moose bits
February 14, 2008In response to the last post, a very nice person named Shawn, who I don’t know, who must have stumbled across my little blog here, was kind enough to point out that beano is bingo. (Thank you, Shawn.)
I kind of think it might be fun to go play beano/bingo in Rockland. If it wasn’t cancelled. And if I knew where Rockland was.
But I will learn. The woman who rented me this apartment was kind enough to leave me a large Maine atlas before she left. One of these winter nights I am going to curl up with it and study the state. I’m pretty clear on the coast up through Camden, and I’m getting a very good marginally decent sense of Portland. But that’s kind of it.
Before I leave in June though I want to explore the un-touristy bits of Maine – the deep woods bits and the moose bits and the French speaking bits up near Canada. And the outlying islands bits. And the moose bits. I know I already said that part, but I really, really want to see a moose. So it’s worth saying twice. Did you know that moose have floppy upper lips? It’s true.
radiofreeanne.wordpress.com 
Once you head north on 26 out of Portland, you’ll discover the untouristy bits of Maine. Keep going thru Gray, stop in at Shaker Village, keep going into places with names like Paris and Norway. Maybe go sideways thru the Rangeley Lakes Region, head south to bring you around the north end of Sebago Lake (big or little, no matter), and then come back thru the Saco River Valley. That would be your first day trip. Make sure you gas up first. Bring some snacks and a blanket.
If you can find any books by Mary Louise Rich Dickinson, you’ll get a sense of what that area was like 70 years ago.
Day 2, head back out on 26, but take a right at Gray to follow 202 into Auburn. Follow the Androscoggin’s west bank towards Rumford, then east on 2 until you tire of driving. Find a motel. Now you are away from the touristas.
meow.
You are AWESOME. I will absolutely do this.
And I’ll also check out the Dickinson recommendation. :)
Your welcome. I fully realize what a weird little world Maine is, so I thought I’d drop by and clarify that it wasn’t antacid that had been cancelled.
Kraut’s directions will definitely take you off the grid in South/Western ME. I must admit, I’m still not that well travelled in this part of the state. I’m from much further north (Millinocket, at the foot of Mt Katahdin) and should you ever feel adventurous enough, could suggest a bunch of neat spots up that way to check out.
Most folks around here are loathe to go any further upstate than Lewiston and talk of Bangor like it’s Canada. If you think Portland and it’s environs are quaint and rural, this is a metropolis to the rest of the state. It’s completely different here than the rest of Maine. So, if you want to see some of the wilder areas of ME, let me know.
Also, you should go eat here and then tell us about it.
Thank you, Miranda – I really want to eat at Five Fifty-Five some time soon!
I recommend checking out Bath. It’s very picturesque and has a really good BBQ joint downtown (can’t remember what it’s called, but Google should be able to tell you). Brunswick has Bowdoin College and a very entertaining Arctic Museum memorializing the Peary expedition, in addition to a surprisingly nice art museum featuring a ton of Winslow Homer drawings. Bath and Brunswick are a 40-minute drive from Portland.
If you drive up towards Canada, it’ll go something like this:
Civilization, less civilization, lots of woods, moose, moose, international border … whoa, strip clubs and farms!