Started the day in Rangeley and intended to take a series of dirt roads to Millinocket. Right outside Rangeley I turned onto the route and saw two fellow KLR riders. Mark and Greg are two brothers from Vermont that were doing a weekend of riding together. I'd seen them the night before in Rangeley and coincidentally they were camping at the same place I was. We got to ride together for about 20 miles on Tim Pond Road. I had to turn at Eustis, but I wish we could have ridden together longer. Similar bikes and riding styles.
I continued my route on another dirt road, which provided access to a large windfarm. This road was in worse shape, with a lot of washboard surfaces, which beat the bike up a little. After a few miles I saw my second moose of the trip. Got pictures of him grazing in a scrub area off the road. He watched me for a few minutes before walking away. (I saw a moose the night before in the dark, riding home from dinner. That one scared me a little.)
The further I got on the road the less fun it got. It narrowed down to about a lane wide and the surface was irregular enough that I couldn't take my eyes off the road. The thought that semi's run the road regularly didn't make me feel any less at ease.
I kept getting further and further away from civilization. I must have been on the road from Eustis to West Forks for about an hour and a half. There was a good hour where I didn't see a soul. This was a little disconcerting. About 8 and a half miles from Route 201 the surface was very marble-like, with new gravel having been laid down. The handlebars were going all over the place; the best way out of it was to keep on the gas and glide over it.
When I got to West Forks I was beat up and imagined the bike wasn't doing much better. There was no way I would make it to Millinocket averaging 20-30mph and I didn't like being that isolated by myself. I decided to stick to paved roads, which turned out to be much more fun. I went on Route 16 and Route 11, the latter of which is 50 miles with almost nothing in-between. The vastness of Maine is startling. I did get to see Mount Katahdin, which is a sight at 5,267 feet.
I had an early dinner with the elderly at Subway and checked into the Katahdin Shadows Campground, which is a camping resort for white, working class Mainers. It's a pretty boisterous crowd on Saturday night, but fun. They have a pool and hot showers so I'm good. This place also has rabbits running around the grounds, bingo and a hay ride.
Instead of a tent space they put me in a hut, which looks like an over-sized dog house with a curtain on the front. It should be interesting. Unlike my space last night it's flat. But there's no ventilation and it's probably not too sealed from the bugs.
I'm settled next to three young kids that were drinking beer earlier. I kind of pre-judged them as a rowdy group that was going to keep me up all night. But once I got to talking to them and they told me they had just got back from hiking Mount Katahdin today. They got up at 4am, where on the mountain before 6 and summited at noon. I was pretty impressed. They may still keep me up tonight but they were a nice group. One called me, "sir."
Tomorrow's plan is to head to extreme northern Maine and cross the border at Van Buren. I need to reach the ferry at Matane, Quebec at either 5pm tomorrow or 11am Monday. The distances between towns out here are deceptive, especially taking the two lane state highways.
I still don't have access to a computer and am doing this on my phone, with my thumbs. Pictures when I get a chance.
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