Nomad Life - Day 16

I woke up early this morning but tried to prolong the night.  In the end, I couldn't fall back to sleep and, instead, started reading and doing other online games/puzzles.  I skipped breakfast.  At 0800, I felt ready to get up and decided to head outside to repack my car (in anticipation of the storage building swap-out that would be happening the next day).  I spent about an hour at this task and then used the rest of my available time in the Motel 6 making plans for the rest of August.  I found things to do along the way to my next hotel and got myself to a comfortable place in terms of departing Portsmouth.  Just after 1000, I checked out and drove across Gosling Road to recycle a spent printer cartridge at Staples (1020).  Next, I drove around to the back side The Crossings Mall and parked on the north side of the Fox Run Mall so I could walk around inside until the Texas Roadhouse opened.  In the end, I got almost two miles worth of steps in the air conditioned building and had built up an appetite by the time I could get inside the restaurant (1130).  Once again, as I had the previous two days during the week, I sat at the bar and used the gift card my sister (Katie) had given me - it was great that I could eat three different meals with the $50!  This time, my lunch consisted of chicken strips and a Caesar salad - again, the food was good.  The manager came by at one point and I raved to her about the food and service I'd received all week.  At 1215, I departed the Newington area and crossed the Great Bay on NH-16 (Spaulding Turnpike).  I exited from the four (plus) lane highway early and drove north through the town of Dover.  My goal was to first try to get some free items (before they ran out of them) at the local Shaw's and I was successful in this endeavor (done by 1250).  Next, I backtracked into the center of Dover and started looking for a place to park so I could finish walking the Dover Community Trail.  Fortunately, I found a quiet neighborhood (Fisher Street) and a trailhead parking lot with open spots.  Starting at 1300, I walked south to check off another rail trail on the New Hampshire Rail Trails Challenge.  Along the way, I enjoyed seeing a scale model of the entire Solar System (very well done).  The trail was also paved and mostly shaded.  I turned around at Rutland Street (southern terminus) and walked north until I reached the Dover Transportation Center (railroad depot) - I just missed seeing (I heard it only) the Downeaster Amtrak train.  The last half mile in this direction crossed over the Cocheco River - very pretty!  Backtracking to my car, I completed the trail (I'd walked the northern section in JAN 2022) and two miles of walking (along with my 10K steps for the day).  Throughout, the temps weren't too bad (high 70s) at this point and I felt good fitting in the walk before my drive to the next hotel.  I headed out of town on NH-4 and was just about to cross the Salmon Falls River when I noticed a great price for gas at the Rollinsford Cumberland Farms.  Filling up my tank (1405), I resumed my drive to the north on ME-4.  Google Maps kept me on lots of back roads, all the way to my destination: Bridgton.  I passed through lots of little towns (Berwick, Sanford, Alfred, Limington and Sebago) - I thought about stopping but realized that I might be able to attend Mass before I ate dinner or checked into my lodging and, therefore, didn't stop.  Listened to audiobooks on the way.  After many miles of flat land driving, I came across a big hill (very noticeable) at one point and, from the top of a few rises, could see lots of blue spots (ponds, lakes) and distant mountains.  This area of Maine was almost completely foreign to me but I recognized a lot of the same feelings for the hills and lakes of the Pine Tree State.  Just before I drove into Bridgton, I came across St. Joseph Parish (1545) and went inside the church to prepare for Mass.  I very much enjoyed the service and it was over in less than 45 minutes.  Next, I drove the last mile into town and drove back and forth on the main street (US-302), looking for a place to eat.  After a few aborted attempts (closed for Saturday?), I settled on a place called the Standard Gastropub, which had both food and beer (1720).  For the next hour, I enjoyed a Wagyu Chili Dog and some beers (on tap) from the Russian River Brewing Company.  The place was great and I only stayed until about 1800.  Next, I walked down to the Maine Street Creamery and got a small scoop of their Moose Tracks ice cream (mmmmm...).  On the advice of one of the bartenders at the Gastropub, I next explored the east side of Highland Lake (which gets very close to Bridgton) and took a short walk on the Highland Beach (1830).  Finally, I decided it was time to make my way to the lodging I'd set up on Booking.com.  After a short drive on US-302 and some back roads, I found the Shack-Hilton (basically, a rustic cabin in a farm shed) and started to perform the check-in procedures that I'd gotten online (1900).  Just then, the proprietors (an older couple named Peter and Karen) came out to greet me and we spent almost an hour talking about AT Trail Magic (they were planning some for Andover, ME), family, travel, etc.  It was interesting to learn that they both attended Paul Smiths College in the North Country of New York (where I've skied at the VIC).  They were very nice and I almost had to beg for a chance to get inside my little room (I was in there by 2010).  It took me a bit of time to get settled but they had WiFi and I was soon getting myself more organized and making plans for the next day.  I mentioned to them (and I really meant it) that I felt like the accommodations were like the guest house of a long-time friend.  For the rest of the evening, I did some reading, worked on my blog and checked on how I was doing with my finances.  At the mid point of my first Nomad Life month, things are looking pretty good!  After figuring out how the composting toilet worked (across the open air "hallway" from the shack), I headed off to bed (2300).  Heading west tomorrow!