Day 62 Maine

I drove east into Maine, at first driving through small towns on county roads, and past many large, beautiful lakes. I also came across many signs warning to look out for moose crossing the roads, but I never saw one. I stopped for gas in Woodstock, Maine and realized that I have now driven through a Woodstock in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Eventually I merged onto I-95, which I have driven on many times, but never this far north.

I stopped in Bangor to walk the dogs in Cascade Park, which was advertised as a “must see” in Bangor. The images I had seen showed a beautiful fountain in the middle of the park and a small cascading waterfall, but the waterfall was dry and the fountain wasn’t operating.

I then drove further into Bangor and saw the large Paul Bunyan statue. Although the legends of Paul Bunyan are mostly fantasy, Bangor claims to be the birthplace of a Paul Bunyan born to Jacques and Sara Louise Bunyan on February 12, 1834. In 1959, a local teacher suggested they build a statue of Bunyan to commemorate the city’s nineteenth century legacy as “The Lumber Capital of the World.” She had recently read a book from the local library documenting the birth of a real Paul Bunyan, so she successfully lobbied the city for the construction of the statue.

I drove south to Acadia National Park, a huge area on the Maine coast with too many things to see in one day. I checked into my campground and then unhooked the trailer and drove to two scenic areas. The first was the Ship Harbor Trail, a figure-8 trail covering 1.3 miles through the woods along a fairly rocky trail. I parked the truck and started on the trail with Gipper and Madison. I had to navigate over the rocks gingerly to keep up with the dogs, and we eventually reached the coastline, and the superb views.

I next drove to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. The dogs were tired and one of the lighthouse access points was in very rocky terrain, so I left the dogs in the truck and walked the short distance to a view from the side of the lighthouse, and then to the rockier view from the shoreline beneath the lighthouse.

I was told I had to have a “real” lobster roll fin Maine so I searched for a local diner and bought one for dinner and then settled in for the night.

Acadia is one place I would come back to for a longer stay. Photos include the Cascade Park, Paul Bunyan and views from the Ship Harbor and the lighthouse.