Portland

I didn't make it to Bangor last night, but I got as far as Portland due to a number of "navigational issues".
But that's normal for me - it's how I've been able to visit so many different places.
That whole "Alaska Wilderness" trip?  I was supposed to be going to get a loaf of bread, and started arguing with my GPS again....

So, back to this trip:
What kind of lunatic would plan a trip up the northeast corridor of I-95 (also known as the world's longest parking lot) during daylight hours?
In AUGUST! (95F/35C degrees!)
While straddling a gas-fired furnace!!!
The traffic would be moving along at 60-70 mph, and then everyone stops.
Slowly, everybody gets back to normal speed again with no apparent reason for the interruption.

In the south, we have a problem with Kudzo growing up everywhere.
On the northern section of I-95, the plague is Toll Booths.
Riders know what it's like when you are on 2 wheels.

• Stop
• Put kickstand down (don't want to replay that little incident at the Canada border crossing again)
• Remove gloves
• Get wallet and remove bills
• Pay the nice person before the vehicles behind start honking horns
• Reverse steps above 

If you take an exit just before the toll booth to check a motel for vacancies, you pay a toll to get back on.

Then you ride up to the main toll both and pay the toll you missed.

Thankfully, I have a different route planned for the return trip.

I had an exciting time going through Boston.

"Going through Boston?" you ask....  "Why on earth would you GO THROUGH Boston when there is a nice loop around it?

That goes back to the navigational issues I mentioned earlier.

Let's just say that my GPS and I aren't speaking at this time.

In Boston (I-93, I think), the highway sweeps to the right, then a long turn left, then goes up a hill and descends again while going through another set of turns.

During all this,  the road splits off, and further down, it splits off again.

What so unusual about that?

All of this happened INSIDE a tunnel!

It was the most awesome tunnel I've ever been in. Must have been built by cave trolls.

Question:

What does a GPS do when you are in a tunnel and have to make a decision about the split in the road?

HAH! Nothing!

And that's why, when I exited the tunnel (after driving around molten lava pits :-) ), the GPS went into panic mode - RECALCULATING... RECALCULATING... RECALCULATING... in that annoying little voice that reeks with disdain...

From then on, things went downhill and I got to see parts of an earlier Boston that the residents probably don't know exists, because it was mostly boarded up.

But hey - it was a big, strange city to me, it was midnight, I was alone on a bike in the bad part of town... What would life be without a little adventure??

After Boston, I kept going, trying to make it into Maine to spend the night.

No problems there, until I started looking for a room.

There are no motel rooms in Maine.

Plenty of motels, but I guess all the people leave home on Saturday to spend the night in a motel.

I started calling every one on the list, hearing the same reply - "Sorry - no vacancies".

So I tried the next town.  And the next.

The lady at one of the toll booths told me that exit 48 (Portland) had a lot of motels.

She mentioned some that weren't on my list, so I went another 30 minutes to Portland.

Motel 6 - nope.

Ramada Inn - nope.

But the guy there called 'The Inn At Portland' and found me the last room in Maine.

YESSSSS!

He mentioned bed sizes, and I told him "Doesn't matter - I don't even need a bed! I'll put my sleeping bag on the floor!"

Ok, so it was $159 with the AAA discount, and it's a smoking room, but after 950 miles of I-95, I was ready for anything.

Now, it's time to go outside and see if I can fix a loose connection on the auxiliary lights on the bike and go for breakfast.

Then it's off to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island...

Life is good!