Northern New England 2008

View last Year's Blog: 2007 Transcontinental Northern Tier Ride with Adventure Cycling Association

16 June Monday Union, ME – Waldoboro, ME (Day 36)

Starting Point: Union, ME
Ending Point Part: Waldoboro, ME
Mileage: 12.4   
Time: 1:21
Mph: 9.1
Terrain: hills
Temperature High: 60
Temperature Low: 55
Lunch: Moody’s Diner turkey sandwich
Dinner: home
Weather: rain
Lodging: home
Total Miles: 1,710

    The initial plan for today was to leave Union, stop at Moody’s Diner and continue on to Brunswick with a ride of about 4 hours. After starting out from my host’s home, I had an idea to have my wife, Susan, meet me at Moody’s so that we could have a lunch together and she could take the non-essential contents of my trailer in the car. This way the ride could take more like 3 hours. Fog and rain were plentiful along the entire stretch from Union to Waldoboro on Route 1.
    I met Susan at the entrance of one of our favorite diners, Moody’s, not very long before noon. As we sat there having fine warm cuisine (perhaps that’s a little too strong for the fare at Moody’s) and having good conversation, an idea began bubbling up in my brain: I could stop the ride right now and it would still be over 1,700 miles long which is nothing to sneeze at. The internal argumentative voices were in full force trying to convince me to continue, but the basic line of thinking revolved around the fact that I wasn’t doing this ride to prove something. It would still be a fine achievement if I got in the car with bike and trailer and drove home to Brunswick. It wasn’t as if a marching band would be waiting for me in the driveway if I rolled in on the bike or in the car.
    As you can see, the voices of moderation won out and my total mileage for the day went from a potential 47 miles down to almost 13. I did pay a small price for not biking longer: I was restless for the remainder of the day because I hadn’t gotten in my customary 5 hours of bicycling.
    For today, I will close this journal. I’ll save a more reflective overview article for the next couple of days. Then, I think, it might still be valuable to write one more in a week’s time if my print readers and blog readers are interested.
    Overall, I consider this ride to be a success. I was able to stick to the schedule I created while still taking every opportunity (of which there were many) to talk with people about the American Lung Association of Maine. Despite a slight perfectionist streak I have that would have plenty of chatter about what could have been done better, I have to declare that I am satisfied with the results this year, both in terms of fund-raising for ALAME and in terms of fitness for myself.
    Even though I’m officially done fund-raising for this year, you may still feel moved to contribute so go to http://www.lungme.org/pledgejohn.htm. There you may use a credit card to help round out my results for 2008…I’m still $100 short of having raised $191,000 for my 13 years of fund-raising for the organization.
    Thank you all.

15 June Sunday Waterville, ME – Belfast, ME + Belfast, ME – Union, ME (Day 35)

Starting Point Part 1: Waterville, ME
Ending Point Part 1: Belfast, ME
Starting Point Part 2: Belfast, ME
Ending Point Part 2: Union, ME
Via Part 1: China, Liberty, West Searsmont, North Searsmont and Belmont .
Via Part 2: Belmont, Searsmont, Ghent, West Appleton and Appleton.
Mileage: Part 1: 50.1, Part 2: 23.5, Overall: 73.6   
Time: Pt 1-4:33, Pt 2-2:48, Overall: 7:21
Mph Pt 1-11, Pt 2-8.3, Overall: 9.7
Terrain: hills and lots of them
Temperature High: 55
Temperature Low: 51
Lunch: barbecue chicken, beans, corn
Dinner: macaroni and cheese, ham, broccoli
Weather: rain
Lodging: at the home of a Lung Association supporter
Cumulative Mileage: 1,697
Miles to Go: 47   
Projected Distance: 1,744
Percent Completed: 97%

    The main theme of today was rain. From the first revolution of the pedals until leaving Belfast for the second part of the day, it rained. It was sometimes a light rain and other times a much heavier rain. Everything was soaked; but I was very glad to not be pulling the trailer for the first part of the day.
    It is always a shock to me to see how many riders wear simply a cycling jersey and shorts in such weather. It is always less of a shock to see a good number of those riders in the medical tents at the rest stops huddled under blankets and emergency silver-colored plastic warmth shells trying to overcome hypothermia. I have had enough hypothermia in my cycling career to wear layers when it rains.
    When it rains like this, the only goal of the day is to reach the end of the day in one piece; there is no reflective meditating on nature nor is there much of an effort to find moose in bogs. With the rain, I feel some kinship with those moose; they have to put up with cold drenching rain without the benefit of polypropylene.
    Today was the first day that had volunteers in those rest stops making hot drinks, such as: cocoa, coffee and tea. I enjoyed every warm cup I could get my hands on.
    At the end of the ride to Belfast there awaited a fine hot lunch and shelter under giant tents. The finish line had a fine contingent of spectators cheering for us. That has always been a wonderful uplifting moment no matter what the weather.
    It was a somewhat long process to gather my baggage, trailer and computer in one place to reassemble it all and ride on to my lodging for the night. I was concerned that I’d be too exhausted after wrestling with the rain all day to continue on another 23 miles, but I had received some fine toughness training in the mountains of northern Vermont and northern Maine. So it wasn’t as overwhelming as I had feared.
    I have to admit that it was actually somewhat a relief to get away from the crowds as I continued on to Union. The first part of the ride out of Belfast was on the actual Trek route to just beyond the last rest stop. All that was left of that rest stop was a giant, empty, open-air tent with no people or snacks or anything for that matter. As I say, it was a mixture of relief and some melancholy to see that; there were no cheering encouraging volunteers or friends to talk with, but the adventure of continuing on into an unknown area overcame the tendency to long for the warmth and bustle of the crowds.

   

14 June Saturday Farmington, ME – Waterville, ME (Day 34)

Starting Point: Farmington, ME
Ending Point: Waterville, ME
Via: Fairbanks, New Vineyard, New Portland, East New Portland, North Anson, Anson, Madison, Norridgewock and Oakland.
Mileage: 55.8   
Time: 4:35
Mph: 12.2
Terrain: hills, hills and more hills; some long, some short
Temperature High: 84
Temperature Low: 55
Lunch: fluffernutter sandwich, Trek Across Maine famous pizza and ice cream
Dinner: rice, salmon,broccoli and tater tots, creamsicle
Weather: sunny, dry
Lodging: Colby College dormitory
Cumulative Mileage: 1,624
Miles to Go: about 118   
Projected Distance: 1,742
Percent Completed: 93%

    Writer’s/Rider’s Note: The last 3 days of the ride are being reflected upon on the Tuesday following the actual end of the ride. This is due to several factors: surprisingly no easy Internet access at Colby, exhaustion Sunday and Monday evenings from distance, hills and riding in the rain, and the collegial atmosphere of the Trek “crowd” which was a great pleasure to take part in. In other words, the conflict between participating and reflecting arose and participating won out. Not to worry…every rain drop is still fresh in my mind.

    The atmosphere of the Trek is such an absolute turn-around from the solitary first 32 days of this ride. There are over 1,800 riders, hundreds of volunteers at rest stops and on the route, and there are often spectators cheering as we ride by. In general there is a very fine camaraderie among the riders. A cyclist can ride along and end up having a fine conversation with a variety of people (except the speed merchants) over the entire distance of a day. It often happens that the miles pass without one’s notice; I found myself wondering, “where did those last 15 miles go?!”
    Every 20 miles or so is a rest stop that has volunteers at the entrance cheering as riders enter. It is truly an exciting and uplifting wave of spirit.     I find the entire ride such a mixture of excitement and satisfaction. The Trek is the culmination of my fund-raising year and I can’t conjure up a better way to end it.
    The Trek has stated rules about how people should and shouldn’t ride. At the top of the list is the ban on riding in pace lines which is how cyclists should ride in bicycle races. There are nearly 2,000 cyclists all biking for the same cause but at different rates of speed, skill level and safety awareness.
    The majority of people do ride safely, but there is still a large group of people who ride as though they were in a race. This makes safety sometimes difficult to ensure. The Trek staff, however, continues to make inroads into this problem and it seemed that this year there were fewer unsafe riders than I remember from 3 years ago. I was glad about that.

    Another stark change from the tour prior to the Trek and the Trek itself is that a good bit of my attention went from the surrounding countryside and meeting people who weren’t riding to talking with fellow Trekkers. Not that this is such a bad thing, not at all. It’s just that the focus is no longer “talking up” the goals of the Lung Association to observers, but rather enjoying the companionship of all those other people who have also done that with their friends prior to the ride. During the Trek I don’t stop at service stations, stores, restaurants or other businesses to try and drum up sponsors.
    In the evening, I spent time with my Friends’ Team-Wheezers and Geezers. We had a team tent which gave us a place to congregate before the team photo. Some teams had special features, such as; the Fiddler’s Green team had an actual fiddler and a guitarist playing music. That’s a tempting attraction.

13 June Friday Sunday River Ski Area, ME – Farmington, ME (Day 33)

Starting Point: Sunday River Ski Area, ME
Ending Point: Farmington, ME
Via: Newry, Hanover, Rumford Point, Rumford Center, Rumford, Dixfield, Carthage, Berry Mills, Weld, Wilton and East Wilton.
Mileage: 64.2   
Time: 4:40
Mph: 13.7
Terrain: rolling hills with one tough one starting at mile 40
Temperature High: 72
Temperature Low: 64
Lunch: Trek Across Maine famous baked potato and salsa with beans
Dinner: pasta, spicy chicken, cottage cheese, beans, bread and ice cream
Weather: sunny, dry
Lodging: University of Maine at Farmington dormitory
Cumulative Mileage: 1,568
Miles to Go: about 189   
Projected Distance: 1,757
Percent Completed: 89%

    It was in the evening of the end of the first rest day on Wednesday that the successful completion of the ride began to strike me. I went out for a brief walk before dinner; there were still no ALAME staff around and virtually no one around at all. The evening was crisp, clear and quiet. The realization that I was at Sunday River after 31 days of bicycling filled me. It felt like a job well done athletically, socially and financially. I was pleased with the effort and extremely grateful to all those that made riding all those lonely miles possible. After Monday I will acknowledge all of them; for now let it be enough that I express a heartfelt thank you. Emotion filled my heart and tears filled my eyes. It’s difficult to describe the thought or feeling process that lead up to that, but I know that I’m saddened by all those whose lives have been affected or ended by tobacco. I’m saddened, too, by how tobacco has affected my family in so many ways. I feel happy that I’m able to pay tribute to all of them by doing these rides in their memory. It is clear, too, that I remember those who have passed away from bicycling especially Phil from the 2006 transcontinental ride. That remembrance brings sadness that they have passed, happiness that I can still continue, a muted fear that my time could come tomorrow or any time sooner than I’d like, and possibly I feel some weighty responsibility to continue to carry the message about tobacco in this manner I have chosen.
    The “rest” part of the rest day ended when the crowds began arriving for the beginning of the 3-day Trek Across Maine ride for the American Lung Association of Maine. With each arriving van or bus, the mass of people continued to grow. The excited energy clearly kept growing. It was a marvelous thing, as it always has been, to see people I have known for all these years at the Trek. Every year it does indeed seem like the family reunion I’d love to have; some describe this event as the largest family reunion in Maine. Everyone has to go through a check-in process whereby they hand in any last minute pledges they may have collected and a few other pieces of required forms (bike inspection form and rule checklist approval sheet.) For those who raised $1,000 or more there was the “Winner’s Circle” special check-in. In the room where we were supposed to go we each were given a beautiful Trek bicycling jersey and a rousing greeting of cowbells and whooping by the staff. We had our pictures taken with Kathryn in front of the 2008 Trek Route Map. All over the walls were sheets of paper with one name each on them to list out who raised the required amount. There were over 230 people who had.
    There was a time when my Friends’ team (The Wheezers and Geezers) got together to meet; several of the members I had never met before.
    There is a great deal of nervous excitement about the actual starting of the ride which began this morning at 7am. Ed Miller, CEO, would allow 50 riders at a time leave the starting line with the caveat to go slowly down the hill from Sunday River because “it is embarrassing to fall in the first 20 feet!”
    It was such a stark relief to NOT be pulling the trailer for these 3 days; all hills felt easier and exhaustion was never an issue. We’ll see how it feels on Sunday when I will have 1 ½ days still to return home.

   

11 June Wednesday Andover, ME – Sunday River Ski Area, ME (Day 31) and 12 June Thursday – Rest Day (Day 32)

Starting Point: Andover, ME
Ending Point: Sunday River Ski Area, ME
Via: South Andover, Rumford Point, Hanover and Newry.
Mileage: 22.8   
Time: 2:06
Mph: 10.8
Terrain: mercifully gentle
Temperature High: 68
Temperature Low: 62
Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Dinner: macaroni and cheese and French fries
Weather: sunny, dry, nice breeze
Lodging: Grand Summit Hotel
Cumulative Mileage: 1,504
Miles to Go: about 261   
Projected Distance: 1,765
Percent Completed: 85%

    This was a day that was meant to be short in distance to facilitate a good rest period before starting the actual Trek Across Maine on Friday. The weather was absolutely gorgeous; it was the kind of bright, crisp, clear and cool day that makes the Maine summer such a wondrous thing. Not only was the weather a phenomenally wonderful part of the day, but the terrain was made up of very gently rolling hills. The worst hill was the one going from Sunday River Road up to the hotel itself. It’s called Grand Summit for a reason.
    From now until Friday morning at 7:30, I’ll be organizing what things I’ll carry on the bike, what things can get packed away with the trailer and won’t be needed until I ride back to Brunswick starting Sunday, and what things need to be accessible when I’m staying in the dorms at UMF and Colby.
    Other than that it is going to be a true rest time.

10 June Tuesday Anson, ME – Andover, ME (Day 30)

Starting Point: Anson, ME
Ending Point: Andover, ME
Via: West Mills, Industry, Farmington, East Wilton, Wilton, East Dixfield, Dixfield Center, Dixfield, Ridlonville, Mexico and Ellis Pond.
Mileage: 56.6   
Time: 6:18
Mph: 9
Terrain: extremely hilly
Temperature High: 95
Temperature Low: 75
Lunch: tuna sub, ice cream
Dinner: mac and cheese
Weather: hot and humid; sunny until the last two hours of the ride: thundershowers and heavy downpours
Lodging: Pine Ellis B & B
Cumulative Mileage: 1,481
Miles to Go: about 285   
Projected Distance: 1,766
Percent Completed: 84%

    Even though I was able to get a somewhat early start, the temperature and humidity were already in the challenging range. I knew there would be difficulties for the entire day because even on the early hills it felt like I was getting baked when going slowly. There was no breeze to give respite nor did shade provide any either.
    The difficulty with heat on this day reminded me a great deal of what we had to contend with in 2006 when there were 30 days of greater than 90 degree temperatures and, of those, 7 days above 100. Hot days have been a rarity on this ride and today was really the first absolutely intolerable day. It’s on days like this that riding bicycle seems like a masochistic thing to do and potentially hazardous as well. I had to keep drinking and stopping to refill with ice cubes. In Wilton I sought shelter in a convenience store. Unfortunately that store served pizza which meant that they had pizza ovens running. It became a safari in the aisles to find a spot where the vents in the ceiling blew down cool air. The ladies behind the counter suggested I could go into the cooler itself. After finishing the sub sandwich, I did just that. Inside there it was about 40° which on a day like this was just right. How often have I complained about the weather when it was 45° and raining? Inside the cooler I was throwing off condensation. I didn’t stay in long, though, because of concern about cooling off too much.
    I left Wilton and in a few minutes was going up yet another hill on Route 2 when a guy called out from his trailer if I wanted a drink of cold water. Even though I had just had a fair amount, I thought it would be interesting to talk to him, so I said “sure!” He told me all about how he and his wife had never left the state of Maine and how she kept talking about going to Florida in the winter. He always asked how happy would she be if they did that seeing as they never had left the state. As of yet, they had no concrete plans to go away despite the toughness of last winter.
    Route 2 is definitely NOT bicycle-friendly. I don’t recommend it, but the alternative would have been infinitely hillier.
    Shortly after leaving Wilton, I saw that the sky was beginning to show signs of thundershowers. The upper atmosphere looked really unstable and it wasn’t long before I started hearing thunder, though there was as yet no sign of lightning. The sky was slowly getting darker and darker and my worries were slowly getting stronger and stronger. I’ve always been a strong proponent of seeking shelter at the first signs of thundershowers because, according to weather experts, if one can hear thunder no matter how far away one is at risk of getting struck by lightning. I wasn’t about to set up camp on the side of the road in Dixfield, so I kept on riding. As I approached Mexico it sounded like lightning was about 2.5 miles away according to an approximate calculation of the speed of sound (1,100 feet/second). So I thought it prudent to pull over. I stopped at an ice cream stand which was not unusual on a hot day like this. What was unusual was just how friendly and chatty the server was. He wanted to know how far I was riding and so forth. Maybe he was just vying for a good tip, but it was a refreshing change.
    I waited for a few minutes to see what the storm would do. It looked like the lightning was moving in the direction from whence I had just come, so I thought it acceptable to continue. As I finally made the turn off Route 2 onto Route 120, the sky just kept getting darker and more unsettled…there was wind and some spitting rain. As I moved north closer to Andover, more and more thunder was booming and lightning, at times, was only 6 seconds away (1.25 miles). Of course I kept riding, trying to justify doing so in my mind. There was a raging storm in the upper atmosphere as there was a raging argument in my head. One side argued: I’m on a recumbent bike and I’m not the highest thing on the ground, my flags are hoisted on fiberglass (NOT metal) poles, there are plenty of trees and telephone poles that would take a lightning strike long before I would. The other side countered: BUT just how risky was it to continue? Did I want to have some sort of posthumous award for having raised the most money? If lightning struck a nearby tree, it wouldn’t be impossible that that tree might fall across the road or on top of a passing cyclist. If lightning struck a telephone pole it would be possible that the same bolt could jump from pole to bike since electricity is unpredictable.
    The arguments kept brewing and I kept getting worried when I was on a stretch of road where trees were right by the roadside. At one point I was on what seemed like an endless uphill when suddenly the clouds opened up a torrent like I’ve never seen. The rain was so strong that in the five seconds it took me to pull over and get out my raingear, I was totally soaked. Even though it was around 5pm the sky’s darkness made it look like 9pm and I was worried about continuing not just because of lightning but because of concern about not being visible to passing motorists. Of these there were not many. A pickup truck driver had stopped earlier thinking I was someone else with a recumbent. That same truck passed again going the opposite direction after the deluge started. I was waiting under some trees by the side of the road to see if the storm would lighten up a little. In the ten minutes I was waiting, it lessened not one iota. Once again that same pickup truck came by and, this time, stopped. I told the driver where I was going and he said he could take me to Andover. It turned out that he was also doing the Trek Across Maine this weekend and was happy to help out the highest fund-raiser! He told me he had been working in the woods with sap trees when a hailstorm struck; there were nickel-size hailstones. Nearby where they were working they heard lightning strike something and it was only a minute or two after when a giant pine tree fell not very far from where they were standing.
    It was another ten miles to the B & B (Pine Ellis) where I was to stay for a night. After some discussion with the owner, it became clear that it was no longer a B & B, but rather, just a B. They had stopped providing breakfast this year. But it was certainly a dry and welcoming place. Initially they were going to put me in a room where there had been lodgers from two weeks ago who had smoked tobacco. The smell and taste still lingered in the room and they graciously allowed me to stay in a different room. I was extremely glad to not be setting up a tent in the current weather. During the night there was another really intense thunderstorm.
    The next morning I heard from my host that there had been reports of funnel clouds in Mexico and two giant trees knocked down across Route 120; the road I had been on when I got picked up.
    That was enough drama for one day.

   
   

9 June Monday Stetson, ME – Anson, ME (Day 29)

Starting Point: Stetson, ME
Ending Point: Anson, ME
Via: Etna, Newport, Palmyra, Canaan, Skowhegan and Madison.
Mileage: 54.2   
Time: 5:24
Mph: 10
Terrain: extremely hilly
Temperature High: 85
Temperature Low: 60
Lunch: turkey sub, pear and juice
Dinner: Chinese
Weather: hot and humid; sunny
Lodging: at the home of a Lung Association supporter
Cumulative Mileage: 1,424
Miles to Go: about 352   
Projected Distance: 1,776
Percent Completed: 80%

    After a fine night in an 1841-era house with a python for a roommate, I rolled onto Etna and finally figured out the creaking problem. Duct tape wasn’t the solution, but rather 3 or 4 mm nylon cord solved the problem. The brackets that hold the arm of the trailer that attaches to the bike itself have become very loose and it’s that looseness that allows the arm to move about and create a noise that is absolutely maddening.
    Today I began to clearly observe notable changes in the kind of forest surrounding the route. It’s possible that it was due to the fact that I’ve moved into more populated areas, but it seems that there are a lot more deciduous trees than further north. It’s certainly noticeably hillier as well.
    With two days to go before my arrival at Sunday River, it’s difficult to keep focused on today. Already I’ve begun composing an overview article about the ride and what I learned or experienced. It’s not that the countryside isn’t beautiful; it’s more an expression of perhaps a certain amount of impatience and also unease at there still being a week to go. People have asked me what I’ll be doing for the rest of the summer, now that I’ll be in Maine and not moving across some vast expanse of land. Certainly there will be a time to reflect on what this trip has meant and I will share that with my readers once or twice once I’m back home.
    I’ll be staying with a couple who are not only Lung Association supporters, but also, personal friends. That is always something to look forward to; that fact certainly makes the day seem to pass more quickly even though by the clock it was just as long as yesterday.
    Today’s roommates are kittens who seem to be cute and gentle, but they’re actually vicious blood-thirsty varmints as you can see from the photo.

8 June Sunday Lincoln, ME – Stetson, ME (Day 28)

Starting Point: Lincoln, ME
Ending Point: Stetson, ME
Via: West Enfield, Howland, Lagrange, Bradford, Hudson and Kenduskeag.
Mileage: 54.9   
Time: 5:48
Mph: 9.5
Terrain: very hilly
Temperature High: 87
Temperature Low: 56
Lunch: two pieces of bread
Dinner: barbecue
Weather: hot and humid; sunny
Lodging: at the home of a Lung Association supporter
Cumulative Mileage: 1,370
Miles to Go: about 399   
Projected Distance: 1,769
Percent Completed: 77%

    As I was preparing to leave the motel in Lincoln, one of the next door neighbors wanted to know about the ride and we had a conversation about what motivates me to do these rides for the Lung Association. Later on in the conversation she revealed that she was an ER nurse and smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes per day. I asked how could that be and she replied that it was her heroin. She went on to ask, “What do you do when you’re bored? You smoke. What do you do when you have nothing to do? You smoke.” It struck me again (as it often has) just how powerful this drug is.
    Most of today I was distracted by the creaking of my trailer. I had to stop several times to try and figure out what was causing it and how to stop it. Unfortunately I failed both parts. Another factor that was fairly distracting today was that it was near 90 degrees. Four weeks have gone by when it has been barely above 50 and suddenly the landscape (and this rider) was plunged into a boiling heat.
    It was in Lagrange where I stopped to get some cold drinks around lunchtime. I had no appetite because of the heat so I just was happy to ingest energy drinks and the like. As I was preparing to roll away, I realized that I was getting short on water so I went back inside with my bicycling gear still on. I asked the owner if he had a faucet I could use to get some water. He said, “I’ll do you one better….go to the cooler and just pick out a couple of bottles of water to fill up with.” As I finished he asked if I would like another one for the road. His friendly gesture was certainly an uplifting aspect to a scorching day.

7 June Saturday Houlton, ME – Lincoln, ME (Day 27)

Starting Point: Houlton, ME
Ending Point: Lincoln, ME
Via: Carys Mills, Linneus, Forkstown, Haynesville, Glenwood, Reed, Wytopitlock, Macwahoc, Molunkus, Back Settlement, Mattawamkeag, Winn and North Lincoln.
Mileage: 67.2   
Time: 6:33
Mph: 10.2
Terrain: rolling hills with a few steeper ones thrown in; last 17 miles very gentle rolling hills
Temperature High: 80
Temperature Low: 50
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, cream of tomato soup, energy drinks and spicy chicken tenders
Dinner: egg rolls, moo-shu, sweet and sour soup
Weather: overcast for most the ride; one intense rain shower after which heat and humidity moved in
Lodging: Lincoln House Motel
Cumulative Mileage: 1,315
Miles to Go: about 452   
Projected Distance: 1,767
Percent Completed: 74%

    Today began with a very fine and delicious carbohydrate-filled breakfast (including home-made bread) at my host’s home in Houlton. Over home fries and scrambled eggs we discussed the day’s weather possibilities, ethanol, alternative energy sources and fine breakfast topics. After getting two more wonderful slices of that home-made loaf for the road, I rolled down the street to find Route 2A. The road signs said that there was road repair for 1.5 miles. I thought someone might want to re-measure because it was a lot longer than that. The road lacked paving and was dirt with holes and bumps; particularly challenging for a cyclist to navigate. I came upon two parked motorcyclists and asked them if they enjoyed this kind of road as much as I did. They just laughed.
    Not long after leaving town, there were plenty of desolate stretches; there were town lines with no apparent town within those confines. There were plenty of bogs with possibilities of moose but I never saw one. I did see another weasel crossing the road. One side road had a memorable name: Codfish Ridge Road. We were a good number of miles from the sea so it seemed especially unusual.
    As I mentioned we talked about the weather and there seemed to be the potential for thunderstorms in the afternoon. I’ve fretted a fair amount about these because it isn’t safe at all to bicycle in that kind of storm. My goal, then, was to try and get to Lincoln as quickly as possible to try and beat the coming storms. Just before Macwahoc a true downpour happened. I was coming up over a hill and I saw ahead of me what looked like a somewhat thick fog rolling in. It wasn’t fog. As it started to pour, I was able to find a place to lean my bike; I rushed into the woods with my raingear to put it on. By the time I did get it on (it does take a while), the storm had finished.
    As I was passing through Mattawamkeag, there was a guy working in front of a Church of God place of worship. He called out a question to me that I couldn’t quite hear so I stopped. It became apparent that he was actually the pastor of that particular church; his name was Moses. He wanted to know where I was going and all that. He suggested that I stay at the hotel across the street from his church and then I’d be able to come to his church in the morning for the 10am service. I told him that I was usually on the road well before that time. I also mentioned that I had made reservations at the motel in Lincoln. He said that I could easily cancel them as long as it was before 6pm. He told me to go talk to the people at the hotel across the street and mention that I talked to Moses and consequently they would give me a good deal. I mentioned that I was already a member of a church in Brunswick. He again repeated the suggestion to come to his service in the morning at 9am (this time.) I mentioned that I couldn’t stay in Mattawamqeag because that would affect my mileage for tomorrow. He just ignored that and again invited me to attend. Finally I thanked him for the invitation and began to roll on. He wished God’s blessing upon me and I wished the same to him.
    At a point not much further along I was passing a yard that had some kids playing on a swing set; as soon as they saw me they started yelling, screaming and going bonkers as I passed. It reminded me a lot of the reaction I’ve had from a good numbers of dogs along the way. I was fully expecting to see them run after me judging by their reaction. Fortunately that was just my brain mis-processing information because of fatigue from the day.

6 June Friday Presque Isle, ME – Houlton, ME (Day 26)

Starting Point: Presque Isle, ME
Ending Point: Houlton, ME
Via: Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater Corner, Bridgewater, Harvey, Monticello, Sharp and Littleton.
Mileage: 40.4   
Time: 4:35
Mph: 8.8
Terrain: hilly
Temperature High: 63
Temperature Low: 50
Lunch: home fries, banana, cranberry juice, carrots
Dinner: stroganoff, broccoli, rhubarb cake
Weather: cloudy, head winds (10-20 mph) the entire distance except in the valleys where town centers were
Lodging: at the home of a Lung Association supporter
Cumulative Mileage: 1,248
Miles to Go: about 519   
Projected Distance: 1,767
Percent Completed: 71%

    Usually I don’t describe my rest days because not much happens; thus the destiny of the rest day is fulfilled. But an interesting scenario developed as I was getting ready to sit in the Public Library to read a Stephen King novel. I found a comfy sofa by a window. There was just one woman sitting nearby in another comfy chair; she was in the process of knitting. So I didn’t bother her and paid no attention. Some time after another woman came and sat down next to her. It seemed like she just stopped by to visit, but soon she, too, began knitting. In another ten minutes another woman showed up and, sure enough, she began knitting. It was then that I noticed that there was an actual circle of chairs in the area in which I had placed myself. I asked if there was going to be something happening in this area soon. The woman closest to me responded that there was going to be a knitting circle. She then encouraged me to stay saying, "we don't have enough men show up."I mentioned that I used to knit-the European technique. The three that were there suggested that I teach them something. It struck me as pretty unlikely that I would have anything to offer them. After two or three more women arrived I decided that I should go elsewhere. I was trying to read and there was a fair amount of clacking (needles) and clucking (voices) that made it impossible to read.
    The primary feature of today was the wind. It was as bad as or possibly worse than the head winds that we found in Montana last year. The only respite was when entering a town center because each one was located in a valley which was, thankfully, shielded from the wind.
    The other feature was that I was looking forward to meeting my new hosts in Houlton.