The mosquitoes weren't so bad in the morning. The air was cool and crisp again and I packed up easily. It was a traveling day. These are the days I like the most; moving from one town to the next, taking pictures, and discovering places and people from the perspective of the street.
Though I had been to these towns in Maine perhaps hundreds of times, it was always driving through, or stopping briefly to walk around a couple of blocks. The radius projecting outward from a parking space at which the drivers and riders will allow themselves to be pedestrians is usually a very short one. It was no different for me back them. In Maine during the summer, you are happy to just get to a town on Route 1. Your are fortunate to find a parking space that is relatively near the sites you want to see, and there is no way in hell you would walk too far away from the car, then go all the way back and drive to another parking space just to explore more. It is an exercise in compromise. You try to see as much as you can, but then, depending on the time, the traffic, the distance you have from the car, etc., you end up sacrificing the true experience of the town you've come to see.
For me, now, I get to be like a local. In order to go anywhere, I must pass by everything, slowly, seeing it all. Nothing separates me from the town I'm in. And, when I sleep in one of its peaceful woodsy areas, I really am like a temporary resident--a feeling I don't get from staying in a hotel. I watch the sunrise, the sunset, the moon cycles each month; all coming and going in the same sky-bound directions that a local resident sees every day.
Those residents too, the people who work at the businesses or libraries I use, usually recognize me by the second day. Even if it is only for a short time, we are a community. That is an experience unavailable to the the drive-through tourist. It is also something I never even knew was possible until I started these Modern Nomadic Journeys.
I went back to McDonald's and repeated the iced coffee ritual, getting two more posts up and finally catching up completely. This was a great feeling. Combined with the rudimentary plan I'd published the day before, my current and questionable physical state was temporarily forgotten. By about 3:00 pm, I stowed the tablet, checked the SD card (which was still working), and headed out and up Route 1 for the four mile walk to the downtown section of Wiscasset. I knew I could "get there from here."
I'd seen this place (Island Teak) a few times but got a better view as I passed by it...
This was great a mini catch with two different sail arrangements and an adjustable centerboard.
A dugout canoe.
Loved this gnarly teak furniture! Reminded me of the furniture at Livermore Steve's.
Next, was a place (North of the Border) that used to sell mostly pottery and now sells lobster traps and other things, with some cement lawn ornaments thrown in for good measure.
Moving right along, I saw these small classic buildings at Maine Heritage Village, right next to Judy's Country Store...
I really liked the old red schoolhouse.
A little further up, I had to smile as Big Al's came into view. On his commercials you could always tell that he was a transplant from "away," because he pronounced the location of his store as being on "Rowt 1." Along with the replacement of "pop" for soda, most people west of the Mississippi River use these pronunciations and words. It is something I got used to and whenever I was in Rome (as it were), I walked the rowts and drank the pop...
It was a winding hilly road into Wiscasset proper...
Used to be a retail pottery shed. Would make a nice tiny house.
While some other Mainers might dispute this slogan, it really is a pretty village,
despite the solid line of out of state cars bottlenecking through it.
These wonderful large houses are representative of truly historic Maine architecture.
This place is for sale! Wonder how much?
As I wound my way along Route 1, I noticed something I'd never seen while driving through. It was called the Sunken Garden, a 100 year old donation from the Sortwell family to the town for public use and enjoyment. I went into the small park area and sat at a picnic table. Out of curiosity, I pulled out the tablet and checked for Wi-Fi. There was a strong and fast, free signal! If you're ever downtown here, stop into the park, sit in the shade and have lunch, while saving yourself some internet data plan costs. Fearing I might lose the pictures above, I immediately transferred, processed and uploaded them to the blog.
The garden is maintained by volunteers, and rests in an old foundation.
I was quite hungry again and had not eaten since the day before. I knew there was a little famous food stand called, Red's Eats, but also assumed it was packed with tourists and expensive, but was worth investigating if for no other reason, simply getting a classic picture of it. So I ventured on down to the waterfront...
This is an absolutely perfect example of a true Federalist three story home. Wow!
Yep, I was right about Red's Eats, and a lobster roll was, get this, $23.00!
I considered going to Sarah's Cafe, but it was also expensive, and I would have had to leave a tip.
Undeterred, I continued down the the waterfront. I wanted to spend less than $10, and had forgotten about Sprague's. Definitely was worth investigating...
Their prices for lobster were better but still out of my budget range. I settled for two cheese dogs and a small fry--just under $7...
Nice view. At least the seagulls agreed...
No internet down there. But I did download and process the pictures I'd just taken, to be on the safe side. Then I left to find a sleep spot about three miles away on Route 27...
Neat multifaceted farm.
Sheepies!
Bees!
About a mile and a half out was a solar field. Great to see these developments in Maine...
I finally made it to the place I'd seen on Google Earth. I climbed up into the woods. It was a cleaner area than I'd had the night before, not as rough. But the mosquitoes were worse. I did the quick setup and then climbed in the tent. The surface underneath was much softer and I fell asleep quickly, resting more soundly and making up for the sleep I'd missed.
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