Sunday, June 13 No, it's a Montana mosquito. In Saco, they say that when in warms up, swarms of mosquitoes would pick me up and have me later. All of a sudden, I realize that the continuing rain and gray skies is actually a blessing. Mosquitoes are especially thick on this stretch of road, the locals explain with some masochistic pride. About ten miles outside of town, I thought - 'wouldn't it be horrible to have a flat here'. I believe in the power of thought, but this was just a PASSING thought. Nonetheless, seconds later, I looked at my rear tire, wobbling on either side of the rim. I quickly donned long pants, but before it was fixed, I ran up and down the highway at lest three times, swatting and screaming that I am the mosquito anti-christ. Somehow I think they liked the idea of turning into demons. It's a small step, after all. I returned to the road, desperately pedalling hard uphill, against the wind. The now demons swarmed for the next half mile, until I strained faster than 15 mph. Even then they bit several times per mile.
A short time later, the sun came out for a moment, and I saw the shadow of another bike. It was Dave, a biology professor at a community college outside Detroit. This was not Dave's first geographic choice, but they offered him a job, and he now rides and does other adventures every summer. I was reminded of a well-published and well-respected professor of business at UW, who told me there are three reasons why he chose to become a professor: June, July and August. I kept up with Dave as we chatted for the next 10 miles. Dave had a big, warm smile and smooth, tan, tree-trunk thighs, toned from 25 years of summer cycling. Riding with another biker, especially one with such a great attitude and big energy, gave me a bouyant afternoon.
The waitress at Eugene's pizza went to high school in Nashua (pop. 375), my stop for the night. They had a contest of who had the worst water in the state. Nashua won. It's not just bad taste; the locals talk of a Montana version of Montezuma's revenge.
Travel notes:
Saco: OB's Cafe, right on Hwy 2, makes a mean breakfast. Sundays a 11am they have quite a buffet.
Glascow: Hwy 2 on east side of town, Eugene's Pizza (and spaghetti and chicken etc), in the big G plaza - you can't miss the huge letter "G". The spaghetti is good and ample, and the pizza is great. Yup, I had two dinners, plus dessert. Pizzas are $9-11 for a 12 inch.