Second day in Wells, Maine

Sept. 22

When I woke up this morning, I felt like I was back in dodge. I walked across the barren cityscape to find the one bathroom that hadn't been bordered up. I half expected some gunslinger to pop out behind one of the RV's and challenge me to a duel.

I could take some humor in the experience, but Nicole could not. Trying to rest at Riverside proved maddening.

"I can't stay," she said. "I have to recover somewhere else."

No more islands, or harbors here. Just the ocean as far as the eye can see.

I sigh. I know she's right. The crazy woman has been driving around slowly in her mini van throughout the day, occasionally rolling down her window and staring at us. The dog poo remains unscooped. There has been no sign of human activity at the main office. It's time for us to go.

We pack up or bags and head out. We ride towards the fabulous Wells Beach. It's a much more scenic place than Dodge City, and the frigid waters of the North Atlantic make for a great ice park for Nicole's swollen ankle.

The search for a hotel also proves interesting. At first I walk by the Ox Cart Motel, about a block away from the beach itself. My father vacationed there for many years and his father vacationed there for many years as well. It was sort of the like the hotel that time forgot. Actual room keys instead cards, a tv without cable, and an oscillating fan instead of air conditioning. Once upon a time it was considerably cheaper than the beachfront hotels across the street.

The pounding of the ocean surf, the salt air are double nice after leaving Dodge City.

No longer. A competitor from across the street bought the hotel some years back. The main office of the old OX Cart motel was boarded up and there was a sign telling prospective visitors to go to the Lafayette Hotel across the street. The Lafayette is everything that the Ox Cart is not. It is outwardly opulent, build right next to the beach and even has an indoor heated pool for those who want to stay at Wells Beach but not swim in it. I walk back to across the street to the beachfront, walk into the Lafayette Hotel and tell the lady behind the counter that I want a room at the Ox Cart Motel.

"Sure," she says smiling. "That will be 109.99."

Gadzooks, Batman! I tell her that I'll talk it over with my girlfriend. By "talk it over," I mean "I'll find a cheaper hotel less than a mile away." Which I do.

Just one mile from Wells Beach are two hotels: The Blue Horizon and the USA Inn. The latter we saw on the way to Wells Beach and a sign advertising rooms at $55 a night. I decided to check out the Blue Horizon and see if they had anything cheaper.

When I walked in, there was no one behind the counter. I grabbed a flier about the motel to get some information on rates. There was a chart on the flier that said it had rooms from $40 to $70 after Labor Day from September to October. Not bad, I think to myself.

"Hold on" says a voice. "I'm coming." Someone slowly walks down the stars and behind the counter. "I was just cleaning out my husband's closet she says."

"You know, most of his clothes don't fit anymore."

I don't really feel like engaging in small talk and I just tell her I would like a room.

"That will be $60 she said."

"Oh, I guess there are no $40 rooms to be had tonight?"

"Excuse me?" she asks.

"$40 rooms," I say. "Are there none to be had?"

No she says. I point to the flier and she gets testy.

"That's the range," she says. "It will cost anywhere from $40 to $70."

I figure this an argument not worth pursuing. I say goodbye and pedal 50 feet to the USA Inn. Funnily enough, the person behind the desk is actually there when I arrive and very pleasant. She asks if it's just me and I tell her I'm traveling with my girlfriend. She asks if I would like a larger room for an extra $5 and I can't say no. Funny. I just $60!

I ride back to the beach (schooling a wannabe racer on a $2000 Fuji in the process) to tell Nicole that I've scored a room, reasonably priced. And it's just across from a mini golf course!

The professional.

We return to the hotel, unpack, and play a few rounds. When I play mini golf, I don't play to win. I just want to get a hole in one. And I do, on the second round.

We go back to the hotel for dinner and rest. We combine pasta with a microwaved eggplant Parmesan to make eggplant Parmesan and we have a dinner that most restaurants would probably charge $16.95 for. Not bad.

We rest, and contemplate what we will do to get to the wedding on time . . .