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.
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