June 16, 2023
Goodbye Maine. Thanks for the Scenery
Lewiston, Maine to Conway, New Hamphire
Super 8 Motels were once a reliable brand. The one I stayed in in Lewiston was pretty shabby. For my needs it was fine.
The motel breakfast was Raisin Bran, toast, and coffee. I ate my fill and headed out. Today marks my first full day on the Northern Tier route.
Lewiston to Danville to Shaker Village to Webb Mills to Naples to Bridgton to Sweden to Lowell to Fryeburg to Center Conway NH to Conway.
There were several steep climbs along the route. One, near the village of Sweden, required three stops to catch my breath. It was just too steep. Each uphill had a descent afterwards so it’s all good. Moreover, there were many stretches of a mile or two each they were flat or mildly inclined either +1% or -1%.
I stopped in Webb Mills for a second breakfast of sorts. A huge blackberry muffin, a small container of pasta salad with chicken, bacon, cucumbers, and carrots, and an iced tea.
In Naples I stopped to try to straighten out my eye drops prescription. It’s all a mess. Long story short, I’m going to go without for a couple of weeks. I’ll sort it out when I get home.
I also picked up a couple of bananas, a chef’s salad, a cherry pie in a box, and two bottles of water at a grocery store. As usual I only ate a few of these items so I’ll be carrying the rest for emergencies.
Clouds were threatening all day, about 40 miles into the ride, after some rumbles of thunder in the distance, it started to rain. with temperatures in the high 70s there was no need to put on rain gear. Once you’re wet, you’re wet. It was hard to see the road surface so the rain cut my speed a bit. The salmon brake pads that Mechanic Beth (at Bikes at Vienna back home) put on my bike are working very well, even in the rain.
I passed a sign saying “Moose Crossing Next 3 Miles”. They lied. Still no mooses. I’m staying at a hostel on the Appalachian Trail. The through-hikers told me they have seen many piles of moose scat. But no mooses for them either.
I had a 10 inch pizza for dinner while waiting for the hostel to open. What a pig.
I had to keep reminding myself to take it easy. “You’ve got all day” was my mantra. The next three days will be absolutely brutal. Four huge climbs punctuated my short steep stuff in between. I will be doing a lot of walking.
To make matters worse there is a stretch of 62 miles with nowhere to stay. The place I had planned on in the middle of that stretch is closed.
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Tomorrow is a 2,200-foot climb over Kancamangus Pass. Ugh.
Today's ride: 76 miles (122 km)
Total: 1,379 miles (2,219 km)
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