Taking the scenic route home

By Gloria Austin  
Staff Writer
    Many people are exhausted when they drive five hours north from Portland to Houlton, but one Shiretown native recently stretched the 260-mile trip to three days on his bike.
AT HOME – Steve Callnan poses with his bike, a Trek, that he rode from Portland to Houlton. He did the 260-mile trip over three days.
    At 4:30 p.m. last Tuesday night, Steve Callnan, 45, reached the most challenging part of his trip. Construction on the Bangor Road in Houlton made the final leg of his ride very sloppy, but he was glad to be home.
    Callnan, who is in the Information Technology business, began his vacation riding from Portland on Sept. 21 and arriving three days later in the Shiretown, logging nearly 260 miles on his “Trek,” a bicycle designed for paved roads. A bit sore from the ride, Callnan was happy to have made it safely home.
    “Beautiful weather, nice people, and no one tried to hit me,” he said. “It was a decent ride all the way up.”
    Callnan started his journey the first day coming up Route 1 to Belfast then from Route 1A to Route 2 to Lincoln, finishing his third day in Houlton.
    Callnan’s mother, Mary, said her son kept in touch the whole trip.
    “He kept us reassured,” she said.
    Callnan joined his brother Greg in mountain biking and hiking over the years.
    “Greg’s been mountain biking for 20 years,” Callnan explained. “He got me into biking in 2000. He is still mountain biking and trail riding a lot, and I am mostly doing road riding. I enjoy mountain biking, but not to the extent Greg does it. He’s pretty crazy.”
    “That’s what Greg would say about Steve,” Mary added with a laugh.
    In 2005, Callnan bought his road bike and that’s when he decided he wanted to do some traveling on it.
    “It’s been a personal goal for about three years,” Callnan said of his trip to his hometown. “It’s the longest adventure I’ve gone on.”
    In 2006, Callnan participated in the Trek Across Maine, which is a three-day 180-mile trip to benefit the American Lung Association.
    “That was the highlight for 2006,” he said. “I’d like to do something significant each year. I don’t know what, but this year, it was the trip home.”
    Callnan rides two or three times during the week, taking a fairly long weekend ride. Through his exercise and diet, he has lost 25 pounds since March.
    “I’m trying to be healthy,” he said with a smile.
    By biking as much as he does, the most important component is his bike.
    “You have to trust your equipment,” he said. “You see something and you think I don’t know if I can do it, well, your bike probably can. I don’t have much advice, but I can suggest all kinds of routes.”
    With that thought, he said he would change his pattern home next time.
    “I would do my route differently,” he said. “I wouldn’t go all the way to Belfast the first day. I’d go to Camden and then Old Town. Then Old Town to Houlton. I’d go the hilliest part of the trip to moderate then the easiest.”
    Callnan is no slouch when it comes to biking. He has ridden about 1,300 miles this summer alone, while racking up under 4,100 miles on his road bike.
    “The number of miles on the bike tells the story,” his father Maurice said.
    “It’s been a great bike,” Callnan explained. “I’ve done long day trips. But, the next day after a long ride is a lot different than spreading it out. My legs are used to it, but other sections of my anatomy hurt a bit.”
    Realizing mother knows best, Callnan gave into his mother’s idea of taking a hot bath when he arrived.
    “My quads are still tender,” he said. “But, the bath was soothing.”
    “I thought he’d fight me on it,” said his mother with a smile.
    Feeling a bit stiff and sore, Callnan’s mother will be taking him back to Portland by car.
    “I think that’s a good idea,” he said with a chuckle.
    A 1981 Houlton High School graduate, Callnan worked for 13 years in the commercial nuclear industry.
    “I was able to travel all around the country, but never on bike,” he added.
    In 1998, Callnan switched career paths, becoming an IT computer specialist for Cumberland County.
    “Four of us maintain the technology for Cumberland County,” he said. “Computers were a hobby, now they are both a hobby and a profession. I really like my work.”
    The trip home, according to Callnan, inspired him.
    “I would love to go across country before I die,” he said. “Take the summer off and bike across the country sounds like a great idea.”
    Until then, Callnan will harbor the memory of his trip home.
    “I met some really nice people,” he said, “and the scenery. Maine is absolutely beautiful all the way up. I love Maine.”
    “It’s quite a feat I think to accomplish,” added his mother with a hint of pride in her voice.