The Enemy Within

On Saturday, I drove to Bartlett to help Meredith (my step-sister) and her husband Colin move into their new digs.

I'm a big believer in making hay while the sun shines, but I wilt on hot summer days. So, I love getting an early start and enjoying some quality hours before the humidity sets in; this day was no exception. One drawback to going from South Berwick to Dover is the loss of options for heading north. Rather than being able to willfully spurn the highway by taking Rochester / Salmon Falls Rd (boy, do I wish I had a picture of the old 'Rochetser' Rd sign), any route but due north on the Spaulding looks pretty silly. Well, I guess it's nice to not suffer the embarrassment of taking yet another wrong turn in downtown Berwick.

Admitted, highway speeds on a gorgeous day with the windows down aren't anything to complain about anyway. The house is across the Saco River and up the side of Cave Mountain from the main drag. It was neat to see actual residences in the town (there is very little housing, or anything else for that matter, on 302). Dad speculated that the older houses near the river were formerly for railroad employees; the line is very close the river near the center of town. These days, the Conway Scenic Railroad runs a tourist train up to Crawford Notch a few times a week. In its heyday, though, it was part of the Portland to Ogdensburg Line. There is a video about getting the line through Crawford Notch (requiring several great feats of engineering) at the Portsmouth library that looks totally awesome. Shockingly, the line was never built to Ogdensburg as chartered, perhaps because of an exchange like this:

Railroad middle management: "Hey, the knowledge that our industry is badly overbuilt is hitting us like a speeding locomotive.

Railroad upper management: "Tee-hee."

RMM: "So, do we still have funding for the line from Lake Champlain to Ogdensburg?"

RUM: "Sure, sure. Just one question."

RMM: "Shoot."

RUM: "Where's Ogdensburg?"

RMM: "Not sure. Oh, I see what you did there."

Later...

RMM: "So, looks like the plans to extend our Portland - Vermont train to Ogdensburg have been derailed."

Railroad lower management: [Guffaw].

RMM: "Can it. Anyway, inform the men."

RLM: "Actually, customers have been transferring themselves to the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain for years - that is, the few of them who actually want to go to Ogdensburg. Say, where is that place, anyway?"

The world survived without one more line towards Ottawa.

Back in the present, the list of work to be done on the just-four-years-old house shook, but did not topple, my excitement about eventual home ownership. The work was quicker than expected, I got a good sweat in, and soon we were enjoying delicious pizza flatbreads with a mountain view.

Sunday's plans were cancelled due to lack of lumber, so I moseyed on south in the late afternoon. I started out with Bear Notch Rd - seasonally closed, but well-paved and suitable for driving fast. It was especially sweet with the deciduous trees forming a gorgeous green canopy and since I hadn't been on it since finding moose with ABenn almost five years ago.

I was sandwiched between two groups of motorcyclists and quickly noticed the first ones following a pattern; whenever they passed other riders, they'd take their left hands off the handlebars and stick them out, slightly angled downwards. The riders coming the other way would usually do the same. It made me feel great! I'd love to have unconditional waves coming my way. I actually got my motorcycle permit a few years ago and rode a bit on Jim's scooter, but I can't see "buy a motorcycle" leapfrogging "save for a house" anytime soon.

A bit of googling turns up many sites with similar explanations of this phenomenon (a sign of community, though with some variations to mark one's place in the herd); I have to link with the one with a Rush lyric in its title.

The change of plans allowed me to stop by a party at Jim's back home in Wells and, just as importantly, to take the back way to Milton Mills (in reverse).

That's not nearly enough granularity - in sections:

The last stretch into downtown NB (and whatever is chosen to get back to Wells) is omitted; you get the idea.

Historically, we only went this way on hike days or (rarely) other White Mountain trips. This mean that I was usually peacefully half-awake and headed for an awesome day. What wasn't to love? After learning to drive myself, I continued to use it for hike trips or sometimes when heading to Ann's (now also my Dad's) house, but much less since moving away from Wells.

Here are some of the reasons I love this route:

1) It's remarkably direct

Apart from the jog over to the highway, the route is nearly as straight as an arrow. You're on Lebanon Rd, then Milton Mills Rd. They just feel like the roads you are meant to take.

2) It's fast

Most of Lebanon and Little River Rds through North Berwick are 45 mph. That's as good as it gets for a non-state-highway in Maine.

3) Five Corners

Coming from North Berwick, the route gets off to a great start with a five-way intersection with Old Sanford Rd (there signed as Governor Goodwin Rd) and the 5th wheel, Turkey St.

4) Make Way for Ducklings

Once, Emily and I had to stop while a mother duck and her flock strode primly across Little River Rd.

5) Bailout Route

In 2005, the first time I got confused by the worst signage ever coming into downtown Berwick on Rochester Rd (you're basically told to turn left on Pine Hill Rd to get to Wells), I kept going the wrong way all the way to Little River Rd before this route got me home safely. My mistake for not turning around far sooner, but it was sure was good to see a familiar sign.

6) The deer

When I was young, we always looked for the deer who lived in a pen in the front yard of a house in Acton at the bottom of the hill. Ironically, a child growing up at that house at that time later became one of the Acton kids at Wells High and eventually one of my best friends.

7) Lebanon speed trap

The area around the Bakers Grant Rd intersection in Lebanon is marked as 25 mph. Strong stuff given that there's almost nothing (one restaurant) in the area and Lebanon didn't even have its own police force for a while. Still, I always slow down, just in case....

As an aside, in 2007 I discovered the Emery Mills Rd back way to a different part of Acton. This takes you across Bakers Grant Rd a bit to the east. I was excited to avoid a 25-mph section....zounds, there's one out here, too!

8) Foxes Ridge

Tbe long hill in the Acton section of the road offers a test for your engine, great views into the foothills (a portent of what's to come), and an awesome name for a road. What's not to love?

9) Milton Mills

This tiny village is incredibly quaint (and probably very poor) as the namesake mills (and shoe factories) are long gone. Still, the library building is nice and the village is a distinctive landmark on the route.

10) The cemeteries

I hadn't really noticed these until this Saturday, but boy there are a ton of tiny cemeteries on this route. Somewhere in the 10-15 range. I'm sure there's tons to be learned about who used to live in the area; probably many of their descendants are still nearby today. They also reaffirm the route's status as the "main line" between its two endpoints.

That's a nice round number, so we won't bother getting into the scattered businesses on Little River Rd, how you bust out of the wilderness onto Rt. 16, and how the route provided me with the coolest way to Mayocraze 2004.

Once in Wells, I made a quick detour over to Perry Oliver Rd to verify the location of the CMP / gas line right-of-way; it was where it was supposed to be.

Jim made steaks (what a food day it was) and then a huge bonfire (helped by copious pre-pouring of gasoline), I survived baggo with the cool kids, and made it home to Dover before Alicia arrived with reports of huge crowds in Portsmouth. A great holiday weekend day.