Next stop: Bangor, Maine

   Welcome back to our two week trip to Maine. After our three days in the Portland area, we headed to our second planned base. We drove 140 miles northeast to Bangor, Maine. We took I 95 and was shocked to find part of this route was toll roads. How can this be as interstates are federal highways and not controlled by states? We found out why at our first stop. Darlene likes antiques and old shops so we stopped at Spinning Head Vintage in Gardiner, Maine. The owner was an old retired gentleman and a former history professor. Also a former sailor, he was very interesting to visit with while looking through all his stuff. He gave a brief lesson on why part of I 95 was a toll road. The government used portions of the Maine Turnpike for about a 65 mile stretch allowing the State of Maine to keep its toll revenue and save the federal government some construction funds. We ended up spending about an hour looking at antiques and listening to the man talk about so many interesting things. We got back on the road and rolled into Bangor in time for lunch. We stopped at Sea Dog Brewing, right on the Penobscot River. It was very good. They brine and cure their own pastrami. I chose that and it was an excellent choice. It came with swiss cheese and hand cut onion rings; not frozen. Darlene got a Turkey BLT with homemade cranberry mayo. I noticed on the menu, they make their own wild blueberry bar-b-que sauce. Sounded good, so we decided to come back for dinner.

   We ate lunch and headed to the Ono Bog Walk. It is kept up by The University of Maine and is free. Just donation boxes if you enjoyed your time there. We did! The bog is a vey interesting ecosystem with hundreds of species of flowers, plants, undergrowth, and wildlife. It is a mile long loop with a boardwalk for a very easy hike.

   After the hike, we drove around Bangor looking at the town. We checked into our hotel for the  next three nights, Country Inn at the Mall. Nice place for the money. I would highly recommend this hotel as it was very clean and well kept with a very friendly staff

   The planning of this portion of our trip was the hardest to decide what to do. There is not enough to do in Bangor to spend a lot of time there, but we don’t like to pack up and change hotels daily. Therefore we set up base areas and drive between an hour or two to see the sights. The second day we left Bangor and headed due east to Calais, Maine via Airline Road. The hour and a half drive took us through some beautiful countryside; a few marshes, and wild blueberry fields. Calais sits on the St Croix River on the Canadian border with St Stephen, New Brunswick. We looked around Calais and noticed a lot of empty buildings and closed stores. The town looked as if it’s seen better days. We did however find a good lunch place called The Crumbs Cafe. Since we are from the south  we love our sweet tea but knew we would not likely find any on this trip. However, this cafe had an unusual way of providing it. They bring a simple syrup and a spoon. They also have an excellent coffee bar. Darlene got an iced Butter Pecan cold brew. She raved over it and discovered they used Wicked Joe coffee which is from Topsham, Maine.

   We finished lunch and then drove across the river into Canada. The first thing we noticed was how much cleaner and more vibrant this side of the border was from Calais. We visited a couple of chocolate shops, as St Stephen is know as “the chocolate capital of Canada”. It was ok but I have had better tasting chocolate in Gatlinburg.

   And being from the state of Alabama, we are college football fans. I am an Alabama fan and my wife is an Auburn fan. I had one of my Crimson Tide shirts on and a young man in the park asked was I from Alabama. I told him yes and he asked “Do you know Nick Saban?” I told him no so he just smiled and walked off.

We drove around some of the surrounding area before crossing back into the United States. We had decided to drive a different route back taking us on a southwestern swing to visit Machiasport, Maine. I learned this is considered the birthplace of the American Navy. On June 12, 1775 a group of American Patriots boarded and took over a British ship heading down to Boston and captured the ship and the crew. This marked the first time Americans fought a battle against a foreign country at sea.

  

   Afterwards, we made our way back to Bangor and ate dinner. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, nor did I list it in our trips journal. Therefore it must not have been very good. Every now and then, a meal is a dud.

   We got up early the next morning and drove 73 miles to Millinocket, Maine for an exciting excursion on a single engine sea plane. Katahdin Air is worth the money to take the flight around Mt Katahdin and Baxter State Park. Our pilot was named Andy and he was very knowledgeable and personable. In my opinion, this is worth every penny. It was under a hundred per person when went in June 2023.

   Trust me; this is a don’t miss. We asked about recommendations for lunch and Andy suggested a place down a dirt road; Knife Edge Pizza/ Brewery and resort. It was maybe the best and most unusual pizza I have ever had. The cook talked me into trying a half and half.  So, we got half meats and the other half with his suggestion . He was not wrong! Prosciutto with blue cheese crumbles, thinly sliced red onion, and green apple slices. Topped with a balsamic drizzle. I wish I had gotten the whole pizza that way. In fact, I wish I had one now!

   We finished lunch and then rode around on a few of the old logging roads around the area enjoying the scenery. We then headed for Greenville, 53 miles to the other end of Moosehead Lake. Beautiful drive. The first stop was a little store called Mud Puddle Mercantile. Darlene loved this little shop. The prices were good, and she got some Christmas gifts for family. We looked around the town and the lake.

   We wanted to try and find a moose, so we headed 20 miles due north to Rockwood, Maine. The signs all say population ” not many” and claim moose outnumber people 3 to 1. Guess what? We saw one moose eating grass on the side of the road. Awesome sight. We got turned around to take pictures but he had slipped into the woods. The only pictures we could get was his legs between the brush and trees. We then continued to drive the rural roads near Rockwood.

Ok  After looking for moose  and seeing some beautiful sights, we headed back to Greenville and stopped for dinner at The Stress Free Moose. We had burgers made with ground sirloin, ground brisket, and ground chuck. They were half pound burgers and very good. We ordered iced tea and waitress asked ” sweet or unsweet.” Wow my kind of place! We drove the 70 miles back to the hotel and crashed. Join us on the next post, when we move to our next base; Bar Harbour. Or as they say, Bah-Hah-Bah!