Day 5 - The Maine Event

Today was the day I had to take a leisurely road trip across the back roads of Maine. No luggage on the bike, no big deadlines, no rush, just meander around. Today was also the day I woke up with a sore throat and the general strength of a wet dishrag. You've known some strong dishrags? Well, la-dee-dah, aren't you special? I haven't, and I was having a bit of a time convincing myself to stay vertical this morning after breakfast. Not much breakfast (biscuit and honey, with hot tea) and not much interest in moving after that.

I'd wanted to get an early start so I could go by our branch in Oakland, see folks, and then head back down to Bucksport, and down Route 1 to see cool stuff before returning to the wilds of Brownfield. Seven-thirty rolled around, and I wasn't going anywhere. The fact that it was 29 degrees outside didn't help too much, either. Eight-thirty came, and I was starting to make progress. I finally rolled back down the driveway a tad before 9 a.m., directions tucked into my map pocket and feeling a little better. If it was 29 degrees at 7:30, it had probably warmed all the way up to 30 by the time I left. At one point, it was cold enough I could see my own breath fog inside my helmet, but my pinlock lens for the faceshield stayed clear as a bell. Yay, pinlock!

There is no fast way to get from west to east in the state of Maine. If it doesn't somehow follow I-95 that runs diagonal, you have to take eleventy seven different back roads to connect this to that to there. There were probably 17 steps for me to get 95 miles to the branch, and I was averaging about 40 miles per hour. It was pretty, for sure, but it was cloudy gray, it was cold, and it seemed to go forever. By the time I got on 95, after seeing one horrible sign, I decided to stop at the first Starbucks and defrost. About 15 miles down the road was a service center, and I stopped in there to warm up and regroup. Once I sat down, though, I wanted to lay down. I still wasn't feeling great and the warmth lulled me. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I got back out there, and finished the run to the branch (which, incidentally, was only 20 minutes away).

As crappy as I felt, though, it was all worth it to be able to meet a couple of guys at the branch who I've dealt with a lot and have developed a friendship beyond just calling up to fuss about work stuff. They were the main reason I was willing to come this far north, and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Charlie (who had the cabin I was originally going to use in Mariaville) took care of me when I got there, and heated up half of his homemade chicken and vegetable soup, and gave me some bread and dessert to go with it. As puny as I felt, that was probably the perfect thing for me to have. I'd asked Dan to plot out a route for me to get to the ocean and back to Brownfield, but when I sat across from him at his desk, I know my eyes had a glazed look. I had no interest it getting to the ocean...I wanted a pillow, a blanket, and a corner to hunker down in. I really just wanted to sit there for about three days, but that wasn't an option, and since Dan said he couldn't teleport me, I eventually did get back on the bike, around 3:30. By that time, the clouds had broken up and the sun was shining, giving a faint warmth, which was heartening. I got a couple of pictures with my guys and then headed back down the road. Now that I was finally underway, I was feeling better, and when the exit for Portland came up, I was sorely tempted to take it and head to the beach. However, my saner side prevailed, and I stuck to my route for Brownfield.

Coming back, I took a route that was simpler, and it seemed shorter, mainly because I'd traversed half of it on the way out, so I knew what to expect. The sun was starting to get lower, and I was riding in chilly shadows by the time I pulled up the driveway tonight, arriving at 5:45 p.m. It was heavenly to come in and have Trina offer me a cup of hot tea with milk and honey. My throat has gotten more unhappy as the day has progressed, and that was soothing. Supper tonight was awesome spaetzle with ham steaks and gravy, along with a funky squash with an edible skin. The ham was from a pig that had gone to the local steak maker last year, and it was very tasty. I was able to wash my one load of laundry, and most everything is packed for tomorrow. Thankfully, tomorrow has less than four hours of riding scheduled, so I may lollygag around here kind of late before heading to Stowe, VT. Once I get there, I'll probably just hole up for the night, trying to rest as much as I can. A couple upcoming days have a high mileage count, so I need to hurry up and feel better. Now.