Day #52
Monday October 1, 2007
Madawaska, ME to Calais, ME
201 miles today (24,894 – 25,095)
10,528 miles total
0 new states today, but Corner #2 visited!
28 states total
I slept good until about 2AM. My back is still aggravating me, and I woke up cold. Brrrr….what’s going on? There was NO HEAT at 2AM. I just bundled up more and slept till daybreak. After getting out of bed to the cold air, I thought a warm shower would help. But, NO HOT WATER! That’s right, no heat and no hot water. I called the office and found out the boiler went out during the night and the same circuit feeds the boiler AND the heat in every room. So the whole place was without heat or hot water. Oh well, part of the “adventure” I guess! This is where all the reading by John Maxwell comes into play!
I debated about waiting, but decided to dress and leave as I wanted to get to the post office. I got my Madawaska stamp in my journal and then had a guy make my picture outside the post office. While doing that, he informed me of a new 4 Corners park that was being built. A lady coming to check her mail informed me of the “I’ve been to Madawaska, one of the 4 corners of the USA” bumper stickers available at the Chamber of Commerce. So I went to the Chamber and was met by a very helpful and friendly lady who knew exactly why I was there. They have a separate register to be signed by 4 Corners riders. She filled out a certificate for me proving I had been there, and reiterated about the new park.
I went to the new park. Wow. The whole thing is geared to motorcyclists making the 4 Corners run. It was designed and built so you ride around behind, then in front of the main stone marker and have your picture made. It has a fountain and stone pavers with purchased inscriptions in the stone. The grand opening/dedication will be next year. Hmmm…is there ANOTHER TRIP in my future??? Anyone else up for a ride next summer from Eugene, OR to Madawask, ME? We could take the short route if you insist! I met the lady that actually donated the property for the park. She must have made hundreds of pictures for riders through the summer. She filled me in on the whole history of the house that once stood there, that she lived in, and eventually donated for the park.
So by now, I was cold, hadn’t had my morning shower, and desperately needed breakfast. The clerk at the motel recommended “John’s Restaurant” in Van Buren, about 30 miles east. I headed east on US 1, found it, and parked right on the street by the front door just as the lady was turning the sign to CLOSED. What?! It was only 10AM and they were closing? The posted hours were 7-10AM on Mondays and 7-1pm the other days. This was a small town… She motioned for me to come on in. The inside was long and narrow; a row of booths on one side and a counter with stools on the other. As soon as I came in, before even sitting down, a couple commented on my trailer and what a cool morning it was to ride. This lady worked for a firm owned by Nike, so she knew where Beaverton, OR was. Her husband later told me they had owned a motel in Fort Henry, about 20 miles west of Madawaska, for nearly 30 years and were back visiting.
When the lady that turned the sign and motioned me in anyway, heard Beaverton, OR her ears perked up, as she lived in Beaverton/Portland for years.
Wow, two Oregon connections in one small town restaurant thousands of miles from home. I was the last one out after my breakfast, but she visited with me for several minutes. We talked “small business shop talk” and I found out she has the restaurant on the market for sale. Hey Natalie, want to move to Maine and run a restaurant?! We compared Oregon and Maine and talked of their similarities and differences.
But that wasn’t the only connection. When at the COG Railway near Mt. Washington last Saturday, I met a couple on bikes. They were from Mass. somewhere and were out riding for the weekend. When the man found out I was going to Madawaska, he got excited. His dad lived in Van Buren (the restaurant town where I just finished eating) and he wanted me to call him and just say “Hi!” He gave me his dad’s card with his picture and contact info on it. After breakfast, while standing on the sidewalk, getting ready to ride, I called the man. Turns out, he had just gotten home as he had been IN the restaurant at the same time. He was having coffee with the husband of the lady that let me in! We passed one another and didn’t even know it! Wow!
I rode till 3:30 before pulling off in Calais, still 3-4 hours from Bar Harbor. My back is aching and has ached all day. I think I’m going to have to take a complete day off from riding to get squared away. I’m even thinking of a massage to loosen me up. As I was moving stuff to my room, 2 bikers pulled in who just came from Acadia Nat’l Park and Bar Harbor. They’re headed to Fort Henry, so we traded road tips and conditions. I sat in the hot tub here for quite a while, then had dinner at the restaurant here. Still no functional, steady internet, so no posting.
This is the 3rd or 4th day without it.
Tomorrow it’s on to the park and probably 2 days in the same location. I’ll spend a day just visiting the park.
0 new states today, but Corner #2 visited!
28 states total
I slept good until about 2AM. My back is still aggravating me, and I woke up cold. Brrrr….what’s going on? There was NO HEAT at 2AM. I just bundled up more and slept till daybreak. After getting out of bed to the cold air, I thought a warm shower would help. But, NO HOT WATER! That’s right, no heat and no hot water. I called the office and found out the boiler went out during the night and the same circuit feeds the boiler AND the heat in every room. So the whole place was without heat or hot water. Oh well, part of the “adventure” I guess! This is where all the reading by John Maxwell comes into play!
I debated about waiting, but decided to dress and leave as I wanted to get to the post office. I got my Madawaska stamp in my journal and then had a guy make my picture outside the post office. While doing that, he informed me of a new 4 Corners park that was being built. A lady coming to check her mail informed me of the “I’ve been to Madawaska, one of the 4 corners of the USA” bumper stickers available at the Chamber of Commerce. So I went to the Chamber and was met by a very helpful and friendly lady who knew exactly why I was there. They have a separate register to be signed by 4 Corners riders. She filled out a certificate for me proving I had been there, and reiterated about the new park.
I went to the new park. Wow. The whole thing is geared to motorcyclists making the 4 Corners run. It was designed and built so you ride around behind, then in front of the main stone marker and have your picture made. It has a fountain and stone pavers with purchased inscriptions in the stone. The grand opening/dedication will be next year. Hmmm…is there ANOTHER TRIP in my future??? Anyone else up for a ride next summer from Eugene, OR to Madawask, ME? We could take the short route if you insist! I met the lady that actually donated the property for the park. She must have made hundreds of pictures for riders through the summer. She filled me in on the whole history of the house that once stood there, that she lived in, and eventually donated for the park.
So by now, I was cold, hadn’t had my morning shower, and desperately needed breakfast. The clerk at the motel recommended “John’s Restaurant” in Van Buren, about 30 miles east. I headed east on US 1, found it, and parked right on the street by the front door just as the lady was turning the sign to CLOSED. What?! It was only 10AM and they were closing? The posted hours were 7-10AM on Mondays and 7-1pm the other days. This was a small town… She motioned for me to come on in. The inside was long and narrow; a row of booths on one side and a counter with stools on the other. As soon as I came in, before even sitting down, a couple commented on my trailer and what a cool morning it was to ride. This lady worked for a firm owned by Nike, so she knew where Beaverton, OR was. Her husband later told me they had owned a motel in Fort Henry, about 20 miles west of Madawaska, for nearly 30 years and were back visiting.
When the lady that turned the sign and motioned me in anyway, heard Beaverton, OR her ears perked up, as she lived in Beaverton/Portland for years.
Wow, two Oregon connections in one small town restaurant thousands of miles from home. I was the last one out after my breakfast, but she visited with me for several minutes. We talked “small business shop talk” and I found out she has the restaurant on the market for sale. Hey Natalie, want to move to Maine and run a restaurant?! We compared Oregon and Maine and talked of their similarities and differences.
But that wasn’t the only connection. When at the COG Railway near Mt. Washington last Saturday, I met a couple on bikes. They were from Mass. somewhere and were out riding for the weekend. When the man found out I was going to Madawaska, he got excited. His dad lived in Van Buren (the restaurant town where I just finished eating) and he wanted me to call him and just say “Hi!” He gave me his dad’s card with his picture and contact info on it. After breakfast, while standing on the sidewalk, getting ready to ride, I called the man. Turns out, he had just gotten home as he had been IN the restaurant at the same time. He was having coffee with the husband of the lady that let me in! We passed one another and didn’t even know it! Wow!
I rode till 3:30 before pulling off in Calais, still 3-4 hours from Bar Harbor. My back is aching and has ached all day. I think I’m going to have to take a complete day off from riding to get squared away. I’m even thinking of a massage to loosen me up. As I was moving stuff to my room, 2 bikers pulled in who just came from Acadia Nat’l Park and Bar Harbor. They’re headed to Fort Henry, so we traded road tips and conditions. I sat in the hot tub here for quite a while, then had dinner at the restaurant here. Still no functional, steady internet, so no posting.
This is the 3rd or 4th day without it.
Tomorrow it’s on to the park and probably 2 days in the same location. I’ll spend a day just visiting the park.
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