The End is Nearing (Sept. 9, 2013)

I have discovered on my various rides that once I finalize my "end of ride" plans, that I tend to focus on putting in the miles as opposed to focusing on the views and the joys of the moment.  Thoughts of things to do once I return to Tucson tend to dominate.  Riding schedules become more important and rigid.  Structure tends to rule as opposed to spontaneity.

While riding the three days between Montreal and Quebec City, I began the process of thinking about when, where and how I was to finish the ride.  I knew I did not want to fly back to Tucson until the last days of September, so I needed to lay out the number of days I had left to ride ... and follow that with mileage to various finish locations.  I will be using airline points to get my return ticket, so I needed to finish at a location from which American Airlines flies.  I want to ship my bike via Amtrak, so that is a consideration as well.  So after evaluating all of these factors, I have decided to end this ride in Syracuse, NY.

I had planned on spending a day in Quebec City doing the tourist thing, but having just done the tourist thing in Montreal, I was not overly excited.  Throw in my discomfort with not speaking French (I was able to communicate, but it was getting tiresome), and I decided to head for the border and get back to the English speaking country that I love.

That first day out of Quebec City was a long  ride of  73 miles.  I rode through maybe 15 villages and town that were named for some Saint or another ... Beautiful church structures built around the 1890's ... it is clear that religion played a big part in the settlement of Quebec Province.  After riding through all of these Saint Whatever towns, it was quite refreshing to come to a town by the name of "Scott".

I am now in Bingham, Maine, heading toward Bar Harbor.  Kim and I will be meeting up in Bar Harbor for a few days, then she will head to Portland and I to Syracuse.  I had thought that by now I would be "scenic views" immune, but I must say the views here in Northern Maine are incredible.  Some leaves are beginning to change the color from a deep green to a lighter shade of green, and some leaves are already turning to rust colors. 

One of the main factors in causing the color changes is temperature ... as the temps get colder, the leaves lose the green hues.  It was 39 degrees upon waking this morning.  I have been wearing arm warmers, knee warmers, gloves, wool socks and wind vest for the past several days while riding.

The end is nearing, and I am looking forward to getting back to Tucson ... but I still have about two and a half weeks here in New England.  Lots of new scenery to see, lots of time to think about the coming year in Tucson.  For right now, 'tis time to load the bike and get back out on the road.