ROAD REPORT # 5
Arrived in Bangor, Maine on Wednesday, July 14, and had the RV serviced on Thursday at the Mercedes dealer (oil and filters changed, tires rotated) as it’s been 10,000 miles since the last service, around March 25. Spent 3 days near Bangor in Holden, Maine, and moved on Saturday to Bucksport at the head of Penobscot Bay. Since we are not towing a car, we decided to rent a car for a couple of weeks until we found no cars available except a few at outrageous prices. Seems that car rental companies turned in a lot of their cars during Covid and have not replenished their fleets due to a short supply of new cars. And used car prices have risen dramatically. We opted for U-Haul and rented a van for 1/3 the cost of a rental car.
On Monday, we drove down to Brooklin to visit friends Bill and Caroline Mayher with whom we worked in London for two years, 2007-09. Bill is a dean of college counselors, wrote a book on the topic called “The College Admissions Mystique” and Caroline is a potter. They built their house in Brooklin in 1979-80. They each have a studio, Bill’s woodworking shop and Caroline’s pottery studio with a kiln. We had a lovely lunch, a little tour through the Brooklin Boat Yard, the harbor with lots of sailboats moored there and a glimpse of the Wooden Boat School.
Brooklin was the home of E.B. and Katherine White, of the New Yorker and “Charlotte’s Web” fame. Their son, Joel White, was a mainstay of the Wooden Boat School. Bill is a co-author, along with Maynard Bray, of Joel White: Boatbuilder / designer / sailor. Bill also taught sailing for many years at The Wooden Boat School, very well-known as a boat/kayak building resource. The rest of the week we will explore more of this coastal part of Maine including Mt. Desert Island, Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor along with a few other harbor towns and villages. One of many advantages of our road travel is seeing and connecting with friends from years past.
Next week we will move a little farther down Penobscot Bay to Searsport and camp at the edge of the eastern shore of the bay and continue to enjoy the local offerings of great scenery inland, lobster, blueberries, seascapes, and some better weather. Lobster is going for about $15 lb. Rain and clouds have not dampened our spirit of traveling about. We are near other coastal towns of Ellsworth, Rocksport, Belfast, Camden, and Castine, home of Maine Maritime Academy. The history of seafaring as a way of life is evident in many places where shipbuilding, sailing, fishing, lobstering and clamming have been and continue to be an essential part of Maine’s fabric. For those interests in a bit of history and stats, herewith:
https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/maine
Maine continued to remain a part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became its own state.
Comments (2)
Another great trip report! I am adding Maine to my ‘bucket list’ ~ it sounds like a heady mix of forests adjacent to the ocean, along with a lot of quaintness! Enjoy your trip, and keep the updates coming. Thank you!
Choose your time to visit carefully as this time of year is especially crowded in popular places. There are some places off the beaten path that are charming and have not changed a lot over the years. And some of those are in the forests along the ocean even a bit farther “down east” as they say up here. The prevailing wind from Boston blows east, thus downwind is east. The scenery is lush, the skies are blue, the white puffy clouds scooting along and then a rain shower passes by. Logging is still a big industry along with all the nautical activities. And tourism has to be a big source of income in the seasonal economy. Glad to add to your bucket list.