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And then I fell in love with cycling.

biking Schoodic

The whole biking thing came about because I was looking for alternatives to running that give me some cardio action and a physical activity I can do outside. I have no desire to exercise on cardio equipment at the gym or work out to a video in my living room. It makes me feel like a gerbil on its wheel.

I didn’t immediately love the bike, although I did see the draw. It’s fast so you can cover a lot more territory than you can running, and you still get the benefit of being outside. But I know it’s not something I can do as regularly as I was running, and it feels a bit precarious when the roads are busy. I was enjoying my bike, but I certainly wasn’t sold on the experience.

Paul and I brought our bikes to Maine, knowing there are tons of biking trails around Acadia National Park and figuring it was the perfect opportunity to use them. We debated taking them out a few days early in our trip, and then the weather turned and before we knew it our trip was almost over.

I was determined not to drag two bikes all the way up here without using them, so yesterday we left the kids with my parents and started hunting for just the perfect trail. We had already spent a few days in Bar Harbor near the famed carriage trails so we decided to go a different direction — to the less traveled Schoodic.

The Schoodic Peninsula, containing the only portion of Acadia National Park on the mainland, boasts granite headlands, rocky beaches, and spruce-fir forests.” It’s more intimate and secluded than the neighboring Bar Harbor and it has a lovely 10-mile loop that you can drive or bike. 

schoodic penninsula

I’ve explored this area many times by car, as well as many others in this area of Maine, and being on a bike is a totally different experience. You feel like you’re truly part of the scenery. You can smell and feel the sea salt air and stop as often as you want to take photos (of course we took full advantage of THAT).

While the most picturesque part of the Schoodic Penninsula is Schoodic Point, where the waves crash up on the rocks, I think I enjoyed exploring the inlets and coves just as much.

schoodic point

My only regret is that we waited till the end of our trip to discover how spectacular it is to explore this area on a bike. If we had done it sooner, I’m sure we would have planned a few more bike tours of various spots.

I’m totally addicted. Now I want to go home and research places in our area to explore by bike. I have a feeling we will be hauling our bikes A LOT on future vacations. I can’t wait till my kids are old enough to come with us.

My husband laughed yesterday on our way back to the lake and said, “Who would have ever thought we’d be biking together!?” Anyone who has known me for many years will know how totally uncharacteristic it is of me to be biking around a national park — or anywhere, doing anything remotely active on vacation.

Just goes to show, you’re never too old to try something new!

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15 Responses

  1. beautiful!!!
    I need to get my bike out and actually start riding… i bought it a few years ago, rode it for a few days and never looked at it again. Biking fail.

  2. I love it ! My daughter and I had a blast on a bike path near Falmouth,MA….i have vowed to move somewhere with weather that allows for biking (i.e. not 105 degrees in the summer!) AND has plenty of good trails so you feels safe. I really enjoyed seeing your pictures of Maine.

  3. Great post, thank you. Up until about 3 years ago I was predominately a runner too. Then I bought my bike and really love riding it, it takes me back to my childhood when we’d jump on our bikes and just take off. There is a nice bike trail 1/2 mile from my house (I run on it too) that I ride on. And, I’m lucky to live near the shoreline and have a nice route that hugs the water and lets me ride as far as I like. The trip to Acadia sounds lovely and your bike route is beautiful! Must have been hilly too, no?

  4. Beautiful pictures of Maine. I was last there when I was pregnant, so I wasn’t able to do much hiking, biking, etc. I would love to go back.

  5. Why can’t your kids bike with you now? Don’t wait., they will love it. We have been taking our kids on trail rides for years. It’s great family fun!

      1. Don’t underestimate your kids. I’ve found that kids have more endurance than us “old” people 🙂 My sister’s 8 year old can bike 14-15 miles on a 20 inch bike. Our friend’s 8 year old went 10 miles with us last summer on her first trail ride. My son has been riding trails with us for years.

  6. I love bikng and especially so because it’s something active that my hubby and I enjoy together. We’re looking into a bike rack so we can start our idea of seeing different cities through their biking trails.

  7. Dont underestimate a great way to get your errands done and your exercise at the same time. I love zipping around town on my bike with a cute little basket and running all my errands! You go girlfriend!

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