A preface and final plea. Two days from now, Saturday 10/15, is the Krempels King of the Road Challenge. Presumably by now if you are going to ride, you have already signed up so it's just a matter of putting air in your tires and then downing some Dunkin Donuts (one of our exemplary supporters) on site before setting off on the ride. Alternatively, if you would like to participate without straddling a bicycle here is my fund raising website. 100% of your donation goes to the Krempels Center bettering the often challenging lives of those with brain injury. We sincerely thank you... and now back to the show.___________________________________________________________________________________________________I woke up yesterday with a hankerin' for a bagel.Not just any bagel, however, I wanted a bagel from Scratch Baking Co. Strangely I'm not a bagel person - heck, I think the last time I had a bagel was sometime in May and in general I probably have only three bagels a year. It's not about quantity though, it's entirely about quality and Scratch bagels offer a lightly crisp and satisfying exterior bite surrounding a pillowy soft and almost nutty interior thereby combining to create the most delicious bagel this planet has ever seen. In a word: Uuu-flippin'-maaazing. The only issue being that Scratch Baking Co is up in South Portland, Maine and I'm currently in southern New Hampshire. A quick Googlemapping indicates that this is about sixty-plus miles door to door which means only one thing: it's time for a bike ride.Conveniently I went to bed the previous night with the same hankerin' for that same Scratch bagel, because yesterday's afternoon forecast was less than favorable and more than dry. Therefore I had to hit the road early enough to bang out my To-Do list.October 12 To-Do List:-Ride one-hundred mighty kilometers to South Portland, ME-Stop briefly for a bagel-Participate in friendly conversation-Pedal one-hundred more kilometers home-Don't get rained onThis craving offered the fringe benefit of a beautiful fall tour of New England. Amid cool overcast temperatures typical to this geographic slice of the world in the fall, I meandered up along the Maine coast weaving in and out of incredibly foliaged forests, zoomed by stone walls hundreds of years old, fought brisk winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean, screamed along dirt bike paths, pedaled through tourist towns, farm stands, approximately seven-thousand pumpkins, muddy tidal marshes, and rode by only a half dozen cyclists. Two French Canadians on holiday tried to half wheel me for a brief while when I was 110 miles into my 125 mile jaunt, we casually chatted a bit before I dropped them.And now here is my photo journal. Oh, and before you give me crap for it, yes I had my camera-phone set on those instant photo editors to look more dramatic. Needless to say, the ride was still very dramatic.Uh-oh, don't get lost. This photo is near downtown Kennebunkport. I gave George Bush(es) a buzz on the twitter if they wanted to ride. They didn't reply, sadly.Arrival at last! Actually I was flying while en route up north, cruising into town well over 20mph only to learn that I was riding into a deceptive headwind. The ride home was even more zippity.Bob ebulliently greeted me with the outstanding news that my mid-day arrival still offered bagels, since these doughy treats frequently sell out. I snuck inside and talked to Sonja for a while as well while sipping pipping hot coffee. Talking bikes, bike racing, baked goods, coffee, and life - friends, life is good.A further smattering of what's for sale.Cheers Bob! Coffee and a bag of bagels for my hundo' kilometer ride home. Also please note the tub of Fluff to the left.If there is icing on the cake, this is the cake - namely, why I rode in the first place.All that for a bagel. Was it worth it? Absolutely.