Enjoying Maine

We travelled from the Maine coast inland to Fairfield for coach repairs. Had the electric step motor replaced and now life is sooooooo much better. We arrived in the Skowhegan/Canaan area in the middle of a vicious thunderstorm. It's never fun leveling and setting up camp in the rain, but we managed.

Today was an absolutely 'wicked' good day with mild temps and lots of sunshine. We ventured forth to Waterville, then to Skowhegan to see the 62 foot tall statue of a wooden Indian. We visited OPB [Oak Pond Brewery] a local microbrewery housed in a remodeled chicken barn. The beer got two thumbs up, especially The Nut Brown Ale. New Balance footwear headquarters has moved from Skowhegan to somewhere in Massachusetts. We carried our passports just in case we ended up in Canada, but maybe another day... Somewhere near here is the Benedict Arnold trail which goes on up into Canada, but haven't found it yet. Stephen King is reported to have homes in Bangor and Portland but we weren't looking for him today - but the 62 foot Indian was a MUST SEE!!

We've been brushing up on local lore and found that pot-hole season peaks in April but occurs throughout the year [yep, we know all about that]. The word 'wicked' is used as an adjective meaning 'very' - just like in Massachusetts. 'Down-east' is a Maine term, but we haven't quite figured out what area it references.

Maine has one of the highest moose populations, second only to Alaska. There are signs along all the highways warning of moose in the area, as well as in the newspapers and campground literature [so this is wicked serious business]. Moose are vegetarians; a bull moose can weigh 1,000 pounds or more; they are unpredictable and described as fairly stupid, which is why there are so many accidents involving vehicles and moose. Moose eyes can reflect light, but at six feet tall, car headlights usually shine between their legs; the hood of the car usually strikes the moose under the belly with the body falling heavily against the windshield. We are trying our damnedest to keep away from loose moose along the highway...

We are still adventuring in Maine [which can be a wicked scary place with all the moose on the loose].

Until next time - seek joy in everything, even the small stuff.

K&J