What to title this post??

Either: Another Fun Ride, or: Old Man Down.

We took the bikes to the southern end of the park today, found a place to park, and unloaded them...

Warm and sunny today, the high was around 82º.  We are ready to ride...

We stopped so Joan could check the map, and I crashed... well, a slow motion plop in the gravel.  Joan rushed over and another guy riding by jumped off his bike.  Between the two of them, they had my arms pulled up, so I couldn't raise myself up... "Let go of me, I'm fine!"  Pretty sure I looked like a fish flopping around, until I could get my arms back.  While I will probably feel it tomorrow, it was mostly wounded pride and wounded knee..

On the bright side, I didn't break any bike parts.  We took off riding again...

OK, we won't be going that way.  Lots of loops here - turns out they were all uphill...

We passed quite a few people who had to walk their bikes up the inclines...

Yes, the electric pedal assist works great.  We stopped frequently to consult the map...

Worth the uphill pedaling, this view of Jordan Pond...

The path narrowed in one spot...

And then, opened up to the Jordan Pond "village"...

A lot of bikes parked here - we sure didn't see many on the trails.  We found a shady place to put our bikes...

Then, walked around the area before having lunch.  A nice outdoor restaurant here...

Joan went into the small store there and got us ice cream - yes, dessert before the lunch we brought.  No fancy umbrellas, but we planted ourselves in the shade.  My ice cream cookie sandwich...

Refreshed, we checked the map again, and headed out.  All uphill again...

At another of the historic bridges here, I suggested we stop for a "photo op" (and a rest).  My buddy Mike had asked if we carried a small tripod for these photos - nope, I try to find something to set the camera on, set the timer, then hustle back to get in the photo.  Yes, it always works just as planned...

Oops!  Let me try that again...

That one is a little off-center - I can do better...

Maybe I can't?  One last try...

That'll do.  So much for "getting a break" at this stop.  Rolling again...

And, finally, some downhill...

We stopped at another stone bridge.  Joan saw a "waterfall" on one side...

Well, more like a weak cascade.  You have to look close to find it in the photo above.  On the other side of the bridge, looking down, was a footbridge crossing the stream...

That's as close as I plan to get to that; there were people hiking on that trail, though.  Yeah, I'd rather be biking.  More nice views along the way...

More downhill and lots of curves and switchback...

Having left blood on the trail earlier, I kept my downhill speed in check (did see 19mph at one point, though).  And then, another view of Lower Hadlock Pond...

And a few minutes later, we were back to the car.  A few more miles than our bike trek from the other day.  More up and down hill, too.  We put the bikes away and finished our afternoon with a pretty drive along Sargent Drive, leading to Northeast Harbor again.

I could use a hot tub.  No, they don't have one at this campground.

:-)