Checking out the country

My plan was to do lots of pool running (no, not aqua jogging) this week to stay in running shape for Mt. Washington. Of course this plan was concocted last Friday after a week of rain when the pool seemed to be a nice place to be. But starting Saturday I just couldn't do it. It's been too damn nice outside. I don't live in Maine to run in pools. So, other than the Blackstrap hell repeats, I've been biking. These rides have been fun. The countryside outside of Portland is really beautiful. I'm attracted to the many connected farmhouses that I ride by. I'm also attracted to the large tracts of rolling woodland that are ripe for xc running and skiing development! I did manage to make it to the TMR TNR but by bike and only long enough to say hi. The four rides since Saturday are mapped above. Three of the rides were about 20 miles each, the Yarmouth/N. Yarmouth ride was 35 miles, which is a big ride for me. I did 3 sets of 5X1 min intervals on the Cumberland TMR TNB loop (so the stop at Twin Brook was a nice break in between the 2nd and 3rd set). One thing though, most of the roads around are warped, cracked, and potholed. Range Rd. in Cumberland is particularly craptastic. It's a roller coaster with short steep ups and downs requiring hard shifting all the way up then all the way down and the surface absolute sucks. I'm glad I'm riding my $200 mid 90's Bianchi Volpe pseudo-quasi-toy cyclocross bike with burly tires.