The Nahmakanta Tour - Day 1

This summer is just not going away! Since it's still too hot and too humid in Boston to enjoy outdoors, I decided to run away to central Maine, with my bike, obviously.

I rode the length of Maine coast all the way to Canada and back last summer and I visited many other places in Maine earlier with my family, but I never had a chance to see the interior of this most-forested state in USA. To fix this mistake, last Friday early morning I packed my bike, put it in the car and drove for 3 hours to Pittsfield, ME to begin a 3-day mini-tour of Moosehead Lake, Nahmakanta and Seboeis Lands and Piscataquis River valley.

This time was a bit different though than my other biketouring trips. First of all, I have a different bike. It's heavier but it's much more capable in tough terrain and as such, I planned my route to stay away from main roads as much as possible and include many unpaved roads and small trails.

Then, there was a matter of carrying the load: tent, mattress, sleeping bag, clothes, etc. In short, I gave up on a rear rack entirely. In fact, the only load over the rear wheel (except my body) was a tiny saddlebag with tools and spares. Everything else I carried weighed down the front wheel.

This, in general, turned out to be a pretty good idea. The front load didn't seem to affect performance of this bike in any significant way. Handling was still very stable and predictable. But now, I think that perhaps the next time I should leave some things packed over the rear wheel as well. That's because when climbing steep gravel roads while riding out-of-saddle, the rear tire had a tendency to slip too easily and weighing it down could help.

Day 1 - Pittsfield to Moosehead Lake (138km/86mi)

It's a pretty long drive to Pittsfield, ME so I left home early in the morning. I parked my car at one of Park & Ride lots where you can leave your car for free for several days and by 9:30AM I was on the bike. The first miles were maybe a bit boring, since I was going mostly through some farmland. On the other hand, the smell of fresh natural fertilizer wakes you up better than coffee...

The best thing about rolling through central Maine this time of the year was the temperature. It was cool at only 60F (16C) in the morning and then barely 72F (22C) in the late afternoon - a much needed relief from hot and humid Boston.

The fun started when I got to a 20km/12mi mark and entered Scott Rd - a wide, unpaved forest road. This way I eventually reached the town of Harmony - a stop for logging trucks.

Next, I made my way further north to Kingsbury Plantation and then continued on a rocky ATV trail (Old Stage Coach Rd) towards wind power generators on the hilltop. Unfortunately, here is where my navigational skills failed me and I found out that the road that exists on map, doesn't in real life. I ended up riding all the way back down to Rt16 and then taking Happy Corner Rd back north towards Blanchard.

Duh!

Rocks - this (and mud) is what most ATV "highways" in Maine are made of

These things are huuuge up close!

Right after passing Blanchard I was supposed to merge with another ATV trail going north, but it turned out to be closed due to "saturated soils", which is a nice way to say that you will likely either drown in mud or water. I decided not to try that and took the main road to Shirley Mills.

The good thing was that from there it was a straight shot along a wide gravel road (and a former railroad bed) to Greenville. The bad thing was that it was already pretty late and I didn't have much daylight left to enjoy.

 

I stopped for a dinner at Stress Free Moose Pub & Cafe, which as it turns out, serves very decent burgers and has a good selection of beers. Two Allagash White later, I was back on the road making my way north to Lily Bay State Park. Unfortunately, it got completely dark and I spent riding the last miles, as well as pitching my tent, in darkness. Yes, I made a big mistake not taking a flashlight with me.

The park turned out to be a very nice place to stay for the night. Nothing beats a hot shower and a view of starry sky after a long ride.