Maine Stay

Saturday, 17 October 2009

Road Trip Day 59

Where yesterday I saw the rugged interior of New England, today I saw the more famed crinkly coastline.

I still felt a bit rough when I woke, and still do now. Basically I have some kind of tummy upset which is giving me cramps and making me feel very tired. I'm improving but still feel washed out.

Model Villages

With my fatigued state in mind, I booked a hotel not very far from my start point and planned a simple route out to some of the landmark harbour towns, the first of which was the unspeakably pretty Rockport.

Beautiful clapboard buildings were the order of the day and Rockport was pleasantly quiet compared to neighbouring Camden. Apparently the two towns split in a dispute over a bridge between the two. Camden has more tourist draws, but Rockport retains tranquillity.

Long View

The weather reports show that I am surrounded by bad weather, with snow north, west and south of Maine. However, here in Vacationland (as the Maine licence plates say) it was bright, sunny and not too cold.

This meant that I got a fantastic view from the summit at Camden Hills State Park. I surprisingly hefty fee allowed me to drive up to the viewing tower at the top of the park where I found an extraordinary view of the coast and islands.

Go West

Camden in Maine will be the farthest point east that I go on my trip and from here I followed the picturesque Highway 1 along the coast through more stunning little towns.

At Rockland, I had to take a break though and pulled into a quiet side street for a safety related sleep.

A brief nap did the trick and meant I could make the final leg to my overnight stay here in Brunswick.

I hope to feel even better tomorrow and an early night will help.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 59 in a larger map

Stats - Day Eighty-Five

Distance travelled - 138 miles - Lewiston to Brunswick, ME via pretty villages and crinkly coast.

State count - 37 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8, 255, 428, 209, "Spare", 105, 207, 227, 126, 112, 4, 16, 229, 115

*room switch