We are up early and ready to go by 6:00 a.m. We are also nearly as far north as we can go without heading into Canada, with Montreal a mere 45 miles away. This is Highway 2, and that bridge just in front of us crosses Lake Champlain and drops us into Vermont.
Route 2, down through a bunch of islands in Lake Champlain, had hints of being scenic, and so that was the road we traveled. In North Hero, we spotted the Hero’s Welcome General Store; not only was it aesthetically attractive they were serving breakfast: double win.
Not only is this Joe’s Pond, but it’s in Joe’s Pond, Vermont!
A rare covered footbridge over Joe’s Brook in West Danville, Vermont. It might not be that rare, but it is the first of its kind we’ve ever seen. This specimen was built in the vintage year of 1977, so while it may not be an antique it will forever be special to us as having the significance of being our first.
Fortunately, we were traveling with our hair nets for just such a situation, which was lucky in that it allowed us to visit the factory floor at Maple Grove Farms and Museum. Caroline has, on occasion, tried convincing me that I look better in just such a hat, but unless she can find me the exact same kind with an already integrated beard net (not a secondary device), I’m not going for it. The tour through this operation was AMAZING.
Caroline probably dreams about this sign as it is an all-time favorite that she’ll reference for years into the future. If it wasn’t for her, I’d probably never have known about the “jazz hands” meme.
Today, we are seeing all the states. Lunch was in Gorham, New Hampshire, as we had to do something on our drive across the state. We stopped at Saladino’s Italian Market for some spaghetti and got back on the road. Driving is about all we’ll do today, as Maine is calling. Crap, so is a VW dealer, as we just noticed one of our headlights is out.
Blue skies have arrived, and we are greeting it with smiles. I’ve probably said it a hundred other times, but it seems like every day we’ve ever traveled, we see at least some blue sky. This idyllic pond scene comes to you courtesy of Shelburne, New Hampshire, on Highway 2, about five miles from Maine.
And in just seconds, we went from New Hampshire to Maine. About 10 miles down the road, we pulled into Bethel, Maine, to find a pay phone and call VW roadside assistance; they told us to visit Augusta, Maine, and that we should make tracks before they closed. So we changed our plans and headed to Augusta. Okay, we don’t have any other plan than to get to the ocean so we can brag to everyone that we’ve seen America coast-to-coast; well, a tiny sliver of it.
After a couple of hours of driving in Maine, we are certain this is the state with the absolutely WORST roads outside of Afghanistan. We arrived in Augusta shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon and, not even 20 minutes later, were back on the road. An hour later, we were at the coast and ready to shop. In Belfast, we ran into the Purple Baboon, intent on leaving with the greatest souvenir we would collect on this trip because this was the place to do that; the Purple Baboon demanded it. There’s a literary reference here to William S. Burroughs, one of my favorite authors, that is triggering this fervor. Read Naked Lunch if you are interested. Dinner was at the Weathervane Seafood Restaurant, and while Caroline is a vegetarian, she couldn’t resist having shrimp, some amazing clam chowder, swordfish, and some fried smelts & haddock. Note: the Weathervane is now gone, and Nautilus Seafood & Grill is at the location.
Looking back at Belfast, Maine, after dinner on our way to Trenton, Maine. The first motel we spotted was the Acadia Sunrise Motel, with advertised rates of just $31 a night. We took it and it actually was just $31. We have no shame when it comes to saving money so we can go further and do more. Note: 18 years later, they list rooms starting at $59 a night 🙂
Update: Five years after that last update here in 2023, the rooms at the Acadia Sunrise Motel now start at $109 per night. How’s that for inflation?