"I'll Be Back in Three Hours"

or

Epic Cross Bike Ride, 2013

I really thought it would take about 3 hours.  Ride to Portland, fill my water bottle, ride back.  35ish miles, that should take about 3 hours, right.  Wrong!  I forgot to consider riding on trails is a lot slower, riding on unknown trails that aren't well marked is even slower and somehow that 35 miles turned to 58.

I started on the Sebago to Sea trail.   Actually, I didn't.  I started on some singletrack that I thought was the Sebago to Sea trail.

Tasty  Singletrack

That Ends Up At an Awesome Swimming Hole

 Once I found the right road that leads to the sebago to Sea trail it was smooth sailing on about 2 miles of a nice gravel trail, crosses a road and then a few more miles of trails until I hit our local rail trail.  Normally I don't like riding on the MUP because there are so many dog walkers but I pretty much had it to myself.

4 miles of traffic (and mostly pedestrian) free bliss.

 Unfortunately, the Sebago to sea trail isn't finished.  Unfortunately, it isn't well marked where the finished part stops.  So my ride went from asphalt to gravel to crushed rock to railroad ties.  The last transition happened about a mile from anything, odd.  After riding about 1/4 mile over railroad ties on the cross bike I'd had enough when I found a road that cut into a farm.  Bye Bye bumpy trail.

It looks cooler than it rides.

 From there I took some roads until I got to the Stroudwater River Trail which I took to Congress St and made my way to mom's house.  Arriving there unannounced, I discovered that she was where?  Out biking.  Figures.  So I let myself in, said hi to Pooka (the dog) and helped myself to a scoop of Silk Amino Acids Thanks Mom!  

Nice Yard

 At this point it was good that she wasn't home because I had passed my 3 hour mark.  I continued on through the Fore River Sanctuary and then to Evergreen Cemetery Trails.

Jewell Falls

From here I took the roads home and started to re-think my fueling plan for the day - none.  By the time I got home I had ridden 58 miles, about 10 of them on trails and I was tired.  My after ride treat was a glass of Cockeyed Cooper Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine Ale, Thanks Mom!  (birthday present)  I highly recommend it.
Total time: about 5 hours.