Day One Hundred Forty-nine, Date Monday, July 27, 2009
Time in Saddle: 5:02
Distance for the Day: 49.71 miles From Brunswick, ME To Union, ME
Accumulated Trip Distance: 6926.51
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 186’/212’, Highest:391’ Accumulated: 2585’
Speeds: Avg: 9.8 mph, Max: 34.4 mph
Weather: 73° and foggy
Expenditures: $10
I got into the town of Brunswick at 9am and spent 2 hrs at DD ($4) for choc milk and bagel cream cheese, and to recharge laptop and camera batteries. Once charged, I took off at 11:15am to see the sun starting to break through the overcast skies. I came up to a bridge north of Brunswick, made a minor wrong turn to go over it, and in so doing, met Johnnie W who gave me directions and chatted with me about my trip, and a little bit about his life in Maine. Lots of snow for many months, but no worries about crime and traffic – a tradeoff he was willing to make. At 1:28pm I hit a section of the road that
looked like it was uphill, but felt downhill. This has happened several times along the entire trip, and it’s very peculiar. Sometimes it looks like the road is downhill, but feels like it’s uphill. Gravitational anomalies, right here in the United States – whaddaya know? I saw my first roadkilled porcupine, poor thing. I didn’t know they were in this part of the country – I haven’t seen them anywhere else. The skies broke up and became partly cloudy; the first sunlight I’ve seen in a few days. I stopped in Wiscasset for ice cream and soda ($4), and along the way, saw a sign for a home-based welding operation (Mike’s Welding Shop), and I saw the guy in his shop, so I
turned in, thinking maybe he could help me with the broken struts on my rear-wheel fender. He was working on some decorative steel gates, but said he could take a look. He had a TIG welder, and since this wouldn’t take long, he could do it – great! Those struts had been broken for a *long* time, and though I could make do without them, if the two remaining struts decided to break, I could be in for some nasty problems. I’m familiar with TIG welding, myself, so I helped him hold the pieces while he made the welds. Fixed! He was a really cool guy – immigrated from Bosnia, a self-taught martial artist, family man, and now welding shop owner/operator. We chatted long
after the job was done (which he didn’t even charge me for), and sent me on my way with a couple of ice cold sodas, to boot! Yet another terrific person on this journey around America. I made Waldoboro by 4:37pm, where I bought another soda ($2). I went past some construction road workers along the way, and the flagman gave me a high-five as I passed while saying, “Glad to see ya! Glad to see ya!” And, another guy at a gas station I stopped in to check my location said, “Suicide is not the answer!” as a joking comment on my trike riding. We chatted a bit. I called my trike dealer, Steve, about what happened with the L. L. Bean cycle crew. He suggested that I lube my chain every week (I was only doing it once a month), and to wipe off the chain with a cloth to keep dirt from sticking to the oil. We figured I should find a good cycle shop he can send a new Shimano Caprio cassette to, that I can then have them install.
In the early evening, I stopped in Union at a market for a couple of apples and a soda ($4). I
was just heading out around the corner of the market, when a young guy pushing his daughter in a swing saw me, and called out asking questions about my trike. We talked about my trike and trip, and I found out he was lobster fisherman (cool!) As we were talking, I noticed the sky above had turned Spielberg on me (a new term: meaning, it looked more like a Hollywood special effect than real life), with roiling black and gray clouds, and thunder getting closer and closer. I asked and got his permission to pitch my tent on his back lawn (N44 12.720’ W69 16.470’), and *just* managed to set it up and dive inside before the storm hit right at 7pm. Flashing lightning with almost
instant thunder, lashing rain, and then in 18 minutes, it was over. The whole thing was like a marching band coming down the street, passing right in front of you, and then leaving down the same street. Crazy! It was still a bit early, but I had the foresight to bring my book in with me, along with trailmix and my soda, and had a nice read before getting very drowsy and falling asleep, just as it started to get dark. I was warm and dry, as the plentiful mosquitoes put their probes through my tent’s netting, vainly trying to get me. Neener, neener, nee-ee-ner!
Time in Saddle: 5:02
Distance for the Day: 49.71 miles From Brunswick, ME To Union, ME
Accumulated Trip Distance: 6926.51
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 186’/212’, Highest:391’ Accumulated: 2585’
Speeds: Avg: 9.8 mph, Max: 34.4 mph
Weather: 73° and foggy
Expenditures: $10
I got into the town of Brunswick at 9am and spent 2 hrs at DD ($4) for choc milk and bagel cream cheese, and to recharge laptop and camera batteries. Once charged, I took off at 11:15am to see the sun starting to break through the overcast skies. I came up to a bridge north of Brunswick, made a minor wrong turn to go over it, and in so doing, met Johnnie W who gave me directions and chatted with me about my trip, and a little bit about his life in Maine. Lots of snow for many months, but no worries about crime and traffic – a tradeoff he was willing to make. At 1:28pm I hit a section of the road that
looked like it was uphill, but felt downhill. This has happened several times along the entire trip, and it’s very peculiar. Sometimes it looks like the road is downhill, but feels like it’s uphill. Gravitational anomalies, right here in the United States – whaddaya know? I saw my first roadkilled porcupine, poor thing. I didn’t know they were in this part of the country – I haven’t seen them anywhere else. The skies broke up and became partly cloudy; the first sunlight I’ve seen in a few days. I stopped in Wiscasset for ice cream and soda ($4), and along the way, saw a sign for a home-based welding operation (Mike’s Welding Shop), and I saw the guy in his shop, so I
turned in, thinking maybe he could help me with the broken struts on my rear-wheel fender. He was working on some decorative steel gates, but said he could take a look. He had a TIG welder, and since this wouldn’t take long, he could do it – great! Those struts had been broken for a *long* time, and though I could make do without them, if the two remaining struts decided to break, I could be in for some nasty problems. I’m familiar with TIG welding, myself, so I helped him hold the pieces while he made the welds. Fixed! He was a really cool guy – immigrated from Bosnia, a self-taught martial artist, family man, and now welding shop owner/operator. We chatted long
after the job was done (which he didn’t even charge me for), and sent me on my way with a couple of ice cold sodas, to boot! Yet another terrific person on this journey around America. I made Waldoboro by 4:37pm, where I bought another soda ($2). I went past some construction road workers along the way, and the flagman gave me a high-five as I passed while saying, “Glad to see ya! Glad to see ya!” And, another guy at a gas station I stopped in to check my location said, “Suicide is not the answer!” as a joking comment on my trike riding. We chatted a bit. I called my trike dealer, Steve, about what happened with the L. L. Bean cycle crew. He suggested that I lube my chain every week (I was only doing it once a month), and to wipe off the chain with a cloth to keep dirt from sticking to the oil. We figured I should find a good cycle shop he can send a new Shimano Caprio cassette to, that I can then have them install.In the early evening, I stopped in Union at a market for a couple of apples and a soda ($4). I
was just heading out around the corner of the market, when a young guy pushing his daughter in a swing saw me, and called out asking questions about my trike. We talked about my trike and trip, and I found out he was lobster fisherman (cool!) As we were talking, I noticed the sky above had turned Spielberg on me (a new term: meaning, it looked more like a Hollywood special effect than real life), with roiling black and gray clouds, and thunder getting closer and closer. I asked and got his permission to pitch my tent on his back lawn (N44 12.720’ W69 16.470’), and *just* managed to set it up and dive inside before the storm hit right at 7pm. Flashing lightning with almost
instant thunder, lashing rain, and then in 18 minutes, it was over. The whole thing was like a marching band coming down the street, passing right in front of you, and then leaving down the same street. Crazy! It was still a bit early, but I had the foresight to bring my book in with me, along with trailmix and my soda, and had a nice read before getting very drowsy and falling asleep, just as it started to get dark. I was warm and dry, as the plentiful mosquitoes put their probes through my tent’s netting, vainly trying to get me. Neener, neener, nee-ee-ner! 
2 comments:
Yo Don! A.Margaret says hi - did you call her on her BD? Bev and Amy are taking her out to lunch today and Uncle Leo took her out on Thursday. Glad you're up in Maine already - guess you didn't look up Ann's friend - I think they were in Portland and you have already passed there. You must be almost ready to pass into Canada by now!!! Be careful - the weather has been really weird with tornados and hail! Keep on trikin!
Love ya - xoxopoo
Hi Julie: Oh, dear - I am not very aware of people's BDs - I forgot to load them on my calendar before I left, and without that, I'm lost. I did happen to call her on Aug 1, though. Yeah, I passed Ann's friends in Portland - it was too close to Boston, where I'd just left another host. I changed my plans a little, and will not enter Canada until *after* hitting Niagra Falls. I'll be going through Rochester, NY as part of my route. Isn't that where you said Scott was living, now?
Love ya! ;~Don
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