Vacationland

July 13, 2019

Conway, NH to Naples, ME

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Jackie’s avg speed: 10.1 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 11 mph
Weather: 65-83 degrees, humid

With the Kanc conquered, we were looking forward to what we thought would be relatively easy days in Maine. Breakfast was leftover lasagna for me, Scott held out for fresh donuts at a bakery just outside the campground. It opened at 06:00 and we were there a little before 07:00. Scott ate on the road to save time.

The first sign posted on the border after we crossed into Maine warned drivers about the state’s tough DUI laws. That was reassuring, considering the havoc impaired drivers can wreak on the highway. The quality of Maine’s back roads was unpredictable. A 10-mile stretch of State Road 5 from Frye to Lovell had a cracked surface like molasses cookies. At Lovell, we turned onto State Road 93 which was new and smooth. The Adventure Cycling route went onto Ridge Road after the town of Sweden, but we stayed on 93 to Bridgton since that’s where the county road would end up anyway.

The heavy traffic from all the tourists causes some wear and tear on the roads, but winter weather is likely the biggest culprit. The clapboard and brick buildings in the town centers that date back a couple centuries present a pleasing view to visitors numbed by ubiquitous strip malls and franchises. We stopped for coffee and second breakfast in Bridgton, which sits on the west end of Long Lake. The streets on this beautiful sunny Saturday were jammed with bumper to bumper traffic, bringing in a lot of customers. Summer is when the merchants in these towns make their profit for the year.

We got to Naples at the east end of Long Lake before 13:00. The KOA was located a mile and a half south on State Road 114, so we turned away from this lovely place to check in. The manager gave us a $10 discount on the $60 price, since we would only spend one night. KOAs are pricier than other campgrounds, but those bucks pay for nice clean facilities and extras like laundry, pool, and camp stores with munchies and supplies. We also paid $4.99 for “premium” internet after the manager told us the free service is often used up by kids playing video games or people streaming video. We set up the tent and read the online news.

The weather was stultifying so we went for a swim in “Tricky Pond” down the highway a couple miles. The road quality was the worst we’d encountered on our trip, but we wanted that water. This certainly looked like a lake to us, so we researched online the difference between “lake” and “pond” in Maine. According to Maine.gov, a lake has a larger surface area and is so deep the sunlight does not reach the bottom. But, the site concedes, “no definitive line exists between lakes and ponds.”

Maybe this is called “Tricky Pond” because it really looks a lot like a lake. Refreshing, too.

While we were there, a guy was sitting in a folding canvas chair near the shore to inspect kayaks, canoes, and boats for invasive water plants that could be transported from lake to lake. The invasive plants grow rapidly and create a thick mat that blocks sunlight that plankton and algae need to grow and that fish consume to survive. The inspection was purely voluntary on the part of visitors, not required. We mentioned the inspections for zebra mussels in Montana, and he said Maine doesn’t have a problem with mussels because of the salinity of the lakes. A sign posted nearby asked people to report evidence of illegal fish transfer, something that’s also a problem in Montana.

Public access to Tricky Pond is very limited with just one place for boats to launch and no public beach at all. Swimmers walk down the concrete boat ramp. The KOA campground is located next to Loon's Haven Family Campground, which has a path to Tricky Pond. Too bad KOA can’t make a deal with its neighbor so KOA campers could take a short walk instead of driving a couple miles to swim. It’s also too bad Loon’s Haven did not show up in Google searches when we were looking for a place to camp. Maybe other cyclists can check it out.

On the way back to the campground, traffic was really heavy because an event at a lodge on the highway had ended and guests were departing. We kept close to the edge and were glad when we were off the road and back at the campground.

This KOA also had a small short order kitchen so we shared a tasty chicken quesadilla. Afterward, we discovered the limits of “premium” internet. Apparently the gamers and streamers were also subscribed, because it was impossible to post updates to the blog. Grrrrr. Puny bandwidth has been a problem almost everywhere we’ve been. Our blog maps and high resolution photos are bandwidth hogs, to be sure. Other bloggers may have a more efficient way of reducing photo size without degrading clarity.

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 2,831 miles (4,556 km)

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