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January 16, 2019 – FROM JOURNAL TRIBUNE STAFF REPORTS

ARUNDEL – The Arundel Conservation Trust and the Eastern Trail Management District have signed an agreement that will connect the Eastern Trail to the planned trails on Arundel Conservation Trust’s Limerick Road property.

The connection is possible through the generous donation by Phil Labbe of an easement through his land that lies between the Eastern Trail and the Arundel Conservation Trust land.

“We’re thrilled that Arundel Conservation Trust plans to connect to the Eastern Trail from its property in Arundel,”said Carole Brush, executive director of the Eastern Trail Management District. “The goal of the Eastern Trail is to provide a safe, scenic off-road trail for transportation and recreation for users of all ages and abilities. The more connections we have to the trail, the more attainable this goal becomes.”

Arundel Conservation Trust Board Members Leia Lowrey and Dot Gregoire worked closely, over several months, with both Brush from the Eastern Trail and Roger Barham, senior gas engineer from Unitil Corporation to design the connection to meet requirements to protect the underlying Unitil gas line and the construction standards of the ET.

Read the rest of the Journal Tribune article online here.

Read a related the article (SeaCoastOnline) online here.

[Eds. Note: The Eastern Trail was selected in this article as the best biking trail in Maine (but of course!)]
If a two-wheeled jaunt through scenic landscapes is your idea of a great time, you probably can’t get enough of a good bike trail. They can be a great way to see the sights and get a good workout in.

If you’re looking for a new trail to explore, we’ve got you covered with the best bike trail in each of the 50 states, based on length of the trails, options for beginners and experts, and acclaim from bikers.

For a quintessentially New England outdoor experience, take a ride on southern Maine’s Eastern Trail.

This 22-mile route goes through Maine. Facebook/ The Eastern Trail.
A 22-mile route spanning Portland to Kenneebunk, Maine’s Eastern Trail follows both paved roadways (ideal for newbies) and off-road paths to satisfy experienced cyclists’ thirst for a challenge, providing lovely views of parks, rivers, and bays in the process.

Read the entire article online here

The goal is a 3,000-mile bike and walking trail safe from vehicles, but only a third of it is off-road so far.

BY DICK WOODBURY – SPECIAL TO THE PRESS HERALD (Dick Woodbury, a resident of Yarmouth, served 10 years in the Maine Legislature and is on the board of the East Coast Greenway Alliance). Posted August 21, 2018.

YARMOUTH — My biking adventure began in Calais, just this side of the St. Croix river from Canada. Calais is at the northern tip of the East Coast Greenway. From there, I biked the Greenway corridor through Machias, Ellsworth, Bangor, Waterville, Augusta, Lewiston, Brunswick, Portland, Saco, Biddeford, and Kittery; and on through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and into Connecticut. My wife, Debbie, and son Sam joined me for much of this journey.

The vision of the Greenway is a 3,000-mile bike and walking trail, safe from cars, that connects urban centers from the top of Maine to the bottom of Florida. Think Appalachian Trail, but accessible for everyday biking and walking, as well as longer treks, and positioned where people live, running deliberately through population centers in the 16 East Coast states.

After Maine, the East Coast Greenway continues through Portsmouth, Boston, Worcester, Providence, Hartford, New Haven, New York City, and on through Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh-Durham, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville and Miami, finishing at the bottom tip of the Florida Keys.

I love the vision of the East Coast Greenway for its health, recreation, transportation, commuting, environmental, economic and lifestyle impacts.

I refer to it as the “vision” of the East Coast Greenway because it is just 32 percent completed so far, meaning that 32 percent of it is fully constructed off-road trail, while the remaining 68 percent is temporarily on-road, while new off-road segments are gradually added and interconnected over time. Of the 569 miles I rode, 204 miles were on off-road trails.

Every one of the off-road segments I rode was wonderful. The 87-mile Downeast Sunrise Trail passes through forests, small towns and national wildlife lands from its southern gateway in Ellsworth. The Kennebec River Rail Trail weaves along the river, connecting downtown Augusta with Hallowell, Farmingdale and Gardiner. The Eastern Trail has 22 off-road miles from South Portland through Scarborough, Saco, Biddeford, Arundel and Kennebunk.

Read the entire article online here.

Two years ago, we were contacted by a rider who was writing a book about losing weight.  The ride had already sold out, but he wanted to be part of the event, and promised if we “snuck him in” he would mention the MLR in his book.

We didn’t see him last year, but he joined us again this year (2017). He shared the link of a New York Times article he was featured in, and as promised, wore his MLR jersey for the photo. Note this article is from 2015.

We thought you’d enjoy seeing/reading this article and meeting one of our MLR riders.

Putting the Presidential Candidates (and America) on a Diet

By KATHERINE ROSMAN | DEC. 11, 2015

At the wooden kitchen table in his rambling home in the horse country of Waccabuc, N.Y., Mike Berland, a crisis manager, public-opinion researcher and veteran political pollster, assessed the so-far lackluster campaign performance of Jeb Bush, the Republican presidential candidate.

Mr. Berland, who has worked for the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and Michael R. Bloomberg, is certain he has identified Mr. Bush’s key problem: He is not eating enough fat.

Read the entire article online here

BY RON CHASE – Seniors Not Acting Their Age
The Times Record  – September 22, 2017

Cycling is one of my favorite activities and a primary source of aerobic exercise. The older I get the more I enjoy it. A runner for almost forty years, a knee replacement compelled me to quit. The knee guy said that if I kept running, I’d soon be back for another one. A certified sissy, I’m not suffering that very painful rehabilitation again if I can avoid it.

Harvard Medical School reports what I’ve long believed. Cycling is a great exercise and a wonderful form of recreation for almost everyone, especially us old people. An outstanding workout, it’s much easier on the joints than walking and running. Those clever folks at Harvard say that cycling is excellent for your heart, brain, blood vessels, muscles, balance and bone density. Just finished a bike ride and I’m already feeling smarter and tougher. Unbalanced since birth, doubt there’s any cure for that. If you’re a fellow geriatric, grab a bike and let’s get out on the trails.

I ride a lot. The actual mileage that I log in is confidential as I don’t want to be accused of being obsessive compulsive, a rumor without merit. Safety is my biggest cycling concern. There are simply too many people driving around sexting, texting and nipping. My preference is to get away from traffic and ride safer bike trails whenever possible.

The State of Maine promotes itself as a cycling friendly state. Unfortunately, that’s not really true, at least comparatively speaking. Many states, perhaps most, have a superior network of bike trails. Traveling to Utah and back earlier this summer, I rode 33 trails in ten different states, most just off major highways. In Florida, they have scores of paved bike trails filled with gray haired people that are spread all over the state. Here in Maine, we only have a handful of true bike trails that allow for a decent ride. Many cyclists consider a ten mile round-trip to be the minimum acceptable distance. The vast majority of our scenic country roads lack a safe shoulder for bike travel. The good news, things are improving.

A great trail ride in southern Maine is the Eastern Trail; the Scarborough to Saco section in particular. My wife Nancy recently joined me for a ride. She’s younger than I so you’ll have to consult with her on whether or not she qualifies as a senior.

Leaving the Black Point Road Trailhead in Scarborough, we rode southerly on the hard-packed dirt and gravel trail for about a mile where a toilet is strategically located. This is just far enough away from the parking area to avoid most of the trashing these necessary amenities receive when the people sexting, texting and nipping can easily drive to them. The toilet is remarkably clean, testament to the fine work the Eastern Trail Alliance does maintaining the trail and its facilities.

Just beyond, riders reach the very scenic Scarborough Marsh. This is such a captivating area that it’s almost impossible to avoid stopping to absorb the wonderful views. I’ve never ridden the trail when kayakers and canoeists weren’t simultaneously exploring the tidal waters. As usual, we exchanged the knowing waves of people mutually enjoying a special place.

Read the entire article online here

By Michael Kelley, Staff Writer  |  Scarborough Leader Online | July 21, 2017

Three environmentally-focused groups are coming together to connect with strollers, bicyclists and runners on the Eastern Trail to gauge what the trail, and the Scarborough Marsh, which the trail cuts through in Scarborough, means to them and educate passersby about the value of the marsh.

This summer, through funding from Friends of Scarborough Marsh and support from the Eastern Trail Alliance, interns from Maine Audubon have staffed an information table along the Eastern Trail Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Friends of Scarborough Marsh Vice President Steve Pinette, who came up with the idea, said the aim of the table is to teach trail users about the “flora, fauna and history of the marsh and the trail.”

Rowan Price, one of the Scarborough March Audubon Center interns staffing the table, said the response has been good. Many users pass by, but others stop by the table to chat, pick up a map of the trail/marsh or look at the display case or hides.

“If they don’t about (the trail) already, they become interested in it after they have walked on it,” said Price, a resident of Portland who is heading into her senior year at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Most of the questions she fields are about the Eastern Trail, but Price, and the other interns, do field questions about the marsh and its ecosystem.

Pinette said the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, run by Audubon educator and Friends of Scarborough Marsh board member Linda Woodard, does a “great job” educating people, especially children, about the marsh. Pinette said he was looking for a way to reach people who may not stop by the nature center.

I thought another way to get people would be on the Eastern Trail,” he said.

Better educating the public about the marsh and its ecosystem, is a big part of what Pinette, a retired geologist is trying to do as a member of the Friends group.

“I want to make sure we are fulfilling our mission of educating the citizens of Scarborough and the adjacent area about nature and the environment as it applies to the marsh,” Pinette said. “It is a vital natural resources for many things – for recreation, vital habitat, flood control. It’s a bellwether for global climate change.”

As part of the educational effort, the Friends of Scarborough Marsh will be creating a 12-question quiz to handout to people on the trail and through their website.

At Scarborough’s SummerFest on Friday, Aug. 18, the group will raffle off prizes, including a birding tour of the marsh, binoculars and birding and natural resources books, to those who answered the questions right.

The marsh, according to the Maine Audubon website, has had a long history of use. The Sokokis Indians used the area for hunting, trapping, clamming and fishing. By the 1600s European settlers began using the marsh for harvesting hay for cattle and sheep. When haying began to decline in the 1900s, the marsh was seen as a place to fill for developments and was even proposed as the site of the town dump.

Read the entire article online here