Greetings from the Corner Booth!

This is not the usual place where I get to greet all of you. Usually, I would be greeting you at the front door as you enter the Dine-ah. I have had the pleasure to meet so many people over the last four and a half years and I am working on remembering more and more of your names. Sometimes when it gets busy, I have a hard time remembering my own name, so bear with me if I forget yours.

Last Saturday, June 16th, we were very happy to have two visitors arrive who had traveled here from California. Yes, we have had people come in from California before but none of them, to our knowledge, has arrived by bicycle.

Scot is from Utah and Robert is from Virginia, Scot is Robert's Uncle. Scot is a 20 year Army Veteran and Robert will be headed to basic training and entering the Army on August 13th. As a last, hurrah before Robert left for basic, the duo decided to cycle across the country.

Scot & Robert enjoying breakfast

Scot & Robert gearing up for the ride! 

The pair left San Diego California on February 8th. As they planned their routes they tried to ensure the best weather possible. They went from California to Arizona and on to New Mexico. They stopped in Silver City where they visited with relatives. Scot and Robert then traveled across the panhandle of Texas and into Oklahoma. During part of their journey they traveled on the Pony Express trail. Eventually they traveled through St. Louis and onto Chicago.

Due to the sometimes dangerous travel Scot and Robert opted to take a boat across one of the Great Lakes and travel through Canada for a distance. Canada has a bike trail which is almost completed and they traveled to Montreal along this route, called the Trans Canada Trail.  

The pair then crossed back into the US and traveled through first the Green Mountains and onto the White Mountains. They said they thought they had left the mountains out west and were surprised by how many mountains we had here as well.

Eventually, they made their way past Sunday River where they began seeing bikers who were part of the American Lung Association's fundraising ride called the Trek Across Maine. They then saw the Trekkers from time to time because they followed some of the same route. Having originally planned to end their ride in Rockland, at the urging of the Trek Across Maine riders, they decided they would end in Belfast where, as one Trekker told them, "You'll have people cheering you on at the end of your ride!!" (Yes, they said New England had very friendly people.)

Somewhere in Farmington they were told, when you get to China, you need to stop and eat at The China Dine-ah. That is how they came to be here on Saturday night.

We learned a small portion of this story on Saturday night when they stopped me, as I walked by their booth, and they asked if I was local and if I knew where they could camp. After finding out they weren't interested in amenities and just wanted a patch of ground to pitch a tent and close their eyes, I sent them out behind the Dine-ah to my friendly field to catch some shut eye. We let them know that we would be open on Sunday morning and the coffee would be on.

Scot and Robert were up bright and early and were up stretching their legs as the staff was preparing for the breakfast buffet. They told me they slept great but there must be a deer with a baby out back because it was snorting at them all night. We spoke briefly and I let them know they could go in anytime for coffee and the staff would take care of them if they were ready for breakfast.

When I arrived at 7:15 Scot and Robert were still chatting with staff and had had their fill of coffee and our buffet. They were anxious to finish the last and "short leg" of their journey but graciously posed for some pictures before heading out on their way.

We were very pleased to know that since they would meet up with the Trek Across Maine they would enjoy the enthusiastic cheering of the crowds along the route. Scot also shared the fact that he had carried a small vial of Pacific Ocean water with him since February 8th and planned to ceremoniously dump it into the Atlantic Ocean once they reached Belfast.

We aren't sure who told this pair to stop at the Dine-ah when they got to China, but we are very glad they were given that suggestion. We are anxious to see if we hear from them after they make their return flight home. (No, they are not biking back to CA!) They have said they would send pictures but that will be an extra bonus if we receive them. For now, we are very happy to be part of memories made on a journey from coast to coast.

Thanks for listening and I'll see you soon at the Dine-ah!

Sherri