Wilderness Betty

We ventured into the North Maine Woods (NMW) on 10/28/06 with a group of students from Northern Maine Community College's (NMCC) Discover Aroostook class to climb Deboullie Mountain. 15 of us made the trip. We left Presque Isle at 6:30 a.m. because the ride to the mountain is a 2 hour trip (one way) and the weather was calling for lashing rain and winds of up to 50 mph by the afternoon. The weather held off until we arrived just at the top of the mountain. SNOW! Our first real snow this year! The group picture was taken at the base of the mountain and you can see there is no snow yet. The picture on the far right, however, was when we were down off the mountain and there is plenty of snow. The snow turned to rain the further away from the mountain we went. By the time we reached Portage, it was rain only. Deboullie Mountain gets its name from the Frend word for "fallen," referring to the fallend rock in the Deboullie slide. It is the highest of a small cluster of mountains in the wilderness south of St. Francis on the the New Brunswick Border (gorp.away.com). It is a beautiful trip (even if you only hike to the base of the mountain). We saw several moose and deer on the early morning ride into the NMW. Can't wait to go back...

Fourteen ladies came together on an awesome fall Saturday to bike from Mojo in Presque Isle to the Blue Moose in Littleton on the ATV trails and old rail beds - 56/57K. We had a shining sun, postcard views, and some great discussion (not to mention the food). For some ladies, this was their first mountain bike ride ever. The Friday evening before the ride most of the ladies came together to practice lubing chains, checking tire pressure, and removing/replacing tubes. It really was much more exciting that it sounds and was a good time for all (I think). Most of the group completed the ride and those who ended their ride before the Blue Moose still have the satisfaction of knowing they biked a long way and passed through several towns all before most people were having their second cup of coffee. Way to go everyone!

These pics are of a super secret lovely place called Hasting Falls. This is one of my childhood haunts and I try to go 2 or 3 times a year. You can mountain bike in during summer and fall or snowshoe in during the winter. OK...it's not that super secret, but
it is one of those places a "local" would know about. It was always a treat to hike in as a kid with our parents and friends. Just one more reason to love "The County."

9/16/06 was the date of the Noridic Heritage Sport Club's Mountain Bike Race. Featured were several children's races, XC races (one 8 mile lap for beginner/intermediate riders or two 8 mile laps for "expert" class), then a downhill race. The NHSC, the NHC, and MWSC websites are being revised, but anyone interested should be able to find the sites with a basic "google" search. The race results should be posted on the NHC website. Enjoy the pics. We also took students from Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) to the races and put them on mountain bikes - some for the first time in their adult lives. The weather was great, the turn-out was fantastic, and the BBQ was yummy. What else could one want...