It’s Thanksgiving here in Vacationland, and there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that winter is fast approaching and it won’t be long until the snow arrives and buries us for many months. Now you might be wondering what optimist could see any good news in that? I’ll admit that the prospect of motorcycling in Maine is bleak, on the short term. However the good news is that many rural roads in Maine were repaved last summer. Great news in a state infamous for poor secondary road conditions. I don’t know if the money came from the Reinvestment and Recovery Act (putting America in debt) or not. In either case, provided that the winter isn’t too harsh, the new surfaces will make for some great riding next summer and I’m thankful for that.
Here’s one ride that I highly recommend, Winterport to Waldoboro on routes 139 and 220. It snakes through farmland and forests covering a total distance of about 55 miles each way. Much of route 139 got a new surface last summer and the part that didn’t, didn’t need it. Therefore the surfaces are almost ideal. I don’t know when route 220 was last paved, but it too is in great shape.
Like many rural Maine highways, both 220 and 139 are narrow but not so much so to cause a problem. I’d characterize the route as curvy, not twisty, but there are a few 90° turns at intersections that sometimes have some gravel cover, so mind the road conditions. The route starts and ends near sea level and rises to a maximum elevation of almost 800 feet along route 220, but the terrain is gently rolling with only a few steep grades. Hill crests are often blind which can be more than a little disconcerting if you are going a bit too fast. Forested tracks punctuate a journey passing mostly through farmland providing for numerous beautiful country scenes. However for the most part the road demands the full attention of the driver, so unless you’re riding pillion, you may not fully appreciated the scenery along the way.
The best opportunities for food, water and facilities are at the Freshies in Winterport or Moody’s Diner (or other numerous establishments) in Waldoboro. Brooks is probably your best bet for refreshments along the way as the little towns of Monroe and Thorndike have little to offer along these lines. Traffic is generally light and that’s good because there aren’t many good places to overtake. The only intersection of real concern is where routes 220 and 3 cross. Proceed with caution.
Enjoy Thanksgiving and when the effects of a large turkey dinner take control, dream of motorcycling in Maine next summer!

Misfortune Strikes

Well, it’s been a long time since I blogged. Does that make me a bad person? I have come to realize that during the summer, I find it much more fun to go motorcycling in Maine than posting to a blog called Motorcycling in Maine. My goal is to do a better job next summer. However I have a few things to say now.

This past weekend we had some great weather, considering it’s November, and I went for a ride with a few friends. We had a great plan. Our trip would entail a ride from Orono to Waldoboro for lunch at Moody’s Diner. The biggest restriction would be that it now gets dark, and cold, by about 4:30 PM.

We set out on our ride but some of us needed gas, so we stopped in Bangor where we all topped off or tanks. Then we headed down route 1A to Hampden. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature continued to rise. In Hampden, we cut across Kennebec Road to Back Winterport Road and headed south. That let us avoid the construction on 1A and it’s a pleasant road through farm country with little traffic. Very enjoyable! It joins route 139 in Winterport which we took back to 1A. In Frankfort, headed out to Belfast on back roads. We stopped briefly in Swanville to confirm our plans and verify that all was well. The above normal temperatures caused us all to shed layers before we set out for Belfast on route 141. However, we never made it. We really did make it eventually, but not according to plans.

One of our group lagged behind, so we returned to investigate. It turns out that he lost one of the bolts that holds the exhaust pipe to the engine. Dang it! We had no tools and no plan. It took a while before we accomplished anything, and this only happened after a clear-thinking, good Samaritan stopped to offer help. He knew the area and recommend the AutoZone in Belfast, a few miles away. He escorted us there, where we found everything we needed to get the bike back on the road.

The long delay led us to abandon our plans for lunch at Moody’s. Too bad! Two of our group went on to commitments in Rockland. I went on to Belfast with another rider where we grabbed a quick lunch before we headed home. We set out for Brooks on route 7 to Brooks, where we caught route 139 east towards Winterport via Monroe. When we met with Back Winterport Road we retraced our path home.

Though our journey didn’t work out as planned, it still made for an excellent adventure. It also illustrated the point that it would be a good idea to pack along a few tools on day trips. The good news is that the roads were all in good condition and we all returned safely.