Jumping to mid-coast Maine

...a driving & walking day

Morning rolled around with the gift of a clear blue sky. Chilly temperatures warmed into the low 60s, still somewhat chilly but very comfortable for walking. Happy...

Driving, quickly crossing state lines from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, and on to Maine. A road sign smile, my first sighting (of this trip) of Maine's "WATCH FOR MOOSE ON ROADWAY" signs. I wonder if I will ever see one of those great animals on the road, or if the signs will just continue to make me smile.

It was a driving day, but I stopped for a walk on the Saco Heath. It's a peat bog that I first became acquainted with last winter on one of those messy road days when my bicycle decided to stay indoors. I headed up to Maine to do a little exploring of ground dusted lightly with that white stuff that we call snow. I promised myself to return again in the spring when the early season wildflowers were blooming, but somehow that didn't happen. Maybe next spring... It was a good walking stop for today. Tall trees shade the entry, bright green ferns carpet the ground. The trail leading through the woods eventually give way to a boardwalk winding through the heath. Green, decorated with white puffs of wildflowers gone to seed, the occasional lone tree, some with bare branches, some with spiky green needles, all standing out against a bright blue background. Quiet... I saw several other people either finishing their walk as I started mine, or starting as I finished. Most of the time I was alone. Quiet, peaceful, a good place for letting my thoughts wander...

Back on the road, I followed I-95 to where I-295 branched off, heading through Portland and then towards the coast. I made a quick stop at a Maine visitor center just off the highway. A local grower had dropped off a basket of fresh apples, a nice unexpected snack! While I took the opportunity to check email at a computer provided for visitor use, I overheard a smiling but frustrated woman asking for directions. She tossed an old Maine highway map on the desk and asked that it be thrown out. Yes, if you have an old Maine map and you're planning on driving on the interstate - you should treat yourself to a current map. Why? A few years back the state highway department renumbered all of the exits on I-95, and they swapped the numbering of the roads. Both changes probably made sense, and at first the exits bore both the old and the new numbers, but no more. The exits are no longer numbered with sequential "add one" numbers. Instead they bear a number corresponding to the mileage from the beginning of the road. That makes much more sense to me, but it can be a bit disconcerting if you're following old directions. I think what really threw this woman off is that her map showed I-295 as going around Portland and I-95 as cutting through the city. (Yes, it's still an interstate, not surface streets...) Sometimes maps are wrong, and sometimes roads just aren't marked as we expect them to be - whether we're being assisted by a fossil-fuel-powered vehicle as I was today, or whether we're rolling under our own power. I shouldn't be surprised by mystery roads since I'm used to riding around home where for some reason the powers that label the roads figure that they don't need to put signs on "major" roads because of course everyone knows the names of the roads. Huh. Not me! But tell me - how important is it to always know where you are? Hmm... maybe I should spend this vacation getting lost!

Still driving, following route 1... For the most part it was a 2-lane road, a very reasonable place to drive, and a not terrible place to ride. It wouldn't be my first choice for riding, but it's a pleasant empty road up here, a far cry from route 1 closer to home. Trees, still green but fading... It's early for fall colors, but the trees seem to be edging toward a not very bright fall. The green appears to be darkening, edging toward brown. Occasionally a pop of red or yellow appeared. Here's hoping that my camera can find some interesting colors over the next few days.

I finally rolled into Camden and found my home for the next two nights - Abigail's Inn, a beautiful setting, very comfortable, friendly owners. I chatted with them for a while, then it was time to explore the town. I was fascinated by what looked like a structure that belonged on top of a house. But it was on the green lawn outside of the library. What's the name? I want to say it is a widow's walk, but I don't think that's right. Circular, windows all around, narrow, no doors, just glass. I grabbed a couple of pictures, then kept walking. Oh look - there's an entrance to the library on a road facing the harbor, lower than the lawn. Yes, you're right. I just had to walk inside to see what the structure was. From the inside of the building, it provided a skylight. And yes, I really did sit on the floor and take a picture of the skylight from the inside of the building.

There were people walking along the water, ducks paddling and waddling about. And on a hill overlooking the harbor a woman sat with a beautiful bright blue and yellow bird. I think that she said he is a blue macaw. He's shared her house for the past twelve years, and he loves riding in cars. He is quite happy riding down to the edge of the water and then hanging out on the back of a park bench with his owner. He almost looked like he was talking to her. It's amazing what you can see and learn by walking, looking, and talking to strangers. It was a good day.

Tomorrow? Two wheels rolling...