September 23: Conway, NH to Brunswick, Maine

Conway NH to Brunswick Maine -- Sept 23 ( 86 miles)

Well today has been a little tough. It was 82 degrees which sounds like a good temperature for most things but pulling steep hills at 82 degrees makes me sweat pretty bad. The water was dripping off me most of the day. The humidity is pretty high today also. I sure am glad my sweat never stinks or I would be in big trouble. I stopped twice at gas stations today to wash up and wash my shirt. I thought after I got over the last big mountains in New Hampshire that the riding would be a little easier. Well I was wrong – these little hills here in Maine have been kicking my Butt really bad all day long. They are not very big but they are very steep and they continue to line themselves up right behind the other all day long. I thought they would be easy but they have kicked my little girly butt today. Arnold Schwarzenegger would be calling me a girly man for sure. I have tried to ride my bike up the hills today and sometimes I just couldn’t – they were too steep. The ones I could get up made my legs ache pretty bad by the time I got to the top and my lungs were ready to burst. But once again, here I am and I did not die. My legs are a little sore tonight but I am pretty sure I will live one more day. My old friend Dingle-Fritz has been whining steadily all day long just like I expected him to. He never shuts up. Lori thinks I talk a lot but I am nothing compared to my other personality. He is whining constantly about everything. My legs ache, my bottom hurts, my ankle hurts, I’m hot, I’m hungry – the list goes on. What a Whiner!

I think I am learning another lesson about life today. Maybe. Sometimes we go through life and we know that we are going to have trials so once we figure that out, we are somewhat prepared when a difficult circumstance finds its way to our doorstep. Then when we overcome that obstacle we figure we paid our dues and we are good to go. Only good things will happen to us now because we paid our dues. Well then here comes along another trial and we whine and say life is not fair, God doesn’t love us, blah, blah, blah. Well that is what life is all about and if you look at the hundred year picture instead of the 10 year picture things have a tendency to even themselves out somewhat. Most people will all have their fair share of problems sooner or later but when we get those trials one after another we are surprised and think life is very unfair.

Well I am here to tell you that it is not fair that I have to climb these little girly hills all day long one after another, after another, after another . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They are teaching me to buck up and not whine. Sooner or later I will get them through them and when I do I will be very glad. When life dishes me up some more humble pie and kicks me around a little bit, maybe it won’t hurt quite as bad simply because now I know that sometimes trials in life (Little Girly Hills for example) come one after another. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Mai ne is a very beautiful state also just like the rest of the US. The forest here seems to have more pine trees than Vermont or New Hampshire and there seems to be quite a few people here on the coastal part of the state. A few more than I find to my liking. I like more woods and fewer people all in one place.

I got to Brunswick, Maine about 45 minutes after dark today and it started to rain. I found a nice little restaurant and got a nice meal. They cooked everything just right. I washed up in the restaurant bathroom and washed my shirt. I changed my clothes and will wash my pants in the morning somewhere.

I went to the city park and they have a nice Gazebo there and I was writing my email home when a young man showed up in the dark and began to chew my ear off. He is talking about all the reasons he should go shoot President Bush. I think the guy is a little on the nutty side and I wish he would leave but he seems to keep hanging around to feed me bull pucky. Oh well – there are a few fruit loops in the world and I think I just met one. I am glad I am not nutty like that. I pretty much just do normal things.

I am getting close to Bar Harbor – should be there in 2 or 3 days and then I can start working my way up to Presque Isle.

By the way, I forgot to explain the names of the trees I mentioned at Camp Joseph in Vermont. Some historians came to the camp a few years ago and said that some of the trees at the camp were over 200 years old and because of that some of them would have been there when the Smith family lived there. So over the years they have named some of the trees and people there know where they are as reference points. The Joseph tree, the Hyrum tree and the Three Witnesses tree. So now you know the rest of the story.
Later,

Dan

Maine Interstate 25