Maine

These friends are bicycling their way across Maine’s frozen ponds and rivers

Published

1 year ago

February 25, 2025

These friends are bicycling their way across Maine’s frozen ponds and rivers

When the ice on Toddy Pond is thick and clear, the skaters and fishermen come out. Sometimes, so do people on bicycles.

They’re part of a group of friends who started riding across the ice several years ago using studded titanium tires on the mountain bikes they enjoy in the other three seasons.

It’s a fun, practical and unusual way to stay active outside and spend time together during the winter months. But it also gives them opportunities to explore Hancock County’s ponds, lakes and rivers from a new point of view.

“It was like we were 10 years old again, just goofing off and pure enjoyment,” Greg Forrest said of his first ice bike ride with friend Mike Zboray. “We went from feeling nervous to feeling invincible.”

Their group of friends met years ago through school activities for their children, now in their late teens and early 20s. Forrest and Zboray often went mountain biking and canoeing together in warmer weather; they started to wonder how they could keep going year-round.

Spiked tires were the answer. They can be ridden on ice that’s too rough for skating, can be added to regular mountain bikes and give enough traction to make cycling over ice feel like riding on pavement.

Ice biking has scattered fans in other cold states, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, where some replace their front wheels with ice skates. It’s not so widespread in Maine.

Once Forrest and Zboray tried them, there was no going back. Their friend Paul Markosian borrowed a bike and was “hooked,” he said, using his bike to commute to work.

Soon more friends and their spouses joined the outings, and for the last several years, a fluctuating group of up to 10 have hit the ice around the county every weekend when conditions allow. Sometimes, skaters join them too.

They’ve traveled often on their “home pond,” Toddy Pond, nearby Craig Pond, Hothole Pond and Alamoosook Lake. They’ve explored water bodies in Acadia National Park including Bubble Pond, Jordan Pond, Long Pond and Eagle Lake. They’ve ridden a tidal swamp stream down to the ocean and explored the meandering whaleback of the Union River’s east branch.

With the ability to travel farther and faster across the water, bikers can have new adventures. Markosian recalled exploring behind beaver dams. Forrest described tracking coyote prints across the snow and discovering eagles eating a carcass.

“I’m more confident, and can cover a lot more ground” than on skates, said Markosian. “I like being able to explore these bodies of water from that vantage point.”

On sunny days, the bikers can head into the wind, then turn around and let it push them back, gliding over the ice with almost no effort. Sometimes they joust with cattails. If snow is followed by rain and a hard freeze, Zboray can take his bike out in the forest, cruising on top of the snow.

A group of Hancock County friends and a canine companion cycle across a frozen lake using special studded tires. Credit: Courtesy of Paul Markosian

They can’t ride when the ice is covered in snow or slush, as it has been this February, and changing ice-out dates can shorten the season. But it’s worth the wait.

“Nobody can put a finger on what’s addicting about it,” Forrest said. “Some days you’re out there and you’re like, ‘This is boring.’ But it’s not.”

For some, it’s a source of camaraderie with friends, a chance for adventure or a fun source of exercise, Zboray said. It can also be a way to feel in touch with nature and get “in the zone” while riding.

“It’s just really wonderful to have a group of friends who like to do some similar things and adventuring together,” he said. “Everybody gets something a little different from the experience.”

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Maine

Sen. Collins tours Mid-Maine Technical Center

Published

1 hour ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

Sen. Collins tours Mid-Maine Technical Center

WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, traveled to Waterville Monday to tour the Mid-Maine Technical Center.

At MMTC, high school students from four districts get hands-on experience in job-focused classrooms across 15 different programs.

Collins toured several of those programs, including nursing, media, and culinary arts.

She highlighted the more than seven hundred thousand dollars she secured in federal funding in 2024 for machine tooling and 3D printing equipment.

Also adding the importance of schools like this to not only fill critical workforce gaps, but do so right here in the state.

“Programs like this help encourage students to stay in the state of Maine once they’ve finished their education,” answered Collins. “It gives them a real boost if they’re going on to higher education, but it also equips them with the skills that they need if they’re going directly into the workforce.”

Collins also mentioned cooperative agreements in some programs that allow students to start earning college credit. Many students she spoke with also spend part of the week working for local businesses in their field.

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Maine

See 3 historic riverfront mills in Maine that offer modern apartment living

Published

13 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

See 3 historic riverfront mills in Maine that offer modern apartment living

They were built decades ago in some of the most picturesque spots across Maine — manmade mountains of granite and brick, concrete and steel, rising beside rivers that powered the state’s booming textile industry through the 1800s and 1900s.

Now, these old mills are increasingly being converted to housing and other purposes. In Biddeford’s sprawling mill district, a variety of housing projects have been completed or are underway, including 154 apartments in the former Pepperell Mill that are being leased or sold as condominiums.

Two of the most recent conversions are Picker House Lofts, a mixed-income rental property in Lewiston, and The Spinning Mill, a housing and commercial project in Skowhegan. Both opened last year.

The Spinning Mill, including 41 apartments, a boutique hotel and a restaurant, received a 2026 Honor Award from Maine Preservation for excellence in historic preservation and rehabilitation.

Here’s a look at those three mill conversions.

The Spinning Mill

The Spinning Mill overlooking the Kennebec River in Skowhegan. (Courtesy of High Tide Capital)

Location: Skowhegan, Somerset County
Waterfront: Kennebec River
Year built: 1922
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 41
Monthly rent: $1,510-2,750, utility and amenity fees vary

In its peak years, the Maine Spinning Co. employed 300 people and produced 2 million pounds of wool yarn annually in the heart of the downtown district, closing in 2005. High Tide Capital of Bangor purchased the site in 2019 and began a $20 million residential and commercial redevelopment project.

The conversion suffered a major setback in December 2023, when the storm-churned Kennebec fooded the first floor, causing more than $3 million in damage. An economic recovery grant from the state helped the developers clean up and continue.

The adaptive reuse respected the building’s history, preserving wooden floors and high ceilings, oversized windows and exposed brick walls. Modern plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems were installed, along with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.

The four-story building includes studio through three-bedroom units, ranging from 630 to 1,300 square feet. Amenities include a fitness center, mini movie theater, coworking space, resident lounge and art studio. The property also includes The Skowhegan, a 20-room boutique hotel, and the Biergarten, a German-themed restaurant and event space with riverside patio.

Contact: Yates Murphy, The Spinning Mill, 207-951-6475

Picker House Lofts

Location: Lewiston, Androscoggin County
Waterfront: Androscoggin River
Year built: 1855
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 72
Monthly rent: $1,495-2,000 (26 market-rate units); $801-1,332 (46 subsidized); heat, hot water and basic Wi-Fi included

Part of the 7-acre Continental Mill complex, Picker House Lofts is a 79,000-square-foot, mixed-income rental property developed by The Szanton Co. of Portland. The remaining 481,000 square feet of former factory space is being developed to include more than 300 additional apartments along with office, retail and light industrial uses by Chinburg Properties of Newmarket, New Hampshire.

Named for its original function, the five-story building is where workers called “pickers” removed seeds, twigs and other debris from raw cotton before it was woven into cloth.

It includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 46 reserved for households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, which ranges from $35,880 for a single person to $51,240 for four people, according to MaineHousing.

The developers preserved historic features where possible, including wood floors, huge operable windows and 13-foot ceilings with exposed overhead carrying beams, while adding modern fixtures, utilities and appliances.

Amenities include a fitness center, indoor bike storage, landscaped courtyard with picnic tables and a communal lounge with adjoining roof deck that overlooks the Androscoggin River. It’s located downtown near a farmers market, museums and a park with a fitness court.

Contact: Saco Falls Management, 207-228-8800

Pepperell Mill

Location: Biddeford, York County
Waterfront: Saco River
Year built: 1845
Year renovated: 2008
Number of units: 154
Monthly rent: $1,695-2,995, utilities and wifi included

Originally converted by local developer Doug Sanford, apartments in the Pepperell Mill Campus retain many historic features from its textile-weaving past, including 10- to 18-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and beams, and honey-colored maple floors.

Now owned and managed by Texas-based Presidium, the property is available to lease or purchase residential units as they come on the market, providing what the company calls a “try before you buy” opportunity. It’s part of a 17-acre complex in the heart of a downtown that includes a variety of small businesses, artists, restaurants, breweries and coffee shops.

Apartments range from economical studios to luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom units that include washer-dryer hookups. Available condos are priced from $325,000 to $1.5 million, according to Portside Real Estate Group.

Units feature modern finishes and oversized, industrial-style windows, many with views of the Saco River. Amenities include smart laundry facilities, green spaces with seating areas and gas grills, riverside picnic areas and a dog-washing station.

Contact: Pepperell Mill Campus, 207-282-5577, Ext. 201

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