Summary: bike ride from Ragged Stream toward Kokadjo and towards the parked car on Frenchtown Rd.
06:12 wake up refreshed and excited to finish up the trip today. It is bright, frisky, and water is loud in the river below me.
07:30 I am departing the camp at Ragged Stream. It was a very good and convenient interim stop just off the Golden Rd.
08:40 -08:52 – elevation 1600′ – 6 mi completed after an hour on the road – my first stop on a bypass section of the road. I am avoiding the abandoned section of the main road. There is a weak signal here, and I can see a new thread emerging – the rain is in forecast starting at 10AM with 85% probability.
09:19 The first drops of rain begin to fall as I enter a short, paved section of the road near Kokadjo.
09:29 -09:49 – Another 6.63 mile completed or 13.23 for today, or 20.37 from the starting point yesterday. I am at the beginning of Frenchtown Rd in Kokadjo. Originally, I planned to park the car here, at this lonely spot and walk 14 miles to AT. But now, I need to ride another 11 miles to the car. The rain is just starting to pick up, and I am debating not to put on the yellow rain poncho yet. I see another bike rider who already completed 17 mi today and he can’t decide whether to go back to the camp or continue his trip regardless of the rain. For him going back would be a failure as it is “too early” to return. He continues. I unload and hide my backpack onto the bushes and start riding. In about 0.35 miles I realized that I forgot the car keys. That would have been a very unpleasant situation to ride 11 miles in the rain just to learn that you must go back to get the car keys. Luckily, something made me visualize the arrival, and it struck me that I did not have the keys and I promptly turned back. My quick back and force ride only cost me 0.73 mi (from 09:38 to 09:49). Hurray! A major disappointment averted.
The rain now goes in all seriousness, and I am in my yellow rain poncho. The water from the poncho is accumulating in front of me at the handlebars, and I need to push it off carefully in either direction without making my pans underneath wet. The backpack is in the bushes protected with rain cover as well.
10:48 -10:54 – 7.8 mile later, I am at the entrance to public lands. That was another spot where one can leave a car for a few days, but I parked 4 miles further and higher up the road.
11:43 – 3.79 miles further (or 11.22 from Kokadjo) I can see the car. It is there – and waiting for me. Fantastic! I am cold, wet and ready to go home. The total bike ride in a span of 2 days was as expected 31 miles.
11:59 ODO 341.3 +11°C and about 300 miles to go
12:34 ODO 352.4 – after 11.1 miles I am at the beginning of Frenchtown Rd. From now, it will be a paved road all the way to home.
13:49 -14:03 ODO 407.8 +13.5°C – Subway at Dexter, ME
17:21 – A gas station at Portsmouth, NH.
18:47 – ODO 642.9 – I am back home. I’ve done it!
Navigate through the List
- 01 May 2024 preparations for the trip (2024/05/22)
- 02 May 23, TH - substitute Frenchtown Rd. hiking with driving - smart (2024/05/23)
- 03 May 24, FR - 15 mi of hiking from 6AM till 5:30PM (2024/05/24)
- 04 May 25 SA - it is a lakes and streams country (2024/05/25)
- 05 May 26 SU - Does the path to Golden Rd. exists? (2024/05/26)
- 06 May 27 MO - the magic and anxiety of the last miles to the car (2024/05/27)
- 07 May 2024 - Final thoughts (2024/05/28)
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