Maine & Me ideas

Since we've moved to Maine, we've been living fairly close to the bone and haven't had a lot of opportunity to explore our new state. In an attempt to curb the pulsating wanderlust I feel every time I look out the window, I started picking up books from the local library (free! - there isn't even a late fee) that cover Maine. My mother actually recommended Maine & Me by Elizabeth Peavey because she thought the sorts of insane adventures Elizabeth frequently found herself thrust into were precisely the things I would do.

Please don't tell my mother this, but she was right.

Some notable things that I intend to do as soon as I get the chance:

Hiking Monhegan Island - Now, I'm not really a hiker but I have been known to climb a rock or two in search of stunning views. Monhegan is a summer home to rusticators and artists which might make it worth avoiding but the island's trails promise perilous ledges and a place called Lobster Cove which plays heavily in The Secret Life of Lobsters.

An Audubon Adventure - Truth be told, I wanted to do one of the Hog Island residential sessions as Elizabeth did in her book but I discovered, when looking for it, that all programs will be suspended there for 2009 while they revamp everything. I did, however, discover a moonlight snowshoeing adventure in January that looks exciting so I suppose there is certainly more to do through the Maine Audubon Society than I expected. Or I can feed my inner octogenarian and do one of a variety of bird identification workshops.

High Stakes Bingo - I never had a honeymoon when I got married but I think in some parallel universe playing high stakes bingo at the Sockalexis Bingo Palace for a weekend would have been the trip I always wanted. I have a perverse love of kitsch, of tacky, of that slice of Americana from whence neon signs, beehive hairdo's, and sharkskin pants come. My heart leaps at the thought of playing bingo in a smoke-filled casino all day with RV enthusiasts and smoking pensioners.

Moose Safari - When it comes to animals that make me go all squidgy and squeal like a toddler, moose rank fairly high on the list (behind tubeworms, squid, jellyfish, octopus and lobsters, of course). Every time I travel a back road in NH or Maine in Autumn, I pant in anticipation at seeing a moose. Nothing would make me happier than to be waylaid by one such stubborn, immovable beast. Wouldn't you know it that you can pay someone to aid you in your every moose-encountering desire? Elizabeth used Dan Legere to float over pond to her moose-sighting.

Learn To Be An Archaeologist - There is still a part of me that regrets giving up archaeology as a major in college, principles be damned. For everyone who loves Indiana Jones or ever dreamed of unearthing some long-lost meaningful something, the Popham Colony will allow you to pay them so that you can pretend for a week or two in September. Their website is woefully out of date so I'm not entirely sure it is still a viable opportunity but, as next fall approaches, I'll be digging a little deeper (all puns intended!) in order to find out.

Bioluminescent Night Paddle! - This is the one that makes me clap my hands and jump up and down. I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for winter to be over so I can take this 2 hour night time kayaking tour of Castine Harbor where paddlers get to view dinoflagellates (WITH THEIR VERY OWN EYES! - can you hear me clapping?).

South Solon Meetinghouse - Not far from Skowhegan, an area that is home to a summer art program I hope to apply to this year or next, is a meetinghouse (so called because such buildings were used for just about every form of community gathering you can imagine) that is completely covered in frescoes. The fact that Skowhegan teaches fresco technique as part of its curriculum is no doubt at the root of this simultaneously strange and magnificent treasure.

Pittston Farm and Other Things to Do While in the North Woods - Apparently, Pittston Farm is THE place to eat in the North Woods. The North Woods is an enormous part of Maine that is largely uninhabited. One cannot really imagine what "largely uninhabited" means unless they have traveled through or lived in places like North Dakota or Utah. Or the North Woods. The roads are maintained since the area has been used for logging but that doesn't mean that it is a flat and unremarkable wasteland. Far from it, as I understand it from reading Elizabeth's book, and Pittston Farm is one of a few gathering points for visitors to the area who go there for snowmobiling, hunting, fishing or just to enjoy the great untouched outdoors. I'll admit, the North Woods scares me just a little bit but, from reading their website, they're going green so I suppose I can face my fears to support not only a local institution but an ecologically responsible one, at that. Other suggestions from M&M is the Ambajejus Boom House on Ambajejus Lake, R
aymond's Country Store in North Carry, and hiking Mt. Kineo on Moosehead Lake.

A Weekend at the Rangeley Inn - Alright, so what I said about the North Woods actually applies to most of Maine. Rangeley, which is near the NH and Canadian borders, is equally remote. The Inn, however, is 100% cushy lodge and looks like it would make for a relaxing weekend get away. While up that way, I can make a visit over to Louise Dickinson Rich's historic home on Carry Road.

And, FINALLY, Mackworth Island - Located a stone's throw from Portland is the island home of the Baxter School for the Deaf. Mackworth has a short (1.25 mile) trail around its outskirts but what makes me want to visit, apart from the fact that it makes for a very easy exploratory trip, is the Percival Baxter Pet Cemetery. The Cemetery is the home to Mr. Baxter's beloved pets and its upkeep was a contingency of the gifting of the island to the state of Maine. As a lover of animals, particularly her own, I feel compelled to pay homage to someone who so loved his furry companions that he would make a permanent home for them.