“I biked onward down the rocky Sam Everett Road to Route 161 and then east to the Fort Fairfield Custom Station and the end of the Maine IAT. But a sleeping place would not come soon or easy. West then south then west then south I pedaled down country roads toward Presque Isle. It was almost dark when I chanced upon a local preserve with a handy little open-sided shelter where I could sit with a snack and then, after dark, discretely pitch my tent.”
“In the pale gray early dawn, I continued cycling toward Presque Isle through farmland. I got some strange looks, I’m sure, from morning commuters. Maybe because we had barely emerged from COVID, maybe because there was news of a recent unsolved murder. Nevertheless, I was happy to get to Presque Isle to get my breakfast at McDonalds and my bus ticket back down to Sherman, where I would again ride north to complete my journey back to Patten”