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FALL 2016 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 01
In East Machias, the Bold Coast Scenic Byway follows State Route 191 south along Holmes Bay, Little Machias Bay and Cutler Harbor. Beyond the Cutler State Lands, a right turn on Boot Cove Road winds through the day’ s most rural and rugged landscape. Riding here feels a bit like traveling along B-roads through the moors of Yorkshire, England.
At Quoddy Head Road, we make a 300-degree right turn and ride a couple more miles to the easternmost point in the United States, West Quoddy Point. Though West seems wrong for the name of an easternmost point, East Quoddy Point is across the narrows on Campobello Island in Canada. Roosevelt Campobello International Park is worth a visit and is reached easily through Lubec via Route 189. Keep in mind that U. S. residents need a passport to visit Canada and return. The Bold Coast Scenic Byway continues along Cobscook Bay to Eastport, the easternmost city in the U. S.
It’ s been a long day and we have dinner plans( barbecue for a change!) so we choose U. S. Route 1 for a fast route back to Bar Harbor. During the busy summer season, State Route 9 likely provides a faster route west, and an up-tempo ride on Route 9 through dense forestlands presents an alternative to slower-paced coastal roads. There are several options for returning south to the coast.
In the morning, we breakfast on blueberry pancakes and coffee while rain washes the bugs off our motorcycles. We get pelted for most of the morning, but brilliant blue skies abruptly take over at Kennebunk. As we split off for various destinations south and west, this Down East ramble goes into the history books, but those lobsters, wild blueberries and winding coastal roads are already calling us back.
Somersville is the oldest settlement on Mount Desert Island, dating from 1761.