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Departed Madawaska around 9:15am in foggy conditions and 56 degrees on US-1 South. I
wasn't too excited to leave any earlier given the fact that it is mating season and dawn/dusk
are prime times for moose & deer to move about given their hormonal state. A local told
me moose are frequently in the road so they “can get away from the bugs that bother them in
the woods.” Seems odd that something that weighs 1,000+ lbs needs to seek relief from
another critter that doesn't even weigh an ounce.
Maine's “Welcome” sign reads “Welcome to Maine....the way life should be!” Apparently
Maine's Department of Tourism has the meaning of life figured out and believes it exists in
Maine. I pondered this as I passed tree after tree (Maine is the "Pine Tree State" ya
know) and the lovely fall foliage colors that are a little more than half way to peak. Saw
a sign while on US-1 that said “Moose Cutting” with an arrow pointing down a gravel road. I
have no idea what this event or item might be and I would have turned off just to go find out
except it was too early in the morning for me to fend off any moose that might decide s/he'd
had enough of the bugs. 
Caribou, ME gets my vote for having commercial drivers that define courtesy.
 The
area is apparently a big potato farming area since I passed (literally) a multitude of trucks
carrying the spuds. Each time I approached a truck it would pull half off the road and
motion for me to pass then wave as I was passing.
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Presque Isle, ME seemed like a quaint town and even had a Suzuki dealership. Stayed
on US-1 until I welcomed I-95 South almost 100 miles later.
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Yes, welcomed the superslab! Taking US-1 from Madawaska takes you through a plethora
of very small towns which have a posted speed limit made for 1st gear riding and
seemingly longer stoplights. The first sign on I-95 proclaimed it as part of
the “Eisenhower Interstate System.” Once I hit I-95 I was able to maintain a
spirited pace and do so almost alone; I might have passed a dozen cars in all 120
miles to the Bar Harbor turn off.
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I did see one dead moose on the side of the road and was reminded the mass of these
creatures (avg 6'2 at the shoulder, 900-1,100lbs!). I remembered what “Sam” had
told me the night before so I promptly hoisted the thing up on the bike and proceeded
down the road:
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Interestingly the posted speed limit on I-95 is 65mph despite the lack of population
or pretty much any human existence. I wondered if this had something to do with
the fact that moose-vehicle collisions are higher in ME than are vehicle to vehicle collisions.
Arrived Bangor, ME after logging 245 miles since Madawaska. By the way, no issues
with logging trucks to report. I got gas in Bangor and also got cell phone reception
for the first time in days; I had something like 512 messages. I took advantage of
the reception to call my super-duper-head-master-mechanic-extraordinare “Jim” in Phoenix
to discuss the Strom's noisy fuel pump/filter issue. It appears there are not many
options (ok, none so far) since Suzuki has the necessary part on backorder. Our
“disaster plan” of taking the pump assembly out of our friend Glenn's 02 DL1k (aka "the
donor Strom") went out the window when we learned, sadly, his 02 and my 05 have different
part numbers. Ugh. One of the other calls I made was to the Matriarch who apparently
lost touch with the bigger picture in the “Four Corner Frenzy” as I call it since she said
“if that bike breaks down can't you just rent a bike to finish.” Whoa. This isn't
about the corners ya know. It's about everything but the corners actually...they just
serve as directional arrows really. Besides, if the Strom doesn't make it what a great
reason to do this again! “I knew you were going to say that” was her response.
Turned onto alt-US 1 for Bar Harbor at Bangor then hit Scenic Byway Maine 3. Passed
the locale for “The Great Lumberjack Show” where I'm sure a rowdy good time is had by all
in attendance who are dazzled with, according to the sign, “log rolling, sawing, chopping,
axe throwing, speed climbing & more.”
No mention of moose wrestling. Would seem strange to call these participants
“athletes” when their training & competition routines are activities that no one that I
know would deem “fun.” I'd probably just call these folks “sir” or “ma'am” to be safe.
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Rode on to Acadia National Park where I collected the passport stamp:
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I now only need a stamp in FL to complete the "Silver" Master Traveler Award for the
IBA (complete info is:
ERE. If I deposit my final corner envelope at the Post Office in Key West and also
collect a park stamp while in the Sunshine State I will have completed two different endurance
rides simultaneously. I'm planning on going for the “Gold” Award next year when I head
for a stamp in Alaska.
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While going into the Visitor Center I saw this sign....
... I couldn't agree w/John more except I'd add “while doing so on a motorcycle.”
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After leaving the Visitor Center I steered straight for “Cadillac Mountain” which is
inside Acadia NP. It is 1,532 feet tall making it “the highest point along the
North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in the US from October 7
through March 6” according to a Park Ranger who looked like he was ready to break out
in a sweat of excitement relaying this information. What a joyful conversation
it was with him! Mrs Oldgoat will be glad to know that Cadillac Mtn is one of
17 mountains on Mount Desert Island, ME, that were pushed up by earth's tectonic and
volcanic forces millions of years ago. The Matriarch will be glad to know that
I made it up and down safely and had a fabulous time in the process. Cadillac
Mtn is largely composed of pink granite with forests of spruce and pitch pine. I
really can't describe the smell while riding this road but it was superb. These
are all from the Cadillac Mtn ride:
This is “Eagle Lake” as seen from Cadillac Mountain:
Did the “Park Loop Rd" after Cadillac which took me thru thick forest and alongside
the Atlantic Ocean. Just breathtaking beauty. This isn't a peg draggin'
ride, it's a ride for the internal experience. I flipped my helmet up and soaked
in all that was around... nothing like the smell of the beach & ocean, seeing waves
crash on shore, seagulls flying above... and hearing your fuel pump whine.
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This is a map of the area (I basically did all the red lines):
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Pics from the “Park Loop Road” in Acadia:
Having cell phone service AND internet connection at the same location has proved
to be difficult during the last week. Tonight I have neither. It comes
along with the territory though; there are no national chain hotels here, just
local mom & pop places (though some ma & pa's cater to the very wealthy and do so
without Wi-Fi I'm told). I think this is a place people come to “get away
from it all” (though “it” never seems to be defined) so I guess I'll have to post
this later. Just 'bout time I venture out for some LOBSTAH anyway!
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