Welcome Home

It's been a nice few days after coming back home. It was fun to surprise everyone (and they definitely were). I've just been hanging out with friends and family so far; which has been very relaxing.

For now I'm staying in an "apartment" my mom has set up in her basement and while doing some reading yesterday evening I could hear some cooking going on upstairs. Since my stomach was starting to grumble I headed up to see what was going on.

Mmmmm, it's good to be back.

As Quickly as it Begins...

The rain never did let up and since the park closed at sunset I went and found myself a place to sleep for the night. Towards the end of my stay in Maine I was starting to consider returning to Iowa for the winter. I was still enjoying my trip but it was starting to feel like I was doing it more just do do it; instead of it being something I felt I needed to do. I thought perhaps it was because I'd been alone in the same place for about 1 1/2 weeks and that maybe when I started moving again I'd change my mind.

I couldn't shake the idea though and I don't know if it was just time or if it was a result of the rain but sitting in my house that evening I decided I would return to Iowa for the winter. It would give me a chance to actually make some money and I could schedule surgery for my knee, hopefully being well on my way to recovery by spring. I phoned my dad and let him know that although I wasn't positive that he could probably expect me to be home in about a month. I have no desire to go back to the shop full time but told him I'd be happy to help out with some diagnostic work if they got behind and that I could help fill in while he was out taking care of his parents.

I'd made sure to let him know I wasn't positive and that I could change my mind, but I knew deep down that wouldn't happen. Once I make up my mind about something that's just the way it is. Deciding to take this trip was that way. It took me about 3 days to think it over and decide that I wanted to do it. I gave myself a month to get all my stuff sold and my house ready to go. There were no agony in the decision and no second thoughts; that was just the way it was. Almost exactly one month later I was heading west with nearly everything I owned in my car. And now it seems to be the same with this decision.

I found a wireless connection and checked the weather report; it had changed from earlier in the day and showed cloudy and rainy for the next three days. I gave up on getting in a hike at Ricketts Glenn and decided instead to begin my trek SW.

When I woke up the next morning it was still dreary and rainy. I thought about it and decided I didn't need another month before I went home, just a couple weeks would be enough. I'd never visited the SE part of the country and really wanted to see the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, and that general area. There were also some people down there I wanted to meet. Two weeks would give me plenty of time.

I drove pretty much the whole day, getting out of Pennsylvania before cutting through parts of Maryland and Virginia until I was winding my way through the fog shrouded mountains in the rain on some blacktop road headed SW through West Virginia. It got dark early that evening and I needed a break from driving so I found another wireless connection. I was tired of the rain and looked at a weather map to try and find someplace to go where it would at least be dry. I found the weather forecast for the entire area was dreary until at least the beginning of the weekend.

I sat there contemplating my choices, figuring out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. For nearly this entire trip I've avoided interstates whenever possible, choosing small highways and black tops instead; but now I needed to cover ground. I abandoned the small, windy road I was on on and headed north to the first interstate headed west. I drove relentlessly and the landscape began to change. From mountains and trees just entering their peak fall colors to gently rolling hills and trees that were just past their peak colors. Only twenty four hours after taking to the interstate in colorful and mountainous West Virginia I found myself in a landscape that was flat, brown, and dreary with empty fields and empty trees. The only radio stations I could find were country, classic rock, and light rock. It reminded me why I only listened to NPR and my MP3 player for the last couple years.

I crossed the Mississippi river into east central Iowa in the dark. I stopped at the worlds largest truck stop to stretch my legs and make my final blog post from on the road. I drove on another 50 or so miles before pulling into a rest area to sleep. When I woke up this morning I stuck to the intererstates until they disappeared before getting back on small highways. Now I find myself in my friend Lyle's driveway, typing this and using his wireless internet connection in the early afternoon.

Nobody knows that I'm here or that I was even on my way back home. In a few minutes I'll go to the shop to see my dad and sister. This evening I'll head over to my mom's house when she gets done at work.

So, just as quickly as the trip started it's come to an end. I won't lie and say it feels great to be back, that it feels like I'm coming home, or anything sappy like that. It is what it is and the reason I'm here right now is because I want to be. I guess I shouldn't really say the trip is over, afterall this whole “trip” wasn't really about the “trip” (as in seeing the country). It was about much more personal things then that and while I can't say I've found just what I was looking for I have more answers then I did before and I'm not ready to stop looking.

Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are at the sudden “ending”, but that's how things tend to go with me. Stay tuned in to the blog though, I'm sure there will be plenty of other adventures and who knows when I might up and take to the road again.

So I guess the trip continues, just from a different location.

10 Pounds of Travel in a 5 Pound Can

I'm getting too far behind so it's time to cram a bunch of stuff together to almost get you caught up on my travels.

So now it was time to leave Maine behind. I headed back down the coast the way I'd come; stopping in Machias again where Andy Beal took me out for another great lunch. I got to Ellsworth, Maine that evening and planned to stay there for the night. I had plenty of time to kill and wasn't sure what to do when the idea hit me to go see a movie. I got really excited about the idea. I don't get to go to movies very often and I planned on really treating myself by eating lots of junk food.

When I walked into the theatre though I found out that they only had two movies showing that night and they'd both already started for the evening with no later show times. I was really bummed out until I had the brilliant idea of renting a DVD and watching it on my laptop in back of my van. The more I thought about it the better the idea sounded. I could watch whatever I wanted, talk all I wanted, go buy any candy I wanted from the grocery store, and drink.

I loaded up on junk food, grabbed a Curb your Enthusiasm DVD and pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot to spend the night in the midst of 5th wheelers and motor homes for the evening. I couldn't help buy laugh at myself for being so excited and the situation seeming a bit ridiculous. The setup worked great though and 2 hours later I went to bed thoroughly entertained and sick to my stomach from junk food. Definitely a successful evening.

I woke up the next morning and drove to Bangor where I met up with John Sweeney. John only had a little time since his daughter had a birthday sleep over the night before and he had to get back to take them home. We met at a truck stop and I jumped in his truck while he showed me some sights around Bangor (like Steven King's house!) and I accompanied him on some shopping errands. It was just your typical mundane stuff but I really had a good time. I enjoyed talking with John and I don't get to do things like that anymore. I think I had more fun shopping at Home Depot and the grocery store with John then I would have doing anything else in Bangor.

The best part was that I found the ultimate replacement for my stolen mug! While we were in Target I found an extremely nice OXO mug. They always seem to have nice stuff. This one is truly spill proof and well insulated. I tested out the spillproofness of it as soon as I could and it sealed up tighter then a drum. It also kept my hot chocolate nice and hot for a long time. Boy, I sure am glad someone stole my other one or I never would have known how nice a mug could be! Now I just need to find the perfect replacement chair. I figure I'm not going to settle for second best now. I've got to find a way to turn a negative into a positive.

After a successful morning of shopping it was time to start moving on again. I drove down the coast to a lobster joint John recommended. I figured since I was leaving the coast for the foreseeable future I better get my last fresh seafood meal while I could. I don't remember if I've ever actually eaten a lobster that I had to dig the meat out of before and I know I'd never had clams. It was a fun meal and the lobster definitely slowed down my normally rapid eating pace. I took my last look at the Maine coast and headed back inland on my way back to Montpelier, VT.

When I got to Montpelier I stayed with some relatives of mine I'd never met before, Meg and Ken Page. They lived a couple miles outside town and were fantastic hosts. I got my very own room and was treated to some excellent meals. I stayed for a couple days and was a total bum. The second day I actually managed to drag myself out of the house and into Montpelier to buy a new backpack (I swear I needed it) and a bunch of used books. Again, I was very impressed with the town. It really looks like it would be a nice place to live.

Meg, Ken, and I didn't do much, which was fine with me. I've been “doing stuff” for 5 months now so it's nice to just relax in a house for a while. One evening we had to laugh as Meg commented it was good I was easily entertained. We were all in the TV room with Ken sleeping in his chair, me reading a book, and Meg ironing while the Red Sox game was on TV with the sound low. Some company and conversation was plenty good enough for me.

After leaving Montpelier I went out a bit of a whir wind tour, heading over to Salem, MA to hang out with Marc Darisse and checking out downtown Salem as they prepare for their big Halloween celebration (this is the Salem from the Salem witch trials). I was there early on a Thursday morning and there were still tons of people site seeing. I can't imagine what it was like the next couple weekends. Halloween is HUGE in Salem. That evening I made it over to Chicopee, MA where I caught the tail end of one of John Robison's book readings/signings. The day I got to see his shop and chat a little before we both had to get going. He had important stuff to do and I had a lot of driving ahead of me.

I left there and drove straight through to Philadelphia, which took me through some more really slow traffic. I made it that evening though and met up with Guido and Hal and Jen Lewis in downtown Kennet Square. They bought me dinner and beer while we talked and listened to the live band playing. After an hour or so we all headed back to Hal's house where I stayed over the weekend. Hal and Jen were great hosts and I got the whole upstairs of their house all to my own. I got to see a lot of the local sites and even got to go to a birthday party which included a lot of food and ice cream cake. Sunday afternoon Hal took me into Philadelphia so I could get an official Philly Cheese Steak at Pat's.

A couple things about Philly:

1: It's amazing being somewhere that's so old and with so much history, real history. I mean, everywhere you look is the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, Independence Hall, and tons of other stuff

2: It's fun to see that the “stereotypical” Philly people/accents/attitudes don't just exist in the movies. People really are like that!

From Hal's place I planned on driving SW into the Virginias and then probably into Kentucky and Tennessee before figuring out where I'd go after that. Before I went that way though I drove North of Philadelphia to see some other iATN members I'd been wanting to meet. They were just as nice in person as they seemed to be on-line. I had a great time with them and got a great recommendation to check out Ricketts Glenn state park. It was farther north then I'd planned on driving but it sounded incredible and since I didn't have any plans anyway I figured I might as well hang out there for a few days.

I made it to Ricketts Glen in the middle of the afternoon in the pouring rain; that wasn't quite in my plans. I thought about putting on my rain gear and going for a hike anyway but I just couldn't motivate myself for that. Instead I found a nice place to park and hoped to wait out the rain while I read for a couple hours.

Paybacks

If you missed part one of me being violated you can catch up here.

I had a nice day seeing some sites in Maine and as I headed back to my campsite that evening, foolish as it might have been, I honestly expected to see my chair and mug back in their rightful place next to the fire ring. I just couldn't believe that someone would have taken them maliciously and even though it had been less the twelve hours since I'd posted my note I somehow thought that would be enough time.

A great man once gave me some excellent advice, “no expectations, no disappointments”, and I guess I should have listened to him closer. As I pulled into the camp site my headlights swept over nothing but barren ground and firewood. I drove around the park to some of the other sites to make sure the chair hadn't been placed somewhere else. It was nowhere to be seen.

I'd been in such a good mood expecting to have my chair returned to me that day that when I found it wasn't back I was really bummed out. I thought about having a fire but just didn't feel like it. I crawled back into my house and tuned into NPR. I was eventually cheered up a little with the help of some amaretto and listening to Terry Gross interviewing Stephen Colbert, followed by This American Life. I was in pretty good spirits by then and after reading for an hour or so crawled into bed knowing what must be done if my chair didn't show up the next day.

It was Wednesday night and I knew I'd be leaving Friday morning. The day I'd got to the Reversing Falls I'd cut and chopped a lot of firewood, much more then I'd need. I figured I'd just leave everything I didn't use behind for the next camper to use. But the thought of the SOB that stole my chair burning my firewood was more then I could handle. If my chair wasn't returned by the following evening I'd be forced to burn up every scrap of firewood I had.

The next morning I awoke with a mission. A good portion of the wood I'd chopped had been from a fallen over birch tree that was much wetter then I'd thought. It didn't burn well and would take a lot of the fun out of my “fire of spite”. I knew that in order to fully burn all the birch I'd have to get a big, hot fire going before I started to add it a little bit at a time. This meant I'd actually have to go out and chop more wood in order to make sure I could keep it hot enough.

I started my day off by chopping the birch up into smaller, more easily burned pieces, which I then stacked up for easy access in the dark. I stacked the nice dry pine up as well and then walked back into the woods to find some more dry wood. I ended up finding some dead but not yet rotting pines and got a lot more dry wood. I split what needed to be split and threw it in the dry wood pile, greatly adding to what you see in the picture to the left.

With work for the day all done with it was time to kill time until it was dark out. Since it was to be my last day and I'd seen pretty much everything in the area I'd wanted to see I mostly just hung around the park. It was a cool, overcast day and I spent it relaxing, doing some hiking in the woods, and reading. A little before sunset there was still no sign of my chair or mug so I started preparing for the nights festivities.

I began by preparing a nice bed for my fire, which involved laying some small pieces of wood across a couple stones to allow air to circulate up from underneath as well as to give the fire more fuel as it begins to burn. On top of this I piled some small, dead, pine branches.








Now it was ready to get the actual fire going. I found a nice piece of birch bark and tore off some small, thin pieces that would ignite easily; in the midst of these I added some dry moss to help catch and hold the sparks. I'd normally just use a match but since I wanted to look more badass I used my Swedish Firesteel instead. I lit the kindling on the ground to make it a little easier.









Once the tinder was burning I picked up the piece of birch bark, placed it on top of the wood in the fire ring, and then added more small, dry pine limbs on top of it. There was a good breeze blowing through camp and it no time the fire was off and running on its own. I started adding larger and larger pieces of wood and in short order it was burning good and hot.

I kept feeding it lots of dry pine to get it really hot. I wanted to have a lot of hot coals for a bed before adding the birch to the top of the burning pine. With the wind whipping through camp every once in a while it didn't take long. After about 20 minutes I started adding the birch and it didn't stand a chance. The birch hissed and steamed as the water was boiled out of it and soon the first batch of birch was reduced to nothing but embers. I kept adding more pine and more birch to the fire. The wind continued to blow through camp creating an extremely hot and fast fire. After only an hour the birch was no more.

I normally keep my campfires small but it was pretty fun to have a big one. Now with the birch all burned off I could let it burn down for a while before I started adding the rest of the pine. I sat around the fire on an uncomfortable tree stump for a couple more hours while drinking hot chocolate from my crappy uninsulated cup before letting the flames die down for the night. I left just enough wood to start a fire for breakfast in the morning. I went to bed happy, knowing that the dude that ripped off my stuff wouldn't get any enjoyment from my wood.

I woke up the next morning to find it really windy, really cloudy, and pretty cold. I wasn't in the mood for a fire but I surely couldn't leave perfectly good firewood behind. I realized now that since my chair had been stolen I had a nice, blue nylon bag that had no purpose (it used to carry the chair). I pulled it out of the house and found it was just the right size to hold the small pieces of wood that were left. I filled it up, threw it in the back of the house and jumped in myself to start driving south west. As soon as I pulled out of my camp site it started raining and didn't quit for the rest of the day.

I've been violated

Since I sleep in my new house now when traveling I don't have a tent or anything to mark my territory, so to speak. To keep someone from squatting on my campsite while I was out exploring during the day I would just leave my folding camping chair sitting next to the fire pit. This seemed to work fine as a family pulled in the day after I arrived and even though I wasn't there they set up someplace else upon seeing the chair, knowing the spot was taken. Seeing how it's a very rural area and I have the utmost faith in the majority of humanity I never gave a second though to leaving it behind while I was gone for 6+ hours at a time. So you can imagine my bewilderment when I pulled into my campsite, all ready to relax in my chair in front of the fire while drinking a hot chocolate, and found my chair was missing!

I was totally shocked! I got out my flash light and walked around the campsite thinking maybe I'd moved it and forgot about it. I even checked the trash cans in the park in case some hoodlums thought it would be funny to toss it in one. There was no sign of it. While losing the chair was pretty upsetting the most devastating part was that I'd left my double walled vacuum insulated stainless steel travel mug sitting in the arm rest of the chair and it was missing too! Now not only did I not have a chair to sit in while I enjoyed my hot chocolate, I also didn't have a something to drink it out of! I was becoming quite distressed.

I calmed myself down though and tried to be practical about it. Most likely someone didn't steal it, they just thought it had been abandoned. After all, it had been sitting in nearly the same place for 2 days and if they were only there during day light hours they wouldn't have seen any sign of me. They figured someone had left it behind so they were cleaning up camp. That still didn't explain why my leather work gloves and pot for boiling water were still right where I'd left them though. I was too distraught for a fire that night so I climbed back in my house, did some reading, and went to sleep convinced it was all a misunderstanding that would be straightened out.

I woke up the next morning, started a fire, and made myself some pancakes for breakfast. Thankfully I had a nice stump that I'd been using to chop wood that was a satisfactory fill in for a chair, it was pretty lacking on back support though. I rummaged around in my house and found that I'd packed a plain old regular cup as well so I did have something to drink hot chocolate out of after all. Unfortunately it wasn't a double walled vacuum sealed stainless steel mug so the hot chocolate soon turned to warm, tepid, and finally cold chocolate in pretty short order; forcing me to drink it much faster then I would have liked. Somehow I needed to get my stuff back.

As I ate my breakfast I contemplated my plan. I decided that since it was a small, probably pretty tight knit community I'd put a post on the community bulletin board; and I even knew where it was. I'd gone to the local convenience store/gas station/grocery store a couple days earlier because I needed someplace to refreeze the water jugs I kept in my cooler. They were kind enough to let me put them in their chest freezer over night. I'd noticed outside they had many postings of things lost, found, and wanted and everyone that came in or out seemed to stop and read them.

My plan was simple as well as genius. I'd put a simple note on the bulletin board that would get across the fact that I was a nice, easy going guy who wasn't accusing anyone of anything. If the offending party happened to see the note they couldn't possibly help but feel guilty and would surely return my beloved chair and mug. Anyone else who read the note would surely feel terrible that someone from their small, honest community could do such a thing. Word of the infraction would spread like wild fire through the town. Jimmy would tell Jeff and Tom at the barber shop. Tom would tell his wife Carolyn over dinner that night who would then tell Vickie, May, Dorothy, Barb, Samantha, Ruth, Violet, Gertrude, and Chuck (don't ask) at the Passion Party she held at her house that evening. By the middle of the next day 3/4 of the town would know about it. And to top it all off my impeccable, yet witty, descriptions of the items would ensure that no teenage hoodlum would be able to let any eyes fall on his newfound treasures lest he be found out as a crook and a denigrator of the town of Pembroke's reputation. Even a hoodlum would read the note and realize that this wasn't some stick in the mud old fogey he'd stolen from but a cool, hip, understanding dude.

With my master plan all laid out I walked into the convenience store/gas station/grocery store and bought a notepad. I went back out to my house, composed my letter, and posted it on the bulletin board in plain site. As I was walking away a fella passed me as he went into the store, I saw him pause to read the note just before he went inside. I smiled to myself as I climbed back in the house, the plan was already in motion. It was a beautiful and sunny fall day as I drove off to explore some more of the Maine coast.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

On a lighter note I'm happy to say this is my 100th blog post. Before I left on my trip and decided to keep a blog to keep everyone up to date on my travels I really didn't think I'd stick with posting this long or this often. I never would have guessed that I'd it enjoy it this much and I have no intentions of stopping any time soon. Thanks to everyone that's followed along on the way.

Mainelining - Part III

In case you missed them catch up on parts I and II.

My plan for this fall was to just take it easy. I already know what you're thinking-isn't that what I did all summer too? Well, yes and no.

While I got in plenty of relaxation this summer I was also working, which meant I needed to be in certain places at certain times. I wanted this fall to be totally open: no work, no schedules, no nothing to keep me from just plain enjoying myself. Instead of to trying to cover as much ground as I could and seeing everything I could cram in I wanted to try staying in one place for a while and getting to know the area; something I usually have a hard time doing.

I felt I did a pretty good job on my way out east by covering ground a lot slower then I usually do. I made plenty of stops that I normally wouldn't have made. I was in a bit of a rush though since I wanted to get to the far east coast, and Maine in particular, before it got too late in the season. When I arrived at the reversing falls I knew I'd be spending a lot of time there. Just hanging out around camp and using it as a base for short day trips. I love the feeling of waking up in the morning and knowing that there's nothing that I have to do. Just laying in bed until I finally decide I feel like getting up. Starting a nice fire and boiling some water for hot chocolate as I just laze around camp and take in the early morning sitesl walk down to the water to watch the gulls and seals hard at work for their breakfasts.

Usually by mid/late morning I'm finally ready to take on the day. I felt pretty lazy the whole time I was staying at the reversing falls and it was great. Some days were pretty packed with day trips down to Lubec or up to Calais to do some hiking along the coasts. During one nice hike along the rugged Maine coast I was standing on a cliff looking out over the water and saw a pod of dolphins passing through as they repeatedly rose for breaths of air. At least I'm telling myself they were dolphins, for all I know they were some sort of porpoise. Seeing a dolphin is way cooler though so that's what I'm telling myself they were.

Other days I didn't really feel like doing anything. Some of these days were spent just hanging around camp but on most of them I did what I usually do back home when I'm in the same mood, I drive. I don't drive to any destination in particular, instead I just start driving two lane black tops or gravel roads to see where they go. It's my favorite way to see and get to know an area. It's how you find all the neat little things that aren't listed on maps.

During the week these 2 lane black tops are almost completely deserted so you can drive as slow as you'd like or even stop in the middle of the road to help out a caterpillar. I don't think there's anything more relaxing on a cool, sunny, fall day then driving down desolate roads through the wilderness.

This is what I found myself doing after I'd been at the reversing falls for a few days. I'd set out that morning to find a place to hike a little inland from the coast where the fall colors were in their full splendor (it's mainly pines right along the coast). I set out with the best of intentions of getting in some good exercise for the day but I soon found myself growing lazier by the minute as I cruised along some unnamed blacktop road; admiring the scenery and basking in the warmth of the bright sun streaming through the windows.

I came to a spot where 2 rutted tracks turned off towards a river (so the map said). I wasn't ready to relinquish my ambition just yet so I turned off knowing I'd find some sort of trail at the end of it. The road, and I use that term loosely, turned out to be about 4 inches narrower then my house and pretty rough in spots. I took it slow and wove my way around stumps and rocks as the trees and bushes scraped along the side of the house. After about a mile I reached a spot where a stream crossed the road. It was a deep rut that was full of rocks and there was no way I'd ever make it across. I put the house in reverse and backed up a couple hundred feet until I got someplace I could park.

I planned to just keep hiking down the “road” so I started getting some gear ready. Though as I sat there in the warm sun, which made for the perfect temperature inside the house, I began to lose my ambition. A Prairie Home Comapanion was just starting on NPR and I told myself I'd just listen to the first few minutes before I went out for a hike. 1 1/2 hours later I finally pried myself loose from the house and into the great outdoors. I went light on gear, just taking one camera and one small lens with a small water container clipped to my belt loop.

It was a perfect fall day except that it was a little breezy. The trees were exploding with color, the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was in the low 60's. I set off walking down the road and started soaking up the scenery. There was a nice mix of pines, birch, maples, and I don't know what else that make for excellent contrasts of colors and textures. The birch of course with their bright yellow fall leaves and bright white, peeling trunks. The maples were all blazing reds and the pines were of course nice, deep greens. Other trees and shrubs did a good job of filling in all the colors in between.

Although the leaves were still clinging to the trees pretty good some couldn't resist the strong wind that was blowing. With every gust a few would come flittering to the ground. One though I noticed somehow managed to go the opposite way. While all his comrades had a nearly straight, short fall to the ground this one somehow managed to catch the air currents just right and rose above the trees. I saw it about 20 feet over the top of the peaks, seeming to just hang in place. It began to fall back towards the ground until another gust of wind came through and instead of knocking it down picked it up and carried it even higher and farther into the forest. It was still gaining altitude before it was blocked from my site by the trees.

As I was looking up I heard the familiar honking of geese heading south. I looked and found the large flock, much higher up then I usually see them and very disjointed. The couldn't seem to agree what angle the “V” should be at and just who should be where. The first half dozen had it all figured out and the ones pulling up the rear seemed to be in position, but the ones in the middle just couldn't get it together. There were many geese in the middle of the “V” and the same ones kept flying from one side and then back to the other, not knowing which side to join. As they did this they slowed up everyone to the rear and let the head of the flock begin to pull away. This made the screw ups in the middle the new leaders and it didn't seem to be going well. They bickered and honked but couldn't seem to work it out. As they got farther away the whole flocked looked like a long piece of string blowing and undulating in the breeze before they were out of site. I hope they figured it out or it would be a long flight south.

I followed the “road” for a while before turning off on a trail I thought would lead to the river. The trail soon turned into nothing bigger then a game trail but it was still easy enough to follow. As I got closer to the river the forest turned into nearly 100% pine trees, which were all very small and grew incredibly close together. The area must have been clear cut before and these small pines were shooting up so they could help provide for the nations need for wood in another 2o years or so.

All the trees were the same size and grew incredibly close together. A couple times I got off the trail and it was very difficult to wind my way though the trees they were so dense. They blocked out all the light from reaching the ground so that there was no undergrowth at all except for a mushroom here or there and some moss growing in spots.

There were a few small openings in the woods which I assume were caused by a large old tree or stump that had been left behind and had since fallen down. As you walk through the woods you'd occasionally catch a glimpse of small, green patches a little ways off the trail. These really stood out in contrast to the black soil that was apparent everywhere else. I fought my way back into one of these to see just what it was.

When I got to it I found it was only about 10 feet across and incredibly moist and green with moss. As I walked through one of the openings I stepped on some of the moss and was amazed at how soft it was and how far my foot sunk. I found a small, sharp stick and poked it down through the moss. Looking at the moss I could tell it was covering something. I could see the undulations and variations in texture where whatever it was covering changed height. I poked the stick down into the moss and found it went down about 1o inches before hitting anything solid. I was amazed that it could be that thick! I pulled the moss back on one edge and found it was feeding off of a large old tree trunk that had been sitting there for who knows how many decades. There was no sign of the stump/trunk left, the moss had it completely covered in a dense blanket.

Apparently there used to be very large areas like that in the Olympic National Forest in Washington, even as late as the 1950's. Unfortunately once that area (Hall of Mosses) was discovered and opened up to tourism the moss, for the most part, all died below about 6 feet off the ground. I'd love to be able to see what these forests where like before people came in and clear cut them into oblivion. It must have been an awe inspiring site.

The rest of my hike went very well and I did manage to make it to the river. I was hoping it would open up near the shore but unfortunately the trees were just as dense there and after following a nearly non-existant trail down the bank a little ways I turned back to head back to the house. I left the windows up on the house when I left and it was nice and toasty warm inside when I got back. I contemplated taking a nap but instead headed back down the 2 rutted lanes back to the road. I continued a little farther inland and got to see some more of the Maine countryside. It's much like northern Minnesota if northern Minnesota had hills.

They actually call them mountains out here in Maine and I'm sure they're right if you look up the actual definition of a mountain. But when I think of mountains I think of the Rockies or the Cascades; and these ain't them. Still though, they made for some pretty scenery. From the top of one of these mountains you could seemingly see forever through the crisp fall air and all you see are blazing trees, beautiful blue lakes, and more tree covered solitary mountains on the horizon.

It had been a perfect day and exactly what I was hoping it would be like as I visited the Maine coast. It was just after dark when I pulled back into the Reversing Falls park. I drove down to the waters edge to watch the rushing water in the last fading light. I was in a great mood but as soon as I pulled into my camping area that mood was immediately erased.

To be continued-

Don't you hate it when someone leaves you hanging?

Mainelining - Part II

If you missed part 1 you can check it out here

So if you haven't already done a Google search on it you're probably wondering just what exactly the reversing falls are. Well, just sit right back and I'll tell you.

For starters I think “reversing falls” is a bit of a misnomer. While it really is an impressive site it's more like a series of standing waves rather then actual “falls”. It's caused by the constantly changing current as the tide goes in and out. You see, the east coast (at least up there) isn't really like the west coast where it's pretty much just a straight line. The down east Maine coast is very crooked and jagged with lots of bays and inlets. Couple that with the very rocky terrain and you get lots of little islands, cliffs, points, and narrows in these inlets.

Now when you throw the tides into the mix you've got a heck of a lot of water being forced through some pretty narrow passage ways. You see, the tides up here are pretty massive. When I was in the PNW a pretty good tide change had a difference of about 8 feet between high and low tide, many places were less then that. But around the Pembroke and Eastport area the difference between high and low tide is about 20 feet. That means if you were standing on the edge of a cliff at high tide and the water was lapping at your toes then at low tide the water would be 20 feet below you. So you can imagine how much water must be flowing during the tide changes.

What actually causes the reversing falls is a narrow channel between two points of rocky land that the water is forced to flow through, making for some hellacious current. At high tide, just below the surface are a few submerged islands and bars. When the water really starts to whip through the channel these underwater islands really disrupt the current and cause some big rapids and standing waves (reversing falls). As the tide gets lower these islands eventually poke their heads above water where they get to soak up the sun for a few hours before being submerged again. The whole process makes it look like a totally different place at high and low tides.

The moving water is nearly constant 24 hours a day too; it's like camping next to a rushing river, the roar is constantly in the background. As the tide comes in or out it gradually builds up speed until it's a rushing torrent with rapids, eddies, small whirlpools and huge boils of water thrust up from underwater rocks and cliffs. Then as the inlet begins to fill up/empty the water begins to gradually slow down until all of a sudden you notice it's quiet for the first time in hours and the water is still. It gets very peaceful and you can hear the lobster boats in the distance. You can hear the sea gulls chatting away on the newly uncovered islands and you can hear the seals flopping around and forcefully expelling air through their nostrils. You just sit on the jagged rocks and it's like looking out onto a peaceful lake. You see a bald eagle soaring above the trees and you hear the little squirrels and chipmunks scurrying around in the woods behind you.

This lasts for about 10 minutes before you start to notice the water swirling the other way. It gradually starts to pick up speed and before you know it there's a raging river in front of you again. The cormorants and seals don't seem to be bothered by it at all. You see the seals floating along through the ugliest looking currents just as calm as can be. They stick their heads under water like they're looking for fish and then dive out of site, only to reappear a few seconds later 500 feet away. As you watch them you wish that you could be as comfortable in the water as they are and then you wonder if they think the same thing as they watch you walk about on the land. It's mesmerizing to sit on the rocks and watch the water sweep by as you watch the waterscape change right before your eyes. You know that the rock you're sitting on, 10 feet above the water line, will be submerged in just a couple of hours.

That's about all their is to see at the Reversing Falls park. It's a really nice place to check out though. It's not a park like you'd normally think of. There are a few camping sites but they're just spots people have built a fire ring next to a flat place to park or pitch a tent. There are no interpretive signs, paved roads, or any little things to entertain the kiddies. You just pull into the small gravel parking lot and walk around.

There is however a nice trail that winds through the woods and follows the shoreline. It's not really long but it leads you out to a couple small, rocky points for a different view of the area and also leads you past a couple of wrecked boats along the shoreline. I can remember walking this trail a couple years ago when I was out here. It amazed me at the time, it was the first time I'd ever really walked through a pine forest. I couldn't believe how moist everything seemed to be and how soft the ground was with pine needles. The pine trees were really dense and they all had this moss growing on them.

While I still think it's a nice little trail it doesn't seem so impressive or new anymore. Hiking in the rain forest at Olympic National Park takes some of the edge off many hikes in the woods now. Still, it's a nice trail and I walked it more then a few times on my stay. Most people don't take the time to walk the trail so when a few people are crowded around the parking area all it takes is a short 10 minute walk and you're all by yourself on a little rock out cropping.

There must have been a homestead on the place once upon a time. In one corner of the park stands a small, roped off cemetery with a few headstones in it. They're all very old and a couple have been vandalized. All that's left of one appears to be the base while another looks like it's been shot at a time or two and broken off and then propped back up. A couple of them have a few fake flowers around them that are who knows how old. I wonder if they were actually placed there by family or if someone just thought it would look nicer. They're old and ratty looking enough now that they make it look a little creepy.

Another clue that there was a homestead is all the apple trees in the area. All of them are now neglected and look pretty poorly. They were fully of apples while I was there and many had already fallen on the ground. I thought of trying some but most didn't look too appealing. Some of the trees are in nice lines out in the open but others seem to have been swallowed up by the forest and are somehow managing to still survive. It's odd to be walking through the dense woods and suddenly see a few apples hanging from a limb. The trees in the woods are poor, spindly looking things. The small pines have grown in so thick it's very difficult even to walk around; I can't imaging the small apples trees get much sun, they don't stand a chance.

Just a little ways into the woods you also find what looks to be the remains of a short, stone wall. I looked around for any signs of old foundations from a house or barn but didn't see anything. I thought I had for a while but the more I looked I think it just may have been a large outcropping of rocks; though it did look like it would make a great corner to a foundation. While walking back into the woods a little bit I did run across an old fire ring that didn't look like it had been used in years. I'm sure it wasn't left over the from homestead but it was a sign that where I was wasn't quite so overgrown at one time.

It was just a small circle of rocks, all of which were now nearly covered by the earth with just the top half of them sticking out. The whole thing was covered with many layers of pine needles and there were a couple small pines growing up from the center of the ring. There was one small piece of wood left from the last fire the ring had seen. It was black on the top from being burned but it didn't have that burned look to it anymore. It had been weathered enough that it just looked like someone had painted part of it black, it was the same texture as the rest of the wood. I picked it up and found there was hardly anything left of it. It was nearly rotted away and weighed next to nothing. It was a lot more charred underneath. Lots of bugs and mold had made their homes under it and were none too happy with me for picking up their house. I set it back down in the same place I'd picked it up. I looked around the campsite for some sign of it's previous use but found nothing other then a cigarette butt. I don't know if it's from someone that had a fire there or just someone that dropped one while walking through. I did do a little research and found it takes a long time for a cigarette butt to break down. The general consensus seems to be from 2-25 years depending on conditions.

For the most part the reversing falls is a really nice place to hang out. Few people come back to check it out and most don't stay very long. The whole area, while not exactly remote, is pretty rural. The towns are very small with nothing but a convenience store if you're lucky. Most of the towns don't have anything resembling a downtown; the houses seem to be spread out a little more. I always thought the coast line would have lots of big, fancy houses along it but I found that's not the case, at least not up here. The shoreline is mostly just forest and most of the houses you do see along the coast are very modest, definitely a pleasant surprise.

Yes, a good place indeed to spend a week or so just relaxing.

To be continued-again

If you'd like to see some pictures showing the difference between high and low tides you can check out this Flickr set