Chasing That Horizon!

Hurricane Matthew has followed in our path as it churns up the coastline of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The names of the places it has touched are fresh in our minds. We can only hope that people are safe and that damages can be repaired. We know now that the hurricane has turned away from the coast, and will hopefully, fade away.

In Central Maine, the seasons have turned from Summer to Autumn, and it is very obvious. The leaves have turned from green to deep colors of red, orange, and yellow, contrasting brilliantly with the evergreens. Sitting here at our campsite, overlooking the Penobscot River, the still water mirrors the reflection of the colorful foliage on the opposite bank. The air has turned to a crisp 40 in the morning, warming a bit in the afternoon sun, and then chilling again as the sun sets behind the trees. The furnace is now in full operation.

After the past repairs in New York, the motorhome has been operating well. The jacks are functioning correctly, the slide-outs work, and the engine is running smoothly. We have been able to focus on the beauty around us, not on what is under us.

We have been traveling up the coast of Maine for the past 10 days or so. Our campground stay in Freeport was beautiful, as the sites were right on the bluffs overlooking the water. Sunrises and even sunsets were spectacular. Freeport was little more than a place to spend lots of money, as it is the home of L.L. Bean, surrounded by other expensive luxury outdoor stores. While some good deals were found in the Bean outlet store, prices were generally high. Do real campers actually use that stuff? I suppose that a $1600 fly rod is nice...

Once we got away from the Freeport area, the pretensiousness of the area backed off a little. There were still the B&Bs and $18 lobster rolls everywhere, but the homes began to look like they belonged to normal working people. We drove through the outskirts of Bangor, and down to Acadia National Park. When we arrived at the NP campground, we found it to be closed, without any notice. They had closed early for renovations, yet failed to post that info on their website. Nevertheless, we found a nice place just a few miles down the road, and setup camp in Bass Harbor. From there, we were able to explore parts of Acadia NP, including Cadillac Mountain and the Bar Harbor area. We were planning to spend a day visiting Bar Harbor, but after driving through, we found it to be just another busy tourist town full of little shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, souvenirs, high-end pet accessories, and large crowds, not to mention the hotels and Bed and Breakfasts. Having seen the same all the way up the Intracoastal Waterway, we opted to pass on our visit and seek out the smaller towns. We found that in Eastport, a sleepy little town with an historic waterfront, a thriving fishing industry, a bakery, lobster pound, and no crowds. Eastport is the easternmost town in the US. Just across the water is New Brunswick, Canada, with Campobello, and the Roosevelt retreat just to the east. Our campground, situated on a hilltop, had a friendly staff who was in the process of closing down for the winter. From there, we explored St. Andrews, NB, and the St. Croix Historic Settlement site.

Now we are in Millinocket, Maine, at a lovely little campground by the river. They, too are closing for the winter soon, which tells us that we have reached our turning point. This is the last stop on our northward trip. In two days, we will turn southwest as we make our way toward Niagra Falls, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Branson, Grand Canyon, and on toward Southern California, where we plan to be for Thanksgiving. A quick detour was just added for Flint, Michigan to visit with Dee's nephew, who has been working at an educational camp.

We hope for Godspeed and for the toolbox to stay closed for a while.