1 September Wednesday Poland, ME – Brunswick, ME

The Finish

Starting Point: Poland, ME
Ending Point: Brunswick, ME
Via: Danville and Durham
Mileage: 38.5   
Time: 3:51   
Mph: 10
Terrain: hilly
Vertical climbing: 1,600
Temperature High: 88
Temperature Low: 72
Lunch: turkey/cheese sandwich
Dinner: restaurant
Weather: sunny and humid, bad ozone
Lodging: Home
Cumulative Mileage: 4,231
Miles to Go: 0
Days completed: 87 (including 9 rest days)
Distance Completed: 100%

One last chance to pledge: http://pledgejohn.lungne.org

     What an exciting day…finishing this long journey comforted with the knowledge the I have achieved my financial goals for the American Lung Association (that is, if all outstanding pledge promises are fulfilled). I have covered 2,231 miles in this expedition which brings me to a total of 22,113 miles over the 15 years I have been fund-raising for ALA. That total number of miles is the circumference of the Earth at the latitude of Cape Canaveral, FL! I’ll need to wait a week or so to come up with a final dollar total for fund-raising,  but all indications are that I will exceed $250,000.

Almost to the Finish Line

     We found our way from the campground in Poland near Range Pond State Park and probably came upon the steepest hill of the entire trip right in Danville, ME. I will have to go back to it in a car and measure it, but my sense is that it is probably a 20% grade. I suppose it would have helped me to train on that hill for the Cascades. Maybe I’ll leave that till next time.

The Wheel-Dipping Ritual in the Atlantic Ocean

    













We rendezvoused in the Little Dog Café in Brunswick at 1pm and left as a small group(4 people) to go to the boat ramp at Simpson’s Point Road in Brunswick. Dan N had to get his wheel rebuilt and John S. went with him to help. Andrew and Dan sought cooler surroundings at the Sea Dog Microbrewery and Restaurant. That left Joe, Dean, Dolores and I to roll down the gentle hill at the boat ramp and dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. It was such a hot day, we dipped ourselves as well.
     For the sake of balancing getting this posted and getting unpacked and settled back in, I’ll leave the deeper reflections until another day. My plan is to come back and post a final entry in 2-3 days.

The Team at the Finish (left to right: Me, Dean, Dolores and Joe, the leader

     For now, suffice it to say that this ride would not have been possible without all the support, encouragement, hospitality and generosity of ALL my sponsors, hosts on the road, teammates and the group leader, Joe Loviska. I thank all 367 sponsors, all countless people whom I met on the road and gave of their time, knowledge and resources to help us on our way.
There will be more specific thanks and acknowledgements forthcoming.

31 August Tuesday Conway, NH – Poland, ME

Starting Point: Conway, NH
Ending Point: Poland, ME
Via: Center Conway, Fryeburg, Bridgton, Naples, Casco and Webbs Mills
Mileage: 62   
Time: 6:15   
Mph: 9.9
Terrain: very hilly
Vertical climbing: 2,372
Temperature High: 104
Temperature Low: 76
Lunch: turkey/cheese sandwich
Dinner: chicken salad rolls
Weather: sunny and humid, bad ozone
Lodging: Range Pond Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 4,163
Miles to Go: 30
Projected Distance: 4,200
Days completed: 86 (including 9 rest days)
Distance Completed: 99%
Days to Go: 1

To pledge: http://pledgejohn.lungne.org

     With great anticipation I left the campground to breach the Maine state line. Giovanni was right behind me when I arrived there and he offered to take a picture of the longed-for sign. There was a part of the sign missing: “The Way Life Should Be.” I mentioned this to Giovanni and he commented that maybe they had changed their minds.

Maine - At Last!

     There was oppressive tropical heat and really bad air. The ozone index must have definitely been in the unhealthy range. The only relief was when biking in the shade of roadside trees. In normal circumstances I wouldn’t go biking in this weather, but today is the second to last day of this expedition and I wouldn’t want to prolong it any more than necessary.
     At one point I came upon a detour that had a “Accident Ahead” sign. My first thought was, “I hope it’s not a cyclist.” My second thought was, “How far out of my way am I going to have bike?!” The road crew worker assured me that it wasn’t a cyclist. Later in the evening I did find out that Dan N. did get hit by a car, but miraculously he escaped with minor injuries and his bike didn’t fare much worse. He was incredibly lucky; he was saying in the evening that if he had been positioned just a couple of inches in a different direction the outcome could have been severe if not fatal.
     It was a very long day with lots of hills and harsh heat so we were all quite whipped by the time we got into camp. It was our last evening as a group of 8 because Andrew was leaving the group for a couple of days to visit a friend in Portland. The camp host offered to make us hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken salad sandwiches so we wouldn’t have to leave the campground to find food. It wasn’t the most nutritious meal, but it was certainly a most welcome one.