Summertime travel to ... Maine ?
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We'll probably fly Southwest into and out of Manchester, NH, rent a car and drive from Manchester to up near Burlington, VT and stay on an island in Lake Champlain for a few days. After that, it looks like we can drive across VT and into NH, going somewhere near Berlin and Mt. Washington, over toward Bangor, ME and perhaps down to Bar Harbor (or is it "Bahhhh Haaaabaaaahhh"?). That's a place she said she wanted to visit. Why, I don't know, as right now, it's only a name on a map. Then, it will probably be South along the coast, eventually getting back to Manchester to fly home. I expect the whole area will be very New England-y with quaint little villages along the coast. Unfortunately, we don't know anyone that lives there, so we will be our own little adventure. Probably not the best situation, but my wife has that allergy to shellfish and generally doesn't like seafood. Too bad for her I guess, but I'm sure we won't be bringing home any lobster. Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
Shopping tip: The Manchester mall is the only indoor mall in the state. There are a lot of outlet stores in strip malls in North Conway. Squamish Lakes (N of Manchester) is beautiful in the fall. Lost part of my exhaust there last year (ahh memories:-O ). Going through VT, keep an eye out for the runaway ramps. Never seen them anywhere else but ME.
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Shopping tip: The Manchester mall is the only indoor mall in the state. There are a lot of outlet stores in strip malls in North Conway. Squamish Lakes (N of Manchester) is beautiful in the fall. Lost part of my exhaust there last year (ahh memories:-O ). Going through VT, keep an eye out for the runaway ramps. Never seen them anywhere else but ME.
Richard Jones wrote: runaway ramps I've seen them on I77 in NC, coming down 7-mile hill out of VA, and around Asheville, NC on both I-40 and I-26 (i think anyway). Thankfully, I've never seen anyone need to use them. BW "I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific." - Lily Tomlin
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So, summertime is coming (in the Northern hemisphere), and travel plans are being considered for vacations. My wife and I are planning a trip to northern Vermont to see family, and when we leave there we would like to go someplace that we haven't been to before. We've done the whole NY thing, been to Boston, been to Montreal. Therefore, Maine. Doesn't look like much of a drive across northern VT through New Hampshire and into Maine. But what is there to do? For anyone that lives there, or has traveled there, what are the highlights? What are the must-see and must-visit places? Shopping, eating, beautiful scenery ... that's all on the list. And, of course, we want to hear the local people talk, because I'm sure they all talk funny. Especially coming from an area where "cat" is a two syllable word (pronounced "kitty CA-yat"). Any ideas to give us some help? Thanks, Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
I've been to and/or through Maine a couple of times. There are lots of cool lighthouses on the coast - I believe one I was at was near Kittery. Going from VT to ME through NH will probably take you a while. Mt. Washington in and of itself is quite interesting - you can drive to the top if you are adventurous enough (and a friend and I have done that.) In Maine, keep an eye out for little seafood restaurants and shacks - they tend to have good stuff (lobster rolls, clams, etc.) for reasonable prices. And as Chris said, you can sometimes find Lobster rolls at McDonald's, and they are decent. Make sure you bring some binoculars. Friends and I were once at a "scenic overlook", and saw something in the distance in the water. A look through binoculars revealed that it was a moose swimming around. "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity." - Albert Einstein
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Shopping tip: The Manchester mall is the only indoor mall in the state. There are a lot of outlet stores in strip malls in North Conway. Squamish Lakes (N of Manchester) is beautiful in the fall. Lost part of my exhaust there last year (ahh memories:-O ). Going through VT, keep an eye out for the runaway ramps. Never seen them anywhere else but ME.
Richard Jones wrote: runaway ramps They're quite common. We have a few near here because of the mountainous terrain, and trucks use them regularly.
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..." -
I've been to and/or through Maine a couple of times. There are lots of cool lighthouses on the coast - I believe one I was at was near Kittery. Going from VT to ME through NH will probably take you a while. Mt. Washington in and of itself is quite interesting - you can drive to the top if you are adventurous enough (and a friend and I have done that.) In Maine, keep an eye out for little seafood restaurants and shacks - they tend to have good stuff (lobster rolls, clams, etc.) for reasonable prices. And as Chris said, you can sometimes find Lobster rolls at McDonald's, and they are decent. Make sure you bring some binoculars. Friends and I were once at a "scenic overlook", and saw something in the distance in the water. A look through binoculars revealed that it was a moose swimming around. "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity." - Albert Einstein
Navin wrote: it was a moose swimming around. That's one thing I have heard about Maine before, that there are an awful lot of moose. Too bad we're not going to be hunting. Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
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Roger Wright wrote: the trees are so tall and dense that you can't see ten feet off the side of the highway, and I'd venture that if you wandered on foot much farther you'd be hard pressed to find your way back. You city boys are something else :) But the trees are probably the best feature about Maine - that and the seacoast - and the lobsters. Richard In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. Orson Welles
Richard Stringer wrote: You city boys are something else City boy my a$$! I'm a mountain man type - only at home in the tall trees, chasin' bears out of the strawberry patch and roasting squirrels on stick. I'd like nothing better than to get out of the car in Maine, walk off the highway, and never come back. If the job situation doesn't get better soon, I may just do that...
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..." -
Richard Stringer wrote: You city boys are something else City boy my a$$! I'm a mountain man type - only at home in the tall trees, chasin' bears out of the strawberry patch and roasting squirrels on stick. I'd like nothing better than to get out of the car in Maine, walk off the highway, and never come back. If the job situation doesn't get better soon, I may just do that...
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..."Roger Wright wrote: get out of the car in Maine, walk off the highway, and never come back. Uh, Roger ... what kind of car do you have? "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
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Roger Wright wrote: get out of the car in Maine, walk off the highway, and never come back. Uh, Roger ... what kind of car do you have? "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
It's a truck, actually. White, GMC Sonoma. I'll leave the keys in it for you...
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..." -
Richard Stringer wrote: You city boys are something else City boy my a$$! I'm a mountain man type - only at home in the tall trees, chasin' bears out of the strawberry patch and roasting squirrels on stick. I'd like nothing better than to get out of the car in Maine, walk off the highway, and never come back. If the job situation doesn't get better soon, I may just do that...
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..."Problem is that in Maine you could walk smooth outa the state in about 10 min. Hell in Texas we have Counties larger than many New England states. Some of them counties having a population of - 10. Can not even get up to full speed up there without crossing a state line. If you could move Maine down here some Texas rancher would probably buy it for a pasture :) Richard In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. Orson Welles
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there's a seafood place called "Billy's" in Wells (on the coast, southern part of the state) that you should really try if you're in the area. it has the best scallops i've ever had. oh, and the McDonalds' in ME often serve lobster rolls (lobster salad on a hot dog roll). To vote with no response is to follow the way of the coward.
I spent most of my childhood summers around Wells and have eaten at Billy's more than I can remember. Another good place is Lord's which is at the end of a long drive into small harbor. You can eat with a view of the flats. The state is huge, but some other highlights include: (1) Driving the coastline through Kennebunkport, past the Bush estate. (2) Bar harbor and Acadia (http://www.barharborinfo.com/) (3) Freeport (if you're into LL Bean stuff) (4) Portland, a nice port town with interesting architecture. (5) Kayaking around the small islands. There's great locations. (6) Any of the roadside shacks that serve fried clams :) Maine is a great place to visit, hope you have a good time if you choose to go. Cheers.
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Problem is that in Maine you could walk smooth outa the state in about 10 min. Hell in Texas we have Counties larger than many New England states. Some of them counties having a population of - 10. Can not even get up to full speed up there without crossing a state line. If you could move Maine down here some Texas rancher would probably buy it for a pasture :) Richard In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. Orson Welles
Richard Stringer wrote: in Maine you could walk smooth outa the state in about 10 min Have you looked at Maine on map lately? It's a bit larger than anything else east of the Mississippi River. Richard Stringer wrote: If you could move Maine down here some Texas rancher would probably buy it for a pasture True, and he'd cut down all the trees for firewood and fenceposts. But then what would you have but more Texas? Who needs that? The prettiest thing I ever saw in Baja-Oklahoma was the sight of it in my rear view mirror! I'd be happy to give it back to Mexico if they'd promise to stay out of CA, AZ, and NM.:-D
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..." -
Richard Stringer wrote: in Maine you could walk smooth outa the state in about 10 min Have you looked at Maine on map lately? It's a bit larger than anything else east of the Mississippi River. Richard Stringer wrote: If you could move Maine down here some Texas rancher would probably buy it for a pasture True, and he'd cut down all the trees for firewood and fenceposts. But then what would you have but more Texas? Who needs that? The prettiest thing I ever saw in Baja-Oklahoma was the sight of it in my rear view mirror! I'd be happy to give it back to Mexico if they'd promise to stay out of CA, AZ, and NM.:-D
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..."Hmmm. Maine is 32265 sq miles. Texas is 261914 Maine Pop-1.3 Mil Texas - 21 mill Texas is 801 miles long and 773 miles wide - Maine is not :) The King Ranch ( just one ranch ) is bigger than Rhode Island Brewster County is 6208 sq miles - almost 20 % of the size of Maine Texas has over 70000 miles of highway. The list goes on and on but why burden those with the misfortune of not living here with the size of their depravation. It would be nice to have more Texas but it would not be right - enough is enough. We just need to pass a law against anyone with a U-Haul coming in from anywhere - just shootem on sight at the border :) Hey it works for me. Roger Wright wrote: True, and he'd cut down all the trees for firewood and fenceposts We have MORE trees in Texas than they do in Maine - don't need to cut them down unless of course there is oil under them :) Roger Wright wrote: The prettiest thing I ever saw in Baja-Oklahoma was the sight of it in my rear view mirror Baja - Oklahoma ? Well Oklahoma will do that to you. Richard In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. Orson Welles