Exploring Northern Maine

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!

I spent all day driving to a place called Fort Kent in northern Maine. It's almost the most northern town in Maine and then you are in Canada!!! Anyway, it took me three hours to get there. The drive was beautiful; the museum was very small and consisted of a replica of the fort tower; and the town didn't have much to offer me --- but it was still a fun drive. I drove back to the trailer by taking US Highway 1 most of the way. Taking the smaller, less used roads can be very rewarding. The country side was beautiful, but it was almost like driving in Washington except in Maine you drive over big hills -- in Washington, you drive over big mountains!!! One big difference is that all the rivers in Maine seem to be huge!!! When you cross a river in Maine, there is a good chance that it will be 50 to 100 feet across!!! I saw very few small rivers!!!

I drove on US-1 until it intersected with US-2 --- that's right, the same US-2 that goes across Washington and ends in Everett, WA. I found its start  at the Canadian boarder and drove it about 125 miles to where my trailer is parked. It turns out I parked my trailer about two miles from US-2, so on Monday, it will be easy to get back on it for the trip home!!!

I have some photos, but I won't post them now because it is late and I am tired. I don't plan on doing much tomorrow, so I should be able to catch up on all my blog postings and get ready to leave on Monday.

So with that, I wish you a good night and will talk to you tomorrow!!!

Jon

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!

I am back to fill in what I did on July 6^th that kept me so busy!!! This was the day that I decided to drive to the farthest town in northern Maine, Fort Kent!!! It took four hours to get there on the interstate, but I drove back by US Highway 1, so the whole trip took almost nine hours.

Driving up there I saw one of the only “Scenic Pullouts” in the Northeastern USA!!! We have them all over in the Pacific Northwest, but over here, they don’t have the time for anything but driving!!! But, here was one, so I took the exit. It was a view of the tallest point in Maine, Mt. Katahdin. It is 5,268 ft tall – yes the highest point in Maine is about the same height as Stevens Pass in Washington!!! Remember, these are “older” mountains over in the east and have been worn away over the years!!?? Back to the view --- It was very hazy, so the view isn’t very good, but I took some photos anyway and also of the surrounding country and river ---

 

As I drove along, I took other photos of the countryside and anything interesting that caught my eye. Here are those photos ---

 

Then I got to Fort Kent. There was an old fort (or replica) that was made into a small museum. Very little was in the museum, but I took photos of the fort and the nearby river. Note how full the river seems?? Well, the northeast have been having heavy rainfalls this summer and all the rivers are running high and muddy. There is a lot of fear of mud slides and floods --- sounds like somewhere else that I know very well!!!??? Anyway, here are some photos of Fort Kent, one of the most northern points in the continental USA ---

From here, I started driving south on US Highway 1 an here are a few photos of what I saw out my windows ---

 

I also saw something very unusual --- The University of Maine (I think) constructed a scale model of our solar system alongside US Highway 1. Their scale was one mile of road equals 93,000,000 miles in space. Then they built the solar system with the sun on the college campus in Presque Isle, Maine. The rest of the planets are alone US Highway 1 with Pluto near Houlton, Maine. I saw one of these planet islands along the road, but didn’t stop. That one was Jupiter – I know because it looked like Jupiter sitting on a pole!!! Then I saw another and I stopped. This one was Saturn and here’s a photo of the site ---

 

Then, when I got to Houlton, Maine, I got on US Highway 2 and followed it to its end or rather, my start!!! So, here are some photos of me driving from the end/start of US Highway 2 and going West toward home!!! Remember, I am going to drive US Highway 2 in the USA all the way home to Everett, WA. So, here is the start ---

 

With that, I got back to my trailer and collapsed!!!

Well, I am done for that day, so, with that, I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow.

Again, to quote that great comedian, Red Skelton, "Good Night and May God Bless!"

Happy Trails ---- Jon