Sunday - September 9th - - It was a long day of driving starting at 6:30 am and lasting until 4:30 pm when I finally arrived at Camden Hills State Park, about 15 miles south of Belfast, Maine. It was one of those rare state parks that has wifi available and, even rarer, it happened to be very good wifi at that! Van Dora had been making some rather odd sounds after leaving Pennsylvania and the ABS light had come on too, but there was little that could be done since it was Sunday. I just kept on traveling, hoping that it wasn't anything serious. There was a Dodge dealer in Belfast so that would be my first stop Monday morning...
Monday - September 10th - - The day dawned bright and clear. A good omen, perhaps? Before heading into Belfast, I drove to a viewpoint in the park that overlooks the bay.
Penobscot Bay and the town of Camden.
A zoomed-in view of the town of Camden.
Upon arriving at the Dodge dealer in Belfast, I explained what was happening with Van Dora. They said it might be an hour or two before they could look at it, which was to be expected since I arrived unannounced on a Monday morning. They had a nice waiting room with wifi so before handing the keys over to them, I grabbed the laptop to catch up on email and to write a few blog posts (which did not get completed at that time). I also contacted my friend Joann to let her know what was going on.
About 90 minutes later, I had the bad news. Van Dora needed new tie rods and a wheel bearing! Apparently, heat from the bearing had damaged the ABS Sensor, so that had to be replaced too. Some other major repairs had been done before leaving Indiana (shocks, struts, tires, etc.) so I was disappointed that this problem had not been discovered at that time. According to the maintenance manager at the Dodge dealer it was something the other repair shop should have noticed. No point dwelling on that though. The parts wouldn't be in until the next morning and the repairs might not be completed until late the next afternoon.
I called my friend Joann (on the dealer's phone since my cell had no coverage!) and she was about half way to Acadia. She turned around and came back for me. We decided to continue on to Acadia (about 90 minutes away) since fees would have to be paid for the campground reservations there anyway and it sounded like there was a good chance that the van wouldn't be ready until Wednesday anyway.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at Seawall campground in Acadia National Park. We got settled in at our campsite and enjoyed a pleasant evening together. Joann has a little Casita trailer with enough room for two to sleep, more or less comfortably. I'm used to sleeping in a narrow space in the van but my bed that night was several inches narrower and the six foot length was a little tight. However, I was very thankful that I had a place to spend the night - Thank you, Joann!
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Obscure film references aside, the past week for me has been dominated by equal parts anticipation and anxiety. I've ridden my loaner roadbike for 120 miles in preparation for the next paceline ride... which, ironically, was cancelled for the second time in a row due to rain. The more time passes, the more my anticipation builds and the more exaggerated my anxieties become.
The Co-Habitant and I did two fast-paced, hilly rides over the weekend - he on his SurlyCross Check and I on the borrowedSeven. We went over the same hills where he has previously passed me nonchalantly regardless of which bikes we were both riding... only this time our positions were reversed dramatically. I shot past him while exerting little effort, continued to merrily cycle uphill, and then waited for him to catch up as I sipped water and sniffed flowers. 
Of course we expected that a racy roadbike would be faster than a heavier and more relaxed cyclocross bike with wide tires and a saddlebag. But since he is a stronger cyclist than I am to begin with, I thought that the discrepancy would level the playing field between us. Neither of us thought that it would make me this much faster uphill. 
The interesting thing is that on downhills and flats there was not much difference between us; it was uphill that the bike really began to matter. This parallels my experience of the paceline ride on my Rivendell, where it was specifically on the uphill portions that I felt a disadvantage to the others.
But while I am now confident in the bike's climbing ability, this is tempered by a fear not only of its speed on descents, but also of my relative unfamiliarity with its handling. After putting nearly 2,000 miles on my RivendellI pretty much know how it behaves across a wide range of situations. The 120 miles on the Seven are just not sufficient for that kind of comfort to develop. I don't mind admitting that I'm plain scared when riding it at 25mph+ downhill - scared of the narrow tires, scared of the carbon fork, and scared of its precise but aggressive cornering. The fear saps away my confidence, making me squeeze the brakes and cycle more conservatively than I am capable of.
Being 100% comfortable with a bicycle is not something I can force; it takes time. My curiosity is a strong motivator to keep riding and practicing, specifically seeking out those situations that still make me nervous.
While the bike is in my possession I've fitted it with my own saddle, which has made it more comfortable to ride long distances. I've also installed my pedals (the narrow MKS Streams) and PowerGrips. This looks silly on a bike that is typically ridden clipless, but I don't care: I need to ride it in a way that makes me comfortable. I've also now raised the saddle another 5mm from how it's shown in this picture, which almost makes it look like the standover is not too high. Almost. The length of the toptube and the handlebar set-up work well for me (the Ride Studio Cafematched the configuration to one of my own bikes) and it's only the seat tube height that's off. The result is that the bike fits me extremely well when I am riding it, but looks too big when I am not. Ideally, the frame would have the same virtual top tube length, with the actual top tube just a little bit sloped in order to reduce standover. Given the available demo models I prefer this set-up over a smaller frame, because I don't like toe overlap. All in all I feel good on this bike, which is what matters.
I really hope they don't cancel the paceline ride next week; the anticipation is getting ridiculous. In the meantime, all I can do is keep riding.
Access to White River isn't that bad, if you have a snow machine. One party rode into the campground, parked, and then snowshoed up to the Inter Glacier. To the right, a snowboarder breaks trail through Glacier Basin (image by Don Boutry). Perhaps some climbers will follow suit? 
As for repairs, they just paved the road at 
For those who are interested in classic touring bicycles that combine speed, maneuverability and comfort, we live in interesting times. Such bicycles have gained in popularity over the past several years, with many custom framebuilders and manufacturers introducing touring models into their line-ups. And while trends like this are not easy to trace, I think it is fair to say that Grant Petersen of Rivendell and Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly deserve a great deal of the credit. Rivendell is a small bicycle manufacturer witha distinct philosophy, which they promote with a tireless output of literature. The Bicycle Quarterly (review here) is a niche cycling magazine, with a focus on classic bicycles in the French randonneur tradition.
I didn't see any jellyfish when we first arrived here. This week, they are everywhere! You have to really watch where you step when walking on the beach. They are so cool to look at but I don't care to make contact!
Today we played in the pickleball tournament here. Michelle and Mike Roberts hosted it and I thought they did a great job. I have to tell you, we've played pickleball coast to coast in Thousand Trails parks now and nobody quite plays like the crowd here does. They have fun at it, no matter what. So it wasn't surprising to me that the tournament was fun too.
This tournament was played differently than pickleball tournaments usually are. Because of that, by the end of the tournament, we all ended up being in a different bracket.
I'll have to do different posts for each, because it will be too much to fit into one.
The Co-Habitant and I are often asked about our satchels. And as they 
Mine is a brown leather satchel from 
The bag from the 
This bag is the 15" size, measured on the outside. They come in a variety of sizes, but this is the largest. It accommodates a laptop that is 13" across (such as the smaller MacBooks) but will not fit a larger laptop. All satchels and batchels are available messenger style or backpack style, which I think is great. And notice the cute bicycle logo at the bottom!
Our favourite thing about this batchel aside from its beauty, is that it is structured. The leather is thick and stiff and retains its shape perfectly when the bag is empty. You can place the batchel down on a flat surface, and it will stand up on its own. This is great for carrying a laptop, because it provides support. The bags are unlined, but given the way they are made, I feel that lining is not necessary.
Closure is via the beautiful chrome coloured buckles you see in the photos. Everything is very sturdy; very well made, with beautiful forms and stitching.
Here is what the batchel looks like from the front, worn messenger-style. If you are male, the 15" size is really the only one that will fit your proportions, unless you are very short. If you are female, the smaller ones can be worn as a purse. And of course for children the smaller sizes are ideal and absolutely adorable in the red, yellow and purple colours.
I do not have any photos of the Co-Habitant wearing this bag while cycling, but he says it's great. The one alteration we had to make (to this and to my 
Now for my satchel! I do not know as much about 
I love the way this bag is made - from the natural look of the leather to all the beautiful hardware, such as the rivets around the handle and closures. My bag is the "large, wide satchel" model, with handle (which is an optional add-on). It accommodates my 15" MacBookPro with room to spare. This is a very different bag from the Co-Habitant's batchel. The leather is soft and slouchy and the bag does not retain its shape when empty. Also, the leather does not provide enough thickness to support or cushion a laptop. If this is an issue for you, you will need to keep your laptop in a protective sleeve.
The sea green lining is beautiful! Inside, the satchel has two main compartments - each of them large enough to fit a 15"+ laptop or some books. There is an additional, smaller zipped up compartment in the front. However, as with the Co-Habitant's batchel, there are no small inner pockets for a mobile phone or camera, no pen loops, etc. For me that kind of stuff is actually important, but the overall quality of the bag nonetheless won over other bags that did have the small inner compartments. Perhaps some day I will make some pockets in it myself.
View from the front. As I have mentioned, we had to punch extra holes in the straps of both bags in order to make them short enough for cycling. So this is why you see the excessively long folded-over strap here. It is not entirely convenient, but not uncomfortable either. My only problem with this bag is that when I put my laptop and books in it, the overall weight is too much on my shoulder and back for cycling in the summer when I am wearing no extra padding over my skin: I get sores if I cycle with any bag other than
You can see some photos of me cycling with this bag here and here. I keep it either in the front basket or wear it, depending on the bike. Hope these reviews were useful - satchels are such wonderful things!