22 - In My Footsteps Maine - Day 3

Initial Impressions Maine

Day 3 - October 3, 2010

1.  I was woken up at 7am after being buzzed twice in my ear by another fly.  Thought I had killed them all and was so mad that I smashed him flat, maybe that is the end of the flies tormenting me.

2.  It was 39 degrees this morning in Owl's Head.  It made me realize I am in the middle of Maine, not Florida, not even Cape Cod for that matter.

3.  There was no highway leading into Gardiner so I had to take a very curvy and hilly road, after 30-plus miles I felt like I had ridden a rollercoaster.  There was very little in the way of civilization, houses spread out along the way.  It was a nice ride, as they all were, don't get me wrong.

4.  Gardiner’s main street (Water St.) was deserted when I arrived, then I remembered that it was Sunday and church was in session.  Though it came in handy since I was able to navigate the streets like a ninja with nobody around.

5.  An old lady on Water St. who was just hanging around outside her apartment actually came up to me and said it would be busier if there was something fun to do in Gardiner.  There’s a nice endorsement for your town!

6.  Got to see a mother and father letting their little boy pee next to their car on the street, no restrooms available?  I mean how classy of a family are you?  Then you scoop the kid up and hurry into the store like nobody saw you?    

7.  In Augusta I saw some more intelligent folks at Fort Western.  These trashy people walking around with a pitbull-mix running free.  Oh yeah, that type of dog never hurts anything, right?  Hey, morons put your dog on a leash you idiots, then it won’t get loose and go off attacking other dogs at the place which is exactly what happened. 

8.  Visited the Kennebec Arsenal, a collection of really old granite buildings that were one of the oldest military complexes ever built.  It was really dilapidated and creepy but the creepiest part was the random guy that showed up out of the woods to tell me about its history.  He told me that the buildings must have caught my eye.  Yeah I got out of there pretty fast before I ended up dismembered inside one of those buildings.

9.  Maine’s State House was virtually empty because it was Sunday, made for some amazing photos.  The Capitol Park across the street helped too, an awesome wide open green field.  There was a cute little boy playing on a stone marker who saw me and began yelling to me and trying to follow me while I shot some photos.  His Dad didn't think so, guess random bearded strangers with a hoodie are seen as dangerous now, news to me.

10.  The State House did not have a golden dome like the Massachusetts and New Hampshire ones, it was still really cool though and I got up closer than the others thanks to it being Sunday.  I kind of was expecting security at some point to come ask me why I was shooting all of the photos, but I guess there aren't too many security threats in Maine, right?

11.  Still trying to get 5-Hour Energy to sponsor my trips, even took a photo smiling with their product.  If that doesn’t convince them I might have to just lie and say the already do sponsor me.  Of course until the lawsuits start showing up.

12.  Had some good Chinese from China Garden in Rockland.  My fortune cookie said ‘You will do well to expand your business.’  They must have read my mind, that’s all coming once my trip is over.  

Photos of the Day: 

A Fall scene of Water St., Gardiner

Water Street in Gardiner

Fort Western and the Old City Hall in Augusta

The State House in Augusta seen from Capitol Park.

20 - In My Footsteps Maine Trip - Day 1

Initial Impressions Maine

Day 1 - October 1, 2010

1.      1.  Beat most of the heavy tropical rain as I drove 260 miles north to Owl’s Head.  Google Maps said 4 hrs. 40 mins. but I did it in about 4 hrs. which was not to shabby.

2.       2.  Sucked it up and paid the tolls on the way up, the Piscataqua River Bridge which connects New Hampshire and Maine was the best part of the initial drive, since I see a photo of it on My Network TV every night during The Office!

3.       3.  Lot of really nice towns I passed, most I will not see again, a few are on my list.  Not too far after Portland Rt. 1 became just a regular road, just with crazy hills and dips, like a rollercoaster.

4.       4.  The house is amazing, the view is amazing, Rockland Breakwater Light is to be conquered tomorrow.

5.       5.  Did battle with one solitary fly and have been unable to take him down.  Damn thing keeps landing on my stuff to torment me.

6.       6.  My GPS decided it would be funny to tell me my destination was actually 5 houses down from the real place.  It must have looked good as I crept around this guy’s deck thinking it was the house where I was staying.  Damn GPS, it’s like my best friend and arch enemy all at once.

7.       7.  I like adventures, but the adventure of finding the house key that I lost was not fun.  Dropped it in Hannaford and had to go all the way to get it in the lost and found.  It would have been fun spending my first night in Maine sleeping in my car like a bum using newspaper as a blanket.

8.      8.  Went to 2 restaurants to check out, first was called ‘Oh Bento,’ it was closed.  Next was called ‘Chinese Jade,’ also closed, so it ended up being a KFC night.  Don’t know why I’d want to eat at a place named after one of the most foolish people I have ever met, gladly I did not have to find out how it tasted.

9.      9.  Nothing is cooler than sitting on an enclosed porch at night and watching the lighthouse light go round and round, soothing, and then slightly annoying as it kept shining on the walls of the house as I tried to sleep.

10   10. I had fun watching some crazy local tv including a random high school football game.  It literally had no commentators and no scoreboard so I had no idea who the hell was playing and what the score was, useless!

11   11. I am trying to find the video of this used car salesman guy in Bangor who is nuts in his commercials.  The guy screams and dances and looks like Chris Farley but he sells cars.  I laughed every time I saw it and wish I could remember his name.

12   12. Slept on the couch so that the sun would wake me up.  Eventually I had to switch ends so that the lighthouse light would stop shining in my face.

P    Photos of the Day:

The couch where I slept.

The view from the porch.