The Rain in Maine

French toast - isn't that a good way to start any day? We thought so, so tucked in. Yummm - we'll miss the taste of cinnamon and maple syrup once we're back in the land of semi-skimmed milk and low fat spread.

Thought we'd take a rest from shopping and go to the coast instead today and headed south for Kennebunkport. Love the silly names around here.

Also love the endless ads on the main roads for the upcoming attractions. Summed up by our personal favourite for 2008 - Buddy's Store off route 26: 'Eat Here - Get Gas'.... Irony or no, it's inspired.

And there is apparently no limit to the ways the good folk of Maine will advertise their lobsters.

No chance of top down today, under grey skies and a high of 68. But Kennebunkport turned out to be a lovely little place. Also busy, probably made popular by George Bush senior having his summer mansion here. No sign of the old buffer, fortunately. It's an old town by US standards and some of the buildings were very attractive, built on stilts and clustered round the waterfront.

Kathy keeps trying to make sure John looks tidy when out in public, so brushes off crumbs and fluff as necessary. Took it a step too far and pulled off a stray hair from his shirt. Till he squealed - it was apparently still attached to his chest. Sarah got a glimpse of life in the twilight zone.

As we wandered, news came through that Ruthie had arrived safely in Paree. Hon hee hon hee hon - alo alo. That's where the sun was, apparently. Well done girl - because it had abandoned Maine and the rain had begun. It was to stay for the rest of the day, getting heavier and heavier. The rain in Maine falls mainly when we're visiting Sarah!

The plan had been to return to Portland and stroll round the old port area before having dinner somewhere. We got to the old port area right enough, but the torrential rain put paid to the strolling. A splashy dash to the nearest eatery took us to a creperie and we managed to stay for a record length of time while the rain chucked down outside and the eager staff flapped round us, bringing us menus, rushing food to us, clearing plates, offering refills, bringing the bill. Ha - we're pros at this lark now. They've clearly never met anyone who wanted fast food slowly. Till now. Two hours! Splendid work, team.

And so, sadly, it was time to take Sarah back to camp. We programmed RuthNav and followed her directions through the dark, wet night. Tough to say goodbye again, but we'd had a lovely couple of days and we knew she's having a great time at camp and her little charges would look forward to seeing her back again.

And that's it from the Maine blog for 2008. Tomorrow we fly back home and resume normal life. It's been another great trip to a beautiful part of the world. Signing off now - bye!

Tripp to Sarah's Place

The whole point of this tripp (sic) was to meet up with Sarah at her camp by the lake and today we finally did it.

Following a wonderful breakfast of blueberry pancakes at Wolf Cove Inn we drove 3 miles around Tripp Lake to find Sarah waiting at the gate.

She is looking very healthy and is having a great time once again with the hordes of children who are attending their annual summer camp.

The weather looked very dodgy so we opted for a day at the mall to catch up on some retail therapy.

The Maine Mall provided that to some extent but we managed to finish the day with precisly no purchases! That must be a record for this family. We did manage a nice light lunch at the old Olive Garden and then spent the final part of the afternoon back at Wolf Cove sitting by the lake in the late sunshine.

Sarah also had a nice skype chat with Ruthie who flies off to Paris tomorrow afternoon. Have a great trip Ruthie - we will see you on Sunday!!

In the evening we went to Sandy's restaurant on a nearby lake and saw a paddle steamer paddle by and a sea plane take off so it was an interesting venue.

It has been a quiet day travel wise but fun catching up with camp news and relaxing in the Maine sunshine.

Abercrombie and - ooops

How much did we pay for RuthNav? Well today was the day she proved it was worth it. Two very tricky journeys and no comedy mishaps! What a difference a year makes. She talked us through Camden to Freeport and we thought that was impressive until she took us from Freeport to Tripp Lake - cross country - through backroads and backwaters where we were fairly sure no strangers had been seen for decades. Heads turned, glances were exchanged - ah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves...


The pee-heeing rain had stopped by the time we set off from Camden, so it was top down and off to Freeport for a shopping-fest. We arrived, after a flawless journey a mere hour later. Ha! Who knew it was that close! John did jolly well in LL Bean - next time you see him, spot the new shoes, chinos and shirt. (And big smug grin at the bargains he got). We even stopped for a small refreshment, but he wasn't so thrilled by his choice of iced coffee. His nose wrinkled and he announced it was just as though he'd let a perfectly good coffee to go cold before drinking it. Y-e-e-e-e-s.....


Meanwhile back at the shopping-fest calamity had struck - Abercrombie and Fitch had been closed down by the fire department for some safety violation, and droves of teen girls were fainting and sighing and wailing with dismay. Whereupon the heavens opened again and Christies once more ran for cover.


Top firmly up, we keyed in Wolf Cove Inn, Tripp Lake, to RuthNav and we were off, along miles of tiny windy roads - no other traffic in sight. We would not have been at all surprised to come across the famed Shaker village or, indeed, Amish carriages on these roads. Instead - lo and behold - did not the might Poland Spring Bottling plant hove into view. You remember it surely - it provided a good day out last year!
And straight to our Inn! In a glorious setting beside the tranquil Tripp Lake itself, and across from Sarah's camp. From the breakfast room you can just see the tennis courts. And in the evening, as dusk was falling on this still evening, we could see the twinkling lights and hear the faint songs and cheers carrying across the water from camp. See you tomorrow, Sarah!

Damp Sunday

Up with the lark as usual and breakfast from the motel (bagels and pastries) was a good start to the day.

We drove a couple of miles to Rockport with the Sunday paper and bought a coffee and muffin from the only shop in Rockport and sat in the sun. Unfortunately that was the last we saw of the sun as it clouded over and then started to rain steadily for the rest of the day.

There is no mobile phone signal anywhere in this area but very occasionally T Mobile produces a weak signal for a few seconds. Just enough to allow a text from Ruth who is in Oban this weekend. She had just bumped in to June and Alan. How amazing was that!!

Rockport is a tiny place with a nice bay full of sailing boats. It used to be the centre of the lime industry and the remnants of the limekilns can still be seen. However nothing else has come to replace them and it sits quietly next to Camden which seems to have won the tourist industry prize.

We did our best to eek out a rainy day around here. We visited a lovely winery and had some "tastings". Very nice but we realised that we could not carry any bottles on to the plane home so we could not make any purchases.

Dinner tonight was meant to be salad and dessert at a nice restaurant which dad found on the web. He phoned it to check there were spaces and was told to turn up and take a chance. We arrived and put our names on the waiting list and in about 30 minutes our names were called and we sat at our table. It was only when we opened the menus that we realised that it was the wrong restaurant!! Too late to leave by then so we had another fishy tea which was nice but not the plan.

Moving on to Tripp Lake tomorrow via some shopping at Freeport.

Phew, What a Scorcher

We were woken at 2am by the bucketing rain crashing on to the balcony. And in the morning, Bar Harbor was wet and a little battered. We'd parked the car under a lovely laburnum tree. Most of its leaves and seeds were now on the roof of our car, so we had to clean it up somewhat before putting the roof down again, to avoid dumping the lot in the boot. See - you have to think ahead when you pose this much.

But then it was farewell to Bar Harbor and on to Camden. We programmed RuthNav and she carried us safely and without mishap round the coastline. As we drove the heat and humidity started to rise again. It was top down all the way - even the Harley dudes waved to us. It's the lore of the open road, dontcha know.

Our new home is a very pleasant motel on the edge of Camden/Rockport, looking out to the ocean. It seemed a meander round Camden was the thing - a very lovely small town on the waterfront with a marina and fancy shops and galleries. Oh but it was hot and getting hotter and more humid. Over 100 degrees. And today was the day the ailments of the aged caught up with us - Kathy's bad back playing up, John's jippy tum, Kathy's insect bites (well, I say insect - so bad it might have actually been a snake), so we retreated to the air conditioned room for a cooling rest. Emerged later to eat in the Waterworks Bar and drop in on WallMart!

And then the rain started - all that humidity finally rolled up in one big ball and flung itself at this part of Maine. Maybe Sarah caught some of it too, but there was nothing for it but to run for cover. Luckily, while we may be daft we're not completely stupid and had remembered to put the top back up on the car when we'd parked.

Harboring a Dream

Lots of harbors today. All of them very attractive.

Another good breakfast at the B&B with homemade muffins and excellent granola and yoghurt to start the day. We spent the morning exploring the shops in Bar Harbor and also sitting with coffee looking out over the bay. It was a very pleasant morning. We walked along the coastal path and then cut up a back road into town which had some very nice houses on it - see the pictures here.

We then got in the car to explore the rest of the island. We went to northeast harbor and south west harbor and lots of places in between. They are all very pretty with lots of boats and boating type people. Today was a bit overcast and humid but we still managed to do most of the trip with the top down. We went for a walk along a trail called "Wonderland" which went past strange looking full size bonsai trees and ended up on a deserted beach where we could have spent the rest of the afternoon if we had not to get back for the wine and cheese hour at the B&B!!

We met some nice folk from Florida, managed to avoid a room full of teachers and were introduced to someone from St Andrews althought it turned out that he was born there and then left a few weeks later.

We even met someone who had heard of Tripp Lake. Unlike the owner of the B&B who sounded very sceptical that there was such a place.

We had to move rooms today and are in a smaller but very comfortable room for tonight. Dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant while a thunderstorm raged outside. Hopefully the sun will return tomorrow for our drive to Camden.

Acadia Daze

Thursday in Bar Harbor started fine and sunny and the homemade breakfast on offer was delicious - yoghurt, fruit and granola, then fresh waffles and maple syrup.

We decided to spend the day exploring the national park. Our B&B owner, Marion, lent us a CD audio tour to play in the car and guide us round the park. So, it was top down and off. A beautiful day - mostly in the 80s (25/30 for the decimal kids) and we pale celts had to schlep on the sunscreen. Our CD guide took us gently round the highlights of the park. He spoke clearly and slowly and often repeated his instructions as though talking to a slightly deaf and stupid listener. How well did he know us? An ideal match, really. But with his help we noticed features we'd have missed if left to our own devices - beaver dams, glacial boulders, freshwater ponds in the midst of the ocean waters. And as we stood on the top of Cadillac Mountain he told us we were on the highest point of the eastern USA (at only 1500 feet!) and the first land to the east was France and to the south was Venezuela. Oooh - pretty cool, we thought. The heat had gone to our heads and we'd lost all our sophistication.

Astonishingly we made it through the day without burning and celebrated by relaxing back at the B&B with coffee and cookies.

The big decision then was where to eat in the evening. We mused, over wine and cheese. Yup it's tough here. Eventually settled on Havana - a latin-type restaurant. Of course we've been to the real place and can definitely say no Cuban we ever encountered had such food or paid such prices. They would have recognised the Mojitos though. It was all very delicious indeed and has blown the budget. Sorry, Sarah - expect McDonalds when we visit. Pity, eh?

Portland to Bar Harbor with the roof down

Big trip today to Bar Harbor but not before a tidy breakfast and a visit to the Maine Mall.

Healthy vanilla and berries along with a full-fat danish for a balanced meal and a little retail therapy - a typical holiday!

The temperature was in the 80's today (30's for those of you who have upgraded to centigrade) which was plenty hot enough to try out the roof controls on the hire car. With any luck there will be a video on this blog which will demonstrate what I am talking about. Anyway we drove for about 45 minutes before we gave in and raised the roof to give us shelter from the sun.

A couple of stops along the way meant that it was 5pm before we reached Bar Harbor. We had forgotten some of the less attractive places that you have to drive through to get there but it was worth it. We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast Inn which is pretty quirky and will be fun. One of the quirks is to serve wine and cheese each afternoon for guests to enjoy. The picture shows the outside of the house and we sat on the verandah to enjoy our wine and cheese.

We then strolled into town to find somewhere to eat for the evening. We ended up at the same place as last year where Mum once again enjoyed a small Margharita. The camera does not lie.

Home by 9pm. Shops are still open and there is much hustle and bustle about the town. Tomorrow we will take a trip around the national park and explore some of the other small towns in the area.

Re-Maine-ing 2008

Well, well, well who would have thought it - just a year since we signed off, we're signing back on and hailing from Maine.

John and Kathy have returned for a re-visit and to see Sarah. Unlikely to trouble the whales again, however....

The day started early with a transatlantic flight. John was hoping this would be the one. The one with the little TVs on the seat backs. It wasn't. And it wasn't the one with the decent movies either. But never mind - it was sunny and clear as we banked over Manhattan and that's a sight and a half.

Then on to Portland on a little plane, and to collect the convertible. Ha - wait till you see it. Pictures promised tomorrow!

Just finished a splendid meal at the Olive Garden which has left us so garlickly, it's a blessing we have a convertible. We also took the SatNav option. Recalling all the hours we spent last year wandering the roads of Maine it seemed a good plan and has a nice calm lady's voice to guide us about. And in fitting tribute, we're going to name it Ruth. Because we miss the real nice calm voice that guided us around last year! Brace yourself, Maine - Derby and Joan have arrived unchaperoned!

There's no place like.....

Home again. All in one piece - even our luggage travelled with us and arrived at the right place and the right time. That doesn't happen too often to the Christies.

Not knowing what the traffic would be like to Boston, we gave ourselves plenty of time to drive to the airport and drop off our 'jeep'. At last we had learned how to navigate these US roads and maps, didn't get lost once, encountered no road works or jams, got straight through the security checks and got to the gate 5 hours (yes, count them) 5 hours early.

Here are Dad and Ruth at around hour 2, so still quite cheery.

But the time passed and the flight was on time (rubbish films) and into Manchester we flew at 7am local time. A bit chilly compared to Maine. Drove home to find all well. Could hardly open the door for all the mail (mostly junk) then set about trying to keep awake as long as possible to get back into UK time.

So here we are, home again. It was a great holiday, and it was all thanks to Sarah. Why else would we have been in Maine and discovered what a lovely state it is! Thanks Teeny!

And goodbye from the blog!

Maine Mall, Rain Mall

The cloudy sky this morning didn't look too ominous. We drove the short journey back to Portland and arrived too early to check in to our hotel, so went over to the Maine Mall.

Remember the last time we went there? Yes, Sarah was with us and it was absolutely chucking it down. We hadn't been in there long when an almighty crash of thunder told us it was doing it again. Nothing for it, then, but to continue round the shops till the rain eased.....

Ruth now has new Rocket Dog sneakers (£10) and Mum has sensible winter shoes (£10) and Dad has a couple of trendy polo shirts (£7). Ha! They don't call us the Big Spenders for nothing. Actually they don't call us that - that's those other Christies. We did splurge on mini Cinnabons (between us) and Ruth and Mum had manicures so are extremely well groomed by usual standards.

Off to the hotel then and we're now faced with the prospect of repacking everything to get it on the plane tomorrow. Boo Hoo. The thunder and lighting are roaring round us still and we're hoping everyone at Tripp Lake is under shelter!

The next blog entry will probably be from back home and will round off this journal of nonsense. Of course, we're secretly hoping Sarah will have caught the Blog Bug and will do one when on her travels! If not, then postcards please to the usual address!

Boogie Boogie Bummery Whoop! (We're sure that's the camp cheer, as told to us by Sarah - yes??)

Shop Shop Shop; Shop Shop Shop

As the holiday draws to the close there is the inevitable panic that we have not bought enough stuff or spent enough money so Saturday took us to Freeport - outlet heaven.

Actually it turned out to be a nice little town with a Main Street that looked like any other except that all of the shops were outlet stores. There is a huge LL Bean which is open 24 hrs 365 days incase you need to buy a kayak on Hogmanay! Actually it is not an outlet store which is ironic as it is the main attraction. Anyway Dad did well and is now kitted out for the Autumn and Winter with shirts and shoes.
Elsewhere we went to NineWestAbercrmbieand FitchJCrewGapBathworksSamsonitetcctctc until we could shop no more.
The we went to WALMART!!! Just when you thought we could not possibly buy any more we went shopping for an extra case and something to open jars with stiff lids.

Evening meal was at Nifty McGrittys or somewhere like that. We avoided Pedro O'Hara's the Mexican/Irish restaurant (seriously)

Harboring Good Intentions

Friday saw us waving goodbye to Bar Harbor on a beautiful sunny morning and driving to Boothbay Harbor about 12o miles away.
We were sad to leave Bar Harbor as it is a lovely place to have a restful holiday and we are sure that we have only scratched the surface of its potential.
Anyway we took the coast road along Maine and saw some authentic Maine towns and villages today which was fun.
Boothbay Harbor is like a small version of Bar Harbor. Lobster is for sale everywhere and there are more whale watch cruises. We have managed to resist both this evening but we did succumb to the notorious Blueberry pie! Oh well -no breakfast tomorrow.

Whales? Where? 2

The day dawned so bright and sunny we could see the sea. And our hotel is beside the sea. Good.

And to prove that we had learned, and were no longer the stupidest people in Maine, we checked with the whale people, and yes, they said, the whale boat would sail that afternoon. Hurrah for those whales.

So with the sunny day to fill, we set off to drive round the Acadia National Park. And well worth it, we all agreed - very beautiful coastline, rugged cliffs, the occasional sandy beach, and a spectacular view from the summit of Cadillac Mountain. (No, not named after the car - for once, it's the other way round. Hurrah for early French explorer Monsieur Cadillac). It's the highest point on the Atlantic coast north of Rio de Janeiro. Hard to believe at only 1500 feet, but true!

And then to the highlight of the day - whale watching! Again on with the socks, t-shirts and sweatshirts, only today it's 85 degrees and we fear we may pass out through broiling as we stand in the queue to board. And off we go, fearlessly 25 miles out into the blue, blue ocean. Actually the blue, blue and very swelly, heaving and freezing ocean. First Christie to lose the sea legs is Ruth, swiftly followed by Dad and they spend the next three long cold hours with the sickbags. Mum keeps lookout for the wonderful whales for surely they will make the sacrifice all worth while. Until the lady announcer tells us 'well, sometimes this happens folks - no whales out here today.....' They raise their heads from the bags in disbelief. What? All we've seen is a couple of mouldy seals and a gannet.

The whale people offer another ticket for another trip in compensation. If Ruth and Dad could have talked at that point they'd have told them to get lost. And so we disembarked, very cold and covered in a salty crust. And what was that eerie noise we could hear? Whales chuckling?

Never, ever, dis those whales....

Whales? Where?

The day dawned so misty we couldn't see the sea. And our hotel is beside the sea. Not good.

Undeterred and optimistic we tackled coffee and pastries for breakfast (leaping indoors when the torrential rain started). Not quite swimming weather so we wandered around Bar Harbor's shops on the hunt for Mum's traditional holiday souvenir - the fridge magnet. If it's Maine then it must be moose, lobsters and blueberries, sometimes all on the one magnet. Settled on a tasteful little buoy finally.

As we'd booked the 4.30 whale watching trip, we prepared by buying our tasty picnic and then by piling on all our clothes. Dress warm, we'd been told - it gets cold out there on the ocean. By now it was very warm and humid, but we pulled on the long socks, layers of t-shirts and sweatshirts anyway and waddled off to the pier.

'No sailing today' said the cheery lad at the ticket office. 'It's t-o-o-o-o-o MISTY' as if we were the stupidest people in Maine. And we might just be. Wondered what was that eerie noise we could hear as we waddled away - whales chuckling! Aha you whales, don't get too cosy. We're trying again tomorrow!

Soothed our disappointment with Margaritas, Pina Coladas and nachos, so the day wasn't lost after all. Phew.

Bar Harbor where the whales hang out

We have arrived at Bar Harbor and are staying at the swish Bar Harbor Resort right down on the waterfront.

An overcast and drizzly start in Auburn this morning did not look good and we began to think that we should give up on Maine and head south for a few days of sunshine before we go home. However we decided to persevere and it has been a good decision because we arrived in Bar Harbor in bright sunshine.

We had lunch on the way at Dysart's Truck stop - yet another interesting eating place we have found on this holiday. This truck stop has been around since the 1950's and is still a very traditional restaurant. It was packed with truckers putting away large portions of carbs. We settled for a couple of salads and a BLT but they were still big plates.

Ice Cream in Bar harbor completed another balanced meal!

Tomorrow we have booked places on a whale watch cruise. Watch this space to find out if the whales have cooperated.

Any Portland in a Storm

We had a great day with Sarah on Monday but it was a wet one!

We visited the lighthouses in South Portland which were interesting and pretty. The coastline reminded us of St Andrews and the smell of the sea was also familiar.

We had a good lunch in Old Portland while the storm crashed outside with dramatic thunder and lightening and warnings were broadcast on the weather channel. We decided to abandon the tourism trail and retreated to the Mall where it was dry and warm.

Someone then had the bright idea that we should go to a movie. No-one is now admitting to that idea but several hundred miles and some hours later we found the cinema. Maps and Maine do not seem to go together. The locals are keen to be helpful but by and large they don't know their way around. We received lots of advice on how to find the cinema but they were all wrong. They were probably not far wrong but a miss is as good as several miles when playing on the interstate.

Anyway we eventually got to Cinemagic and bought tickets for Ocean 13. We missed the start and had to sit in the front row. It was a good film but by the end all four of us had crinked necks bystaring up Brad Pitt's nostrils for 90 minutes.

We thought we would finish the evening with some coffee and desert so a few minutes later we were in Dunkin Donuts enjoying the fine cuisine you can find there. Standards seem to have slipped a bit since Boston.

We delivered Sarah home safely to Tripp Lake by 11pm. We think she had a good day but at least it reminded her of her kooky family and made life in a log cabin with 7 eleven year olds seem not so bad!

We really enjoyed seeing her and hearing her tales of camp. Now we are heading up the coast in search of whales.

Finally four - a trip to Tripp

We waved goodbye to rainy but pretty Bethel and with very heavy stomachs (indeed), we set off to find Tripp Lake and Sarah!

Despite previous comedy map moments on our journey this week, this morning we were making speedy progress so we made our first Walmart visit to slow ourselves down. Stunning. Amazing and crazy deals could have been seized in a pair of shoes discounted to 50c or a three piece luggage set for $29... We cut short our in-depth and probing investigation of everyone's favourite superstore because indigestion from our impressive Bethel breakfast had struck a certain member of the family. On the positive side - we can legitimately include another Walmart visit in our travel plans as there is definitely much more still to see...

After not managing to find very much at the first attempt over the last few days, no one was more surprised than we were, to arrive at Tripp Lake camp an hour and a half early. However, we grabbed this unexpected window of time and scanned the map with our adventurous and spirited zeal and... eureka, spotted a nearby place of interest to visit. A hah! Yup, we were off to a bottled water centre. Obviously we got lost on the way and ended up at 'that' Shaker village - a pretty cruel trick. But finally we ended up at the plant. It did not seem remotely interesting, so we thought perhaps we were in the wrong place. And we were. Once at the source of Poland Springs Mineral Water, we were excited to see two large stone buildings but unfortunately, the visitor centre was actually closed. Straining to read the exhibits in the dark through the windows, we learnt that the buildings were based on Spanish architecture and Poland's water was originally collected in a ladle and offered to guests at the resort, back in the 1830s.

Ok, enough time passed and we returned to camp and it was so exciting!! We spotted Sarah, tiny campers in tow, and had to repress our urge to jump and wave enthusiastically from a significant distance. I say that, maybe we didn't repress it. Camp Sarah has long golden hair and golden skin and golden freckles and knows the words to camp cheers. Camp Sarah seems happy and healthy and Travelling Family is absolutely delighted to see her again.

We got a great tour of this beautiful camp and I think a little bit inside each of us, wished we could be at camp too. It was a little bit like being with a celebrity as little campers eagerly waved and ran over to Sarah and big counsellors came up to say hi all the time. It is noted with pride that Sarah's cabin won the camp plaque for most tidy and well-kept bunk. What excellent teamwork.

Of course we had to say goodbye but plans are afoot for lots of fun together tomorrow. Hurrah for family.

Tae a Moose

Saturday found us taking a gentle drive on one of America's scenic by-ways around Lake Rangeley and the curiously named Lake Mooselookmeguntic (seriously!) It is a very beautiful part of Maine and the special feature is how several lakes are joined together to form an important waterway which the American Indians used thousands of years ago. It is now the land of Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' and also canoein' in the summer and Skiin' in the winter. There are also lots of moose in the area but they were all hiding from us.
We had a nice picnic at one of the rest areas where some optimists were panning for gold.
We arrived about 4pm at the small town of Bethel which is a very pretty quintessential New England town. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast at the Chapman Inn which was built 1865 which is mighty old in Bethel. The breakfast is "world famous" and I can certainly recommend the french toast!!
Today we are heading to Tripp Lake to see Sarah at work which is very exciting.

As seen from the backseat

It was with excitement that we set off on Friday, a day of adventures on the open road ahead of us. Yet few could have predicted how the day would turn out...

Following a rough guide round the region, taken from the official tourist website, we hoped for a peek at small town America, arty, folksy, 'neat'. However, our tour was immediately challenged when it became apparent that our map bore little or no resemblance to the world around us. Indeed, our journey was further compromised by Maine's penchant for naming their roads more than once and we found ourselves driving along the 2 north, 4 west, 100 south and the bet you have no idea where you are on the map, all at once.

Still, undeterred by our 'relaxed' progress, we thought it would be interesting to take an unplanned detour to a Shaker village. Clearly lost on an unnamed/multiple named road, we stopped to ask for directions at a gas station. A picturesque shakerless 35 minutes later we found ourselves back at the gas station. That irked a little. However, perseverance won out and we found the Shaker village. Its tall elegant buildings, tucked into the hills by Sabbathday Lake, were fascinating to look around. The village is now the only one left in the world where wooden Shaker boxes, built by Shakers onsite, can be bought. Our little detour took a while but it was really worth finding.

Back in the car our bad map/road correspondance luck continued. Comments made by mum and dad about the next part of the journey include 'utterly horrible' and 'first we lost our way, then we lost our will to live'. Hmm. We had wanted to go to Lewiston, which is one of America's top 100 art towns according to our printout. The main highway that used to run through the middle of Boston (now under reconstruction) was known as The Artery. I suppose I would describe the roads we were driving on - and let's continue the body metaphor - as an arm hair: tiny, many of them, not on our map. It took a long time to find Lewiston, and when we drove through it, I'm afraid the art was not apparent. And I'm afraid we were too tired to look. So on we continued to Farmington.

Distrust of the printout tour was rising in the car so it was with pleasure that Farmington did indeed have a quaint centre, as described. We wandered around the University of Maine at Farmington's buildings, quiet for the holiday, and happened upon a library. We entered, hoping to ask for information about motels, and found a real gem. Inside this small, oddly shaped building, was a miniature grand library, with arm chairs, wooden panelling, portraits and sky lights, sort of in the style of Grandpa's house. Such a charming discovery cheered us and on we continued to Wilson Lake and the Whispering Pines motel. The large calm lake was beautiful in the evening light and the air refreshing. We ate in the local pub, aptly named the Boiler Room for it really was the hub of the town. Packed with people and with live music and big portions, it was fun. Obviously, there was still room for the strange in this town and it was neatly presented in a series of large, multi-coloured and patterned painted ducks that could be spotted around the place...

Ahh, what a day. Our introduction to Maine 'off the beaten tourist track' was exciting and full of friendly people and unexpected finds. With our understanding of Maine's roads a little improved, I think we can hope for even more adventuring tomorrow...