It would not be an exaggeration if I told you I was the youngest in the group and the oldest was in her late sixties. So now you can quickly calculate the median and average age in the group. A year ago, same time, I was recovering from my heart surgery and my friend Stephanie was recovering from her hip surgery and now both of us were on the cycling trip celebrating our recovery and back to normalcy. Does that give refurbished members of Team India to lead the group?
It turns competitive, bossy and eventually compassionate
Though we didn’t have to call the Queen, fire a gunshot or waive a flag to get us pedaling, but Billy’s call was enough to start the trip in a competitive spirit. The older members in the group (Kansas sisters) decided to take it easy and enjoy the ride, while the Florida girls were making the bicycle trip look like Tour de Acadia.
Every few miles I would look around to see if my friend, Stephanie, was doing okay. Watching Kansas sisters, who come from a flat piece of land struggle on the uphill tracks, Patty, one the Florida sisters, decided to slow down and escort them to the next gathering point.
The Florida girls were fit and regularly cycled over the weekend and one of them was just too bossy and boisterous. And every time we reached the milestone or a gathering point, the FL girls cheerfully welcomed teams, but failed to do the “Cheerleader” dance.
On day 1: We cycled around Lily Pond, Witch Hole Loops, heard stories about beavers and have Billy show us a Beaver Dam. We circled around Jordan Lake and Eagle pond and enroute we stopped pedaling to click some Kodak moments at picturesque locations. For lunch, we dined on the tea lawn at the Jordan Pond House, overlooking a dramatic, glacially carved lake nestled among the mountains of Acadia.
The hilly side of Billy
Billy, our guide, briefed us on the tracks, he let us take unlimited breaks, and he was kind enough to search our missing team members, but this man also had a hilly side. He would take us through tough terrains and uphill tracks without any warning. And when he heard us huff and puff, he would motivate us by saying, “this is the toughest stretch and you are almost at the end of it”. And when he heard Billy say this couple of times, we realized he was playing a game with us, but nevertheless, he motivated us to finish the target miles for every day. As a reward for all the hard work, Billy gave us tasty lunch menus and bottles of Beer, Gatorade, Vitamin Water and other non-sugary drinks.
On Day 2: We rode on the Park Loop Road of Acadia National Park, one of the finest oceanside boulevards in the United States, and marveled at the mountains rising directly out of the sea, the 107-foot-high Otter Cliffs and the rugged beauty of the surf-pounded coast.
When Paul abruptly left the table
Not sure why, but the three of us never sat together on the dinner table and that evening was no different. Stephanie and I were stuck on one table with the Jewish couple from NY, and we were hoping to get no more questions from them, while Paul was busy yakking with the Florida girls on the other table. Even after 30 mins our appetizers had not arrived.
Suddenly Paul stood up, paid for his drinks and left the place abruptly. Seeing Paul leave the JC from NY served their own appetizers by saying that the conversation on the other table was bad and hence Paul walked out. People starred at each other and nobody knew why Paul left. Since Paul had already had 6 drinks since that evening, Stephanie and I were concerned and moreover I was holding the key to our room and didn’t want him to be locked out.
Paul and Team India on the breakfast menu
And when we reached the breakfast table the following morning, we heard two versions of the story of Paul leaving abruptly. One ofcourse was Paul not enjoying the company of Florida sisters, while the other version was that “Team India” decided to go “somewhere unmentionable”. The last thing “Team India” wanted to get into was get embroiled in a controversy.
Stephanie was tired from the hilly ride on day 2, and she decided to skip today’s cycling trip and go Whale Watching instead. And with only Paul and me on the cycling trip, the rest thought that something went wrong last night between the three of us. Smelling the flavor of the breakfast dish, I told Paul that he must be prepared to answer this question and clear the air. Like I said, the questions were why did Paul leave and where did team India go?
Day 3: We started by riding a portion of the road between Bar Harbor and Seal Harbor, and then took the scenic Cooksey Drive, which winds above the picturesque village of Seal Harbor. Then we took a short walk through the woods to Hunters Beach, an amazing popplestone beach that speaks of centuries of pounding surf. We stopped at scenic Ingraham Point to watch lobster boats hauling their traps or to gaze eastward towards the Cranberry Islands. Post lunch time I received a text message from Stephanie about the sightings on the whale watching trip. Thanks to her text message, it halted the rumor mill in the minds of people.
How about bad weather for a dinner conversation?
With Stephanie opting to sit out on day 3 and sharing her stories from whale watching, and Paul not walking out half-way during dinner, the only interesting conversation was about the impending storm and if they could trade-in their cycling for whale watching instead. The JC from NY, who have cycled across Europe, and the boisterous one in the Florida girls decided to pull out on the day 4 and surprisingly the older sisters from Kansas were ready to ride along with Team India despite the bad weather prediction for day 4.
But the team was happy and proud to complete the kayaking trip on day 3 and watching the dead sperm whale that was yet to appear on the next day newspaper and circle the beautiful Cranberry Island and stare at the coastline of Maine from Atlantic Ocean.
And that morning….
The rain from the previous night had soaked the lawn and I had no choice but to cancel the stretching class. And that also gave me a holiday from Paul’s taunt, “me grabbing and lifting a co-rider’s pelvis in the stretch class”. We kept a close watch at the news and as more dark clouds rolled and the drizzle turned intense the Florida sisters and the JC from NY decided to skip the day.
It was going to be one of the Kansas sisters along with Team India venturing in the gusty wind, freezing rain and winding roads of the majestic Schoodic Peninsula, located just across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor. We passed through the resort community of Winter Harbor and its exclusive Grindstone Neck residential area, where Victorian mansions sit at water's edge, before enjoying a picnic lunch at Schoodic Point, a magnificent headland that juts into the Atlantic and creates crashing waves and surf. The heater in the van was in full blast and Billy gave the team Raspberry Flavored Vodka (?) to warm them up.
On day 4, Team India stood tall and envious
And that afternoon, we ended the 16 kms ride with a hot cup of coffee and more than warmed up the rest with our dripping wet stories. The JC from NY had gone on their own trip to see the Car Museum, while the Florida sisters wandered the town in the rain. And we bragged about our scenic ride in the rainy weather, there was disappointed painted on their faces and infact the JC from NY dismissed our achievement by saying “been there and done that”, but team India stood tall and envious.
Can I be your Facebook friend?
How many of us would stay in touch after the trip was not a difficult question to answer n day 6? At the breakfast table, people were busy saying their good-byes, exchanging coordinates and one of them in the group was very much interested to get my Facebook id. And she even said that she doesn’t have an Indian friend on her Facebook and it would be cool to have one. Am I an endangered species or am I something exotic? But that morning the lady with the Camelback waterbag made me feel special like “Maine Lobster”.
On day 6: While “Team India” and “Kansas sisters” decided to stay back, take it easy and pack their bags, “Florida sisters” felt they had to see what we covered in the rain the previous day and they went on a special road trip to watch Schoodic Point.
We had a great time cycling, challenging, competing, complaining, gossiping, clearing the air, and we learnt a lot from each other, but it felt difficult when it was time for good-bye! It was the first trip together for Team India and it was a memorable trip given the medical intervention the two of us needed the year before. More than proving our fitness and abilities, this trip was to share our love, care and affection for each other.
Thanks for coming with me on this 6 day cycling journey and as a reward for reading the blogs, here is the link to the pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/108289564546757100555/Maine
Now that you’ve read the gossips, team dynamics, starred at the scenic pictures come back next week to read what we learnt from the cycling trip.
Here is the link to Maine Coast Bicycle tours: http://www.mainecoastbicycletours.com/acadia_trip.html plan a trip with loved ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment