 PM

    Well a 1200 mile / 2000 km paved bike path could only possible exist in a modern western country so given your earlier clues I'd guess the EV1 / EV3 Spain - France - UK? Though a medal on completion could be el camino de Santiago but this is not paved - I give up.

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  3. Richard PalmerMay 3, 2017 at 4:54 PM

    PS did you find the Bike Travellers Reunion in Lisbon?

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