September 9, 2013 Lincoln --> Center Conway, NH - 57 miles
I prepared myself physically for the ride up to Kancamagus Pass by partaking of the "proper fuel" - pancakes. I had a lovely seat next to a window overlooking the Pemigewasset River which ran alongside. Mentally, I tried to prepare for the worst - in this case, that would be long steep inclines to the highest elevation to date on tired legs. But, in reality, I did not know what to expect.
As I headed out of town, I stopped at a Subway and picked up a 12" veggie delight to have on hand for lunch and possibly dinner, since I could not tell what might or might not be available throughout the day. Often, the little towns on the maps have nothing more than a gas station or small convenience store with "slim pickings," and the motel I had located as a destination stop looked suspiciously in the middle of nowhere. So, I thought I should take precautions.
The first 3-4 miles heading east out of Lincoln were pleasant enough. Mostly very slight incline and a few mild rolling hills. I was "warned" to watch for Moose Crossing. From the size and urgency of the sign this sounded like a real possibility and I enthusiastically started a "moose watch."
My maps indicated that I had approximately 12 miles to reach The Kancamagus Pass. To my surprise and delight, my fears once again proved far worse than reality. The road up to the pass was a long, slight to moderate incline, that wound up and around many curves. Very doable and, in fact, enjoyable. Although I sometimes rode in the "granny gear" at the steepest parts, I never felt the need to get off and push and was able to ride the whole way. There were several scenic overlooks along the way, and more evidence of the coming turning of the leaves.
After reaching the summit, there was a rather steep 7% grade descent that wound down for 3 miles. Some parts of the road were smooth and I fairly glided at 30 mph. Other parts of the road were in lesser states of disrepair, and I proceeded more cautiously. However, the whole descent was very enjoyable overall and not nearly as stressful as yesterday. The road eventually leveled out into a somewhat steady downhill coast running past many hiking trails and campgrounds. I stopped at one trailhead for lunch and ate half of my Subway veggie delight plus some trail mix.
After lunch, I proceeded on happy with the thought that I was nearing my destination town of Center Conway and felt quite strong physically. The climb had not taken as much out of me as I feared. However, I then made one of those mistakes you fear the most as a biker - I misread the map and took a wrong turn at the intersection for my next highway. I intuitively turned in what I thought was the east direction. For the next 45 minutes to an hour, I climbed steep hills for almost 5 miles. I kept thinking, "I must almost be there." I even stopped once and checked Google lady and confirmed (I thought) that I was on the right road. My legs were screaming at this point and I had, indeed, to get off and push once or twice. It was that steep. Finally, I came to another intersection with some road signs and to my horror realized I was going west instead of east. I had to backtrack the 5 miles back to the intersection where I should have turn left instead of right. Then, I still had another 6 miles or so to my final destination. The only good news was that the return was almost entirely downhill - I saw firsthand how many steep climbs I had negotiated.
I finally arrived at the Saco River Motor Lodge, very tired at this point. As I suspected, it was more or less in the middle of nowhere and no food I sight. However, I was prepared! Happily ate the remainder of my Subway veggie delight, chips, apple and fig newtons/M & M's for dessert.
Tomorrow, I start the final push towards Bar Harbor. Estimated day of arrival is Thursday if I am able to up the daily mileage on flatter roads and the weather holds.
Never saw any moose, and probably not going to at this point.
