May 18, 2025
Day 7 Naples, ME to Conway, NH
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Average speed: 10.2 mph
Today was a good day. Up and moving by 6:40, the sun was shining, a nice surprise. Up 302, busy, but no traffic this early on a Sunday, and then to side roads. The climbs were there, 10-13% and more elevation than yesterday, but even with a light rain for about an hour, the lack of traffic on side roads made this feel much more like biking in Vermont. I was not constrained to a 12% climb trying to stay within a 2 ft (maybe) cracked asphalt shoulder. That made a big difference.
Stopped for a coffee at a conveniences store (need to do more of this) in Bridgtown, Maine. What a delightful town. A couple of customers stopped to talk and had very pleasant interactions with them. It’s a nicely groomed town with a lake, golf course and pretty landscapes. A place I would visit again.
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Speaking of convenience stores, the importance of them to touring cyclists cannot be overstated. The ubiquity of food and drink supply is pretty essential to the trip. Yesterday at the Romah Inn, there was one across the street, with a decent packaged deli. Good enough, but just good, for lunch and then dinner. It beats walking a half a mile in the rain, and you can eat in you room and type blogs.
The rain kicked in at about 7:30 but did not last more than an hour. Sun and overcast skies after that and chilly, which is great. Anything but heat. I made one navigation mistake (the low mark of the trip) and went down a dirt / gravel road instead of continuing on a path. Street names change even on the same road, sometime as you round a bend and that’s what happened. But I thought I was right and kept going down this dirt road, missed the dead end sign. It reminded of the book “Logic of Failure” where psychologists performed a study of groups of adults and had them choose a strategy to solve a problem, such as navigating out of a desert. Some groups chose the wrong strategy, and when it was very obvious that their choice of strategy was wrong, they persisted in pursuing the wrong path. They just did not see, or believe the signs. That was me. (It was also the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars).
After correcting, the trip was smooth. From Fryeburg, Maine, crossed over into Conway - there are several Conways: Center Conway, Conway, and North Conway (where we went to Story Land every year when the kids were young). It was the same route, but for the record, the NH portion of 302 was better maintained than the Maine portion. Nice wide shoulders.
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I got to Conway by 11:30. My goal is to finish biking by early pm, so beat that goal today (and yesterday). That gives me plenty of time to decompress, eat, shower and get ready for the next day. I walked a mile to dinner at Tuckerman’s Brewery, the only place which was open on a Sunday night (other than the convenience store). I expected a low key affair, given that it was Sunday. Instead it was jammin' with a live band on the front lawn and a couple of hundred people. I think it may have been a benefit for cancer. Great food and atmosphere.
Tomorrow is a big day. Heading over the Kancamagus Highway to Lincoln, NH. Slow and steady.
Lastly, some memories from Story Land:
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 320 miles (515 km)
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