South to the Future

We are two days out of Portland, on our way to Boston, and they were oh so different.  Monday was awesome... We navigated from Portland to our mapped route and the day just flowed:  rolling hills, beautiful views, the start of fall color, great roads, modest traffic.  We were well rested and and well nourished.  The route followed Rt 1 for awhile and at times was right along the beach or the "rocky intertidal".  It was great to be there without the crowds in beautiful weather.  We did about 70 miles and stayed in Kittery, Maine.  Today the vibe was different...  It was beautiful and there was some great riding but it was more work!  To start off, the bridge over the Piscataqua River (that's the border between Maine and New Hampshire) was out so we had to get to the van shuttle location.  It was a bit awkward but we met, and were helped by, some interesting folks.  Our legs were not as fresh today and we had headwinds ALL day.  And the hills were steeper and less rolling and there was a lot of crummy pavement and tedious navigation!  We ended the day by going off route to Nashua, NH, to find a place to stay.  No big problems but it is challenging to ride in unfamiliar cities while loaded up.  It was a nice relief to make it to our Motel 6 after about 60 miles!  Tomorrow we head into Boston to visit Nancy's cousin.  We have a mapped bike route that should take us within a few miles of their home.  There is a bit of rain forecast.  I guess that's why they call it adventure cycling.