When it's summer in Maine, everyone's looking for a way to get out on the water. But the opportunities to do that with your bike are, well ... so limited that trekking to Greenville to do it doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

And if you can bike, and boat and have your fee for the event benefit a local hospital, well, why not?

This Saturday, June 30, is Bike & Boat 2012, which helps out the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital & Nursing Home in Greenville. The 25-bed critical access hospital is nestled near the shores of Moosehead Lake and is also home to Northwood Healthcare.

Registration for the event is just $25 and includes the ride, a boat trip back to your starting point aboard the steamship Katahdin, lunch and snacks.

You'll pedal 18 miles through the Moosehead Lake Region from Greenville to Rockwood along Route 15. Pull in at two rest stops along the way for refreshments and pep talks from the volunteers.

When you arrive in Rockwood, the Katahdin Steamboat, a National Historic Landmark, will be waiting to take you and your bike back to your starting point. Lunch will be served and prizes will be awarded.

The ride begins at 10:30 a.m. so you'll have a full day to enjoy the area.

Good event, good cause, great scenery. And you know your bike's been itching for a chance to take a cruise. Go ahead, ask it.

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