A few years ago, we used to take a quick tour in Maine during summer vacation with a couple of friends. A one-day ride, just for fun. We always went with friends for safety. Back then, we rode a Polaris RZR 800. That summer, our friends weren’t available. So my partner and I decided to go alone.
Heading for Jackman, Maine, in a side-by-side, with no schedule and no service
In the morning, I was overflowing with excitement. I couldn’t wait to leave. We simply told the kids we were going to Jackman for the day without specifying our return time. No schedule to follow, no useless stress. Anyway, in that part of the United States, there’s zero cell service. No calls or texts. A real disconnect, perfect for a day of adventure.
Ready for our Maine SxS adventure
We were finally ready to leave. Maxime told me we had to hit the ATM first to get some cash… just in case. I was so eager to get going that I told him: what are you going to do with Canadian cash in the United States? I convinced him to skip it. For the record (I’m embarrassed to admit it), we only had CA$10 and US$10 in our pockets, plus our cards to fill up once we got there. At the time, I figured that was fine. We’d be in the deep woods.
We drove the truck to the Jaro ZEC. From there, we set off on board our side-by-side with our passports to cross the border. The day was gorgeous, sunny, and the temperature was perfect. We rode to Jackman and didn’t meet anyone on the trails.
Before lunch, we stopped for gas. We went to the small grocery store to buy a bag of chips you only find in the U.S. We paid with our famous US$10. That left us with just a handful of pocket change. Believe me, you’ll understand later why cash mattered. Then we ate our lunch by the lake with our feet in the water. Life was good.
You should know that Maxime has an incredible sense of direction. No need for a map or GPS… There are just a few DIY signs scattered here and there… His gut seems to have a built-in GPS. Honestly, I had complete confidence in him.
A Suspicious Noise From Our Polaris
After our break, we headed home. The trails were still beautiful; we were surrounded by trees. I said to Maxime: “It seems like the side-by-side is making a weird noise.” He replied, confident: “That’s normal. It’s a Polaris!” But I insisted… I really heard something unusual. So I stayed alert.
I love driving too, so eventually we switched. I took the wheel. After a few minutes, I said to Max: “I think we didn’t take the right turn.” We wondered for a moment and decided to go back to check the sign we’d just passed.
Mechanical breakdown deep in the forest
As we turned around, we heard a loud noise. I was right about the new noise. The steering had just given out. The wheel could no longer control the direction. With his legendary calm, Maxime pulled out his tools to inspect the problem.
Of course, he didn’t have the right tool to fix it. The steering column had come out of its housing. At that point, Max started grumbling while I went into survival mode. “It’s fine, Maxime! We have plenty of water, I didn’t eat my sandwich crusts, and we still have chips! We can also walk a long way. We’re in good shape.” I was convinced we’d be okay. “Plus, the side-by-side can move. We can go straight and turn the wheels by hand!”
So we got back on the road with me behind the wheel and him straightening the wheels at each bend. Luckily, we were on a forestry road. Reminder: we still hadn’t seen anyone all day, except where we’d eaten. We went a short distance like that… It wasn’t fast. Even when we turned the wheels, they straightened as soon as we moved. It took a lot of patience and perseverance.
Unexpected Encounter in the Maine Forest
After a while, I noticed a cabin made of old wood. There seemed to be fresh tracks on the ground. I told Max I thought someone was in the cabin. Maybe they had tools to fix the steering. I waited on the main road while he went to knock. An older man shouted for him to come in. He had the tools we needed. We brought the side-by-side up to the cabin.
This very friendly gentleman lent us what we needed to patch things up. Maxime wasn’t convinced it would hold. So I tell him: “ask him if we could buy the tool from him.” He looked at me wide-eyed: “We don’t have any money… remember this morning…?”
Oops!
So we chatted with the man, and he gave us a tour of his cabin. It was actually a former hydroelectric plant that used to power Jackman. The building, now converted into a cottage, felt like a real museum.
First, on the main floor, there were all kinds of taxidermy animals. He then led us to the basement. Thick 4-ft concrete walls made a room with 15-ft-high ceilings. Inside were large frames with hanging lamps and photos of wildlife. The man was a wildlife photographer for National Geographic. In summer, he comes to Maine and spends winters in the Everglades, Florida, shooting wildlife. What a discovery.
In the end, he lent us his tools and told us which route to take. We promised to bring his tools back two weeks later. We left and followed his directions.
After a while, we came across a group of four people. The first of the day. Imagine this: they were all naked in the river. We laughed so hard imagining asking them for help. But we just waved and carried on.
We finally reached the main road. The one used by cars. We drove on the shoulder to the Canadian border. Apparently, it’s strictly forbidden to drive on the road. But it was that, or risk getting stuck in the forest again. So we took a short stretch of trail to keep them from seeing us come in via the road.
This side-by-side outing in Maine was supposed to be a simple summer excursion. In the end, it turned into a true adventure. Between the lack of cash, the breakdown in the middle of the forest, and the unforgettable encounter with an elderly wildlife photography enthusiast, we discovered that the unexpected is part of the fun. Thanks to helping hands and a healthy dose of resourcefulness, we made it back to Québec safe and sound with incredible memories and stories.
