Maine 2015
 
 

Day 07

August 2

 
   
  My bones and body are weary, but I've got miles to go before I sleep again. I get Frost loaded pretty quickly, then give Charlie and Fali a good-bye hug each. Then it's down the gravel road to the main highway.  
   
  It's a quick run through the sleeping village of Harrington as I have the road mostly to myself.  
   
  Since I need to make time today, I take a different, more direct route - highway 193 up to highway 9 which will get me to the slab much quicker than highway 1.  
   
  The sun is just up, barely illuminating the inlets in the area.  
   
  When I get to historic Cherryfield, I hang a right on highway 193. Cherryfield was settled about 1760 and was named for the wild cherries that were on the banks of the Narraguagus River. Now it claims to be 'The Blueberry Capital Of the World' which makes me wonder what happened to all the cherries.  
   
  Highway 193 is nice run with some decent twisties and reasonable pavement.  
   
  But when I see a sign like this, I do pay attention as either the pavement is grooved or really, really rough.  
   
  I decide this morning that I will skip breakfast at the cabin and catch it on down the road somewhere. I am hoping I can find an original New England diner about the time I need gas, but today I am out of luck. Dunkin Donuts will have to do.  
   
  I figure I'll just have a 'repeat' of what had at the last one and it works out just fine.  
   
  With both beasts fueled, Frost and I get back to the business of slabbing.  
   
  Unfortunately, this appears to be shaping up as traffic jam city.  
   
  And about the time I get through one malfunction junction, I seem to encounter another one.  
   
  It's about time for more fuel;, so I head for the nearest gas station. But the one I pick is some kind of crazy busy. Folks are backed up waiting for pumps, and not in the best of humor. I see an empty pump and go for it since the cars do not seem to be paying attention. I figure I can be gassed and gone before they even decide what they are going to do.  
   
  When I return to the slab, it's not too long before I'm right back in another construction zone.  
   
  It's this sort of stuff that is wearying to the flesh, but there are no other options. So I soldier along until I need a another fuel break.  
   
  Randy has already warned me about the major traffic snarl where I78 runs into I81. He has told me that it has taken them several hours every time they come this way. When I see the back up starting to happen, I look for an escape route. I've off at the next exit and figure I'll sort something out. As it turns out, there's an old road parallels the slab and is actually a rather nice diversion.  
   
  It puts me right at the end of the mess so pretty soon I'm rolling along again to my destination of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  
   
  I'm so tired from the constant stop and go of the traffic jams, that I just grab a sandwich and some chips at my last gas stop. I don't feel like going anywhere so I will just 'dine in' tonight. I pull into the Super 8, glad to finally be here.  
   
  I cover Frost over for the evening and lug the bare essentials into the room.  
   
  Since I am very tired and the route tomorrow is pretty straight forward - I81 to I40 to the Holler - I decide I will sleep in til I wake up. I partake of the nourishment that I have brought and drift off leaving the challenges of the day on the other side of night.