Day 101- Kancamagus Pass

The sun woke me up this morning at the Lewises House. A very good sign. It was windy and cool, but not raining.

I was raring to go today which is typical after a rest day. And it was going to be a Big Day too.

Today was going to be the last major climb of the trip. Kancamagus Pass. Not super high, not super steep, not super hard. But the last real climb. After this, it would only be lots of rolling hills but nothing long and sustained.

After a breakfast at the Lewises, it was off again. I negotiated a lot of local traffic that was going to see the local Highland Games at nearby Loon Mountain. The Highland Games is a Scottish Festival with games and bagpipe music. And I assume beer too.

The climb up Kancamagus Pass was great. The sky was clear so there were some nice views going up.

And after 2 hours, I reached the final summit.

It was also going to be my last downhill descent. But it was a good one. Downhill basically all the way to Conway where I had lunch.

With all of the downhill completed, now it was time for the rollers. And lots of them. And one big milestone too.

I have reached Maine! Basically my trip goal and my 16th state and probably my last. (I have to go to Massachusetts but I don’t think I am going to ride there). Like Vermont and New Hampshire, I have never been here before. How is that possible with a State Nickname of “Vacationland”!

Now it is on to Bridgeton to find a campground. There are a few to choose from, but the trick will be finding one that is open. Places are closing for the season so it gets “interesting” at times. As luck would have it, as I was approaching Bridgeton, a car pulled over and flagged me down. The driver inquired if I was going to be camping and that he ran a resort and I could camp there tonight. Well that solved a problem for me. I said that I was looking for a campsite and gladly accepted his offer. He said that he was going to to be gone so I told him I would pay for my campsite in the morning. He said that there would not be a charge since I was touring. Like Dan in Middlebury, he had toured and was just “giving back”. These people in New England are really nice, at least to cyclists. He was waiting for me when I showed up. He said I was still welcome to camp if I wanted to, but offered me a key for one of the rooms in the resort. He said that he had a big wedding party that cancelled on him this weekend and that I would be the only one there. I thought that there must be a sad story behind the wedding cancelation. You don’t just cancel that at the last moment after months of planning without a reason that is probably heartbreaking to someone.

So as sad as someone out there is right now, I am feeling pretty cozy in a really nice bed. Not without some guilt though.