July 29, 2003 - Rumford, ME

Forecast: 78 degrees

Road Condition: Good State Route 2 West to Rumford, Maine

Fuel: Super Unleaded $1.69

Miles Traveled: Bangor, Maine to Rumford, Maine: 270 (Total 7,542)

Bike Update: New tire on one and service for both

Road Trip Log Update: Our laptop has suffered the wear and tear of traveling 7000 miles in the saddlebags. It seems as though the keyboard has had some “bad vibrations”. There will be a pit stop for service with Mark Webber when we get home. In the meantime updates are taking forever to complete with an on screen keyboard and spellchecker. We ended up having to take most of the day off while the bikes were being serviced at Central Maine HD. JillMarie’s bike needed a rear tire and Tim’s needed a 7500 mile service. We took the time to look at the last leg of the journey and calculate our return home. We are 3 days behind and will need to take on some extra days to make our mileage. Before leaving Bangor we road through town and found a place to have clam chowder for lunch. Along the way we couldn’t help but notice all the steeples and historical buildings. As we cruised out of town we took the opportunity to stop at one of the many barns that dotted the countryside. Since we wanted the picture together and there was no one around we propped the camera on one of the bikes then set the self-timer. Route 2 was a ride we would recommend as a day trip but there was sporadic construction. There are long winding curvy roads with small towns in between and plenty of fresh air. As the sun began to set we had flashbacks of the “Warning: Moose” signs and decided to call it a day just outside of New Hampshire. The next 7 days we will need to clear 450 miles a day to arrive at home on time. We have been watching the Weather Channel and it appears we are once again headed for rain.

Church steeple in Bangor, Maine	Getting the bikes serviced
The 3rd Corner
Click to see July 28, 2003	Click to see July 30, 2003