Summer Touring in Maine - an Eclectic Review About This Page:

[shazza]

Before I get to today's update, just wanted to report that Lou's tests went well, and he'll be back in Maine early next week. The doc thought he had some blockage, but the test showed everything was fine - so, no stents or further action needed. Turns out it was another false positive --- which was exactly what happened a few years ago.

It was a bit disconcerting, as we traded emails before he went in at 6am, and I still hadn't heard at noon ... turns out dear MIL (his step-mother) was supposed to call me when he was done at 9 am! He had to wait for 3 hours before being released, but didn't have his phone (because she forgot to give it to him ). Oh well, at least he is safe and all is well. Although he did say the most dangerous moments were her driving him to and from the hospital It was still nice of her to drive over from the West Coast of Florida to stay with him, since I'm stuck on the boat with the dog.

So, now that the real life interlude is taken care of, back to the wonders of Maine.

Another Road Trip! - You might be thinking I'm going to talk more about driving to and from Maine. Nope - this is a "Maine Only" report, with a quick slip into Canada. We decided, just for fun, to drive North to Fort Kent, Maine. This is where the Northernmost terminus of US Route 1 is. It was about a 5 hour drive, so we decided to turn it into a 5 day trip - the beauty of being retired with no schedules.

This map shows our trek for Day 1: Camden to Fort Kent

We very much enjoy the drive through Maine, even if we are just going to the airport in Bangor, or driving to Acadia. It was a lovely fall day when we took off in late September last year:

As we drove into Belfast, we were following one of many pickup trucks we saw along the road. This one was special, because the dog in the back is a dead ringer for Bradley, our Golden Retriever. Poor choice of words, perhaps (RIP, Dear Bradley). He was a wonderful dog, but you don't often see Goldens with such a deep red color.

We stopped at the Mount Katahdin Lookout. Lou checked his email while I took some photos. There is a beautiful lake, and then the mountains. When I returned to the car, Lou pointed out that my camera was not actually pointed at the Mountain. Oops, I liked the view and the lighting better pointing the other way.

So, having been properly chastised by the-man-who-couldn't-be-bothered-to-get-out-his-camera, I repeated the process, setting up the tripod and taking a few more photos. This one shows Mount Katahdin:

Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in Maine at 5,268 feet (1,606 m). Named Katahdin by the Penobscot Indians, the term means “The Greatest Mountain”. Katahdin is the centerpiece of Baxter State Park (compliments of Wikipedia)




We motored on to Fort Kent, wanting to see the origin of US Route 1. There wasn't much to see in Fort Kent, but they had some nice markers on the spot, and you could also look across the river to Canada:

I took this photo next, because Lou likes to know the details (and, for some reason, was not doing any photography ). You can see the bridge that crosses to Canada - apparently this is a good crossing point, as it is seldom crowded.

I can't explain why we get a kick out of seeing stuff like this; maybe because we have been to Key West so many times and have seen the Southernmost Point in the US

We decided to pick up some Subway Sandwiches for dinner later that evening, as we weren't sure there were any restaurants near our final destination. We were staying at the Four Seasons in Soldier Pond, just outside of Fort Kent.

We checked in, went for a walk, and I took some photos of the lake across the street from our lodging just before sunset:

After eating our scrumptious Subway Dinner, I headed out for some evening photos. Here's one of the Four Seasons -

I may have forgotten to mention that this was the Four Seasons B&B, not the hotel chain some of you might be familiar with. It was a very historic place, and we had a nice time checking all the antiques and historical documents inside. A look at the parlor:

There was a Catholic Church right next to the B&B, and a cemetery behind the Church. I spent some time there in the morning, checking out many of the names on the markers. It was quite interesting, because there was a whole section of people with the same names as some of my relatives. Both my parents were Canadian, and my mother was actually French Canadian - so perhaps some of her relatives were founders of this town. It is amazing how you can find something interesting, no matter where you visit.

(I have a photo of my mother's passport as well, but not in my online photos )

[chezp]

Those shots of the trees are just stunning. I'm glad to hear Lou's tests went well.

[lauriep]

Beautiful shots! I get easily obsessed with things like planning a trip driving the whole length of route 1. While cruising through the Panama Canal I decided I wanted to make a trip down the coast of California on the Pan-American Highway all the way across the canal to Costa Rica. Neither of these trips have happened for me-- the fact that I no longer drive might have something to do with it!

[rlb38]

Glad to hear Lou's tests went well. Beautiful fall colours.

[oddboysmum]

Wow .... just found this TR - what stunning photos. Amazing!

[shazza]

Originally Posted by chezp

Those shots of the trees are just stunning. I'm glad to hear Lou's tests went well.

Thanks - when you do your trip to New England, try to time it for the fall foliage. It was still early in the season here, I can only imagine how pretty it must be.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Beautiful shots! I get easily obsessed with things like planning a trip driving the whole length of route 1. While cruising through the Panama Canal I decided I wanted to make a trip down the coast of California on the Pan-American Highway all the way across the canal to Costa Rica. Neither of these trips have happened for me-- the fact that I no longer drive might have something to do with it!

. I think we also tend to get more patient as we get older, and enjoy things that would seem boring many years ago.

Originally Posted by rlb38

Glad to hear Lou's tests went well. Beautiful fall colours.

Thanks. The doctor said he had arteries a 30 year old would be proud of - doesn't help my case for imoroving our diet!

Originally Posted by oddboysmum

Wow .... just found this TR - what stunning photos. Amazing!

thank you very much for commenting.

[shazza]

Road Trip - Continued After a leisurely breakfast - we were the only guests at the inn - we walked around Soldier Pond, then set out for the day. Our goal was to ride South on US Route 1, ending up in the town of Lubec.

The Highway parallels the St. John River, so for part of the morning we could look across the river into Canada. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick break and some coffee, and I took this photo of Edmunston, Canada from the parking lot. We didn't cross the bridge, but it looked like there were lots of beautiful churches and other things to see.

Even the trash cans speak French!



We saw lots of farms - potato farming is the largest use of agricultural land in Northern Maine, and Maine was the largest potato producing state in the US in the 1940s. Not bad for a small state.

We kept our eyes open to see if we could spot a moose. No luck, but it was the opening of moose hunting season, so I hoped they were all hiding somewhere safe.

How does a moose know to stay within the assigned 2.5 miles???

We arrived in Lubec early afternoon. It was a good drive, but we did have some rain part of the day - this would be the case for the next few days. The citizens of Lubec are very proud that this is the easternmost city in the US.

We had booked two nights at The Peacock House, a B&B that was in walking distance to the Main Street. Our hosts were wonderful, and we hope to make it back for another visit.

Captain Trott - the house cat

The Peacock House is located on Church Street. I took some photos on my afternoon walk, since we had a brief respite from the rain. I enjoy taking photos of the many beautiful churches in New England.

We walked into town, and had dinner at Cohill's, a nice Irish Pub.

Up Next - Sightseeing in Lubec

[mpwife153]

I wish I had found this TR sooner! I was in Maine June 25- July 7. We spent the first week in Ogunquit & then in Dover-Foxcroft on Sebec Lake.

Your photographs are stunning! I really must take a photography class because my pictures of Acadia are just so blah compared to yours. What kind of camera do you use?

Seeing Tasha makes me miss the Cocker Spaniels I had growing up. She is so cute!

Looking forward to seeing & hearing more about your time in Maine!

[chezp]

Those church shots are simply beautiful. I must admit I was going to do a trip to New England in the spring, but decided to hold fire and now I am hoping to do a fall one - it'll just take a few years... maybe as long as 2016, but I think it'll be worth it, judging by the foliage photos I've seen so far.

[lauriep]

What a nice, leisurely tour. The B&B looks great and I love the village shots you got. And the montage of the house cat are great-- what's a B&B without pets?!

[Huntermom]

As usual, your pictures are stunning. I also think Maine is one of the most beautiful states.

Although when the roads get crowded, it's hard to appreciate all the leaf peepers and I am a biased Northern New Englander, I don't think there is any place more beautiful than New England in the fall.

I am also convinced, no one sees moose when they are driving specifically looking for moose but watch out when driving-they are often on the side of road and can pretty quickly run out of the woods and across the road. MY DD saw one early last Saturday morning driving to her barn, just standing in a yard munching.

[lauriep]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

As usual, your pictures are stunning. I also think Maine is one of the most beautiful states.

Although when the roads get crowded, it's hard to appreciate all the leaf peepers and I am a biased Northern New Englander, I don't think there is any place more beautiful than New England in the fall.

I am also convinced, no one sees moose when they are driving specifically looking for moose but watch out when driving-they are often on the side of road and can pretty quickly run out of the woods and across the road. MY DD saw one early last Saturday morning driving to her barn, just standing in a yard munching.

I agree, moose definitely hide when you're looking for them. I do like the sign stating to watch for them in the next 2.5 miles! I've told this story before, but when I was living in Camden I was in my livingroom talking on the phone and looked up to see a large bull moose looking through my picture window at me! He wandered off through town and went through the automatic doors into the grocery store! He did a bit of damage there before he was sedated and returned to a safer environment.

[Dlandmom2]

Loving your pics! I've always thought Maine was such a beautiful state, and with each of your updates I'm wanting more to visit to see everything in person! The scenery is so beautiful!

Glad to hear DH is ok and will be rejoining you soon!

[oddboysmum]

LOL ... funny about the moose sign

[rlb38]

I'll be passing through Edmunston on my way to Nova Scotia in just a couple of weeks.