Monson, ME to Baxter State Park

Summer 2006 Trip

Wednesday, September 21

I catch the earliest flight out of Charlotte this morning to Bangor, connecting through Philadelphia. Gordon and Mary are waiting for me at the airport when I arrive. I slip into the seat next to Mary before she sees me. She almost doesn’t recognize me without the beard. She seems delighted to see me today, and of course, I am delighted to see them. Apparently my pack didn’t make the connection in Philadelphia, even with the two-hour layover, because it doesn’t come up on the luggage carousel. Checking at the counter, I find out my pack will be on the next flight in three hours. Déjà vu all over again.

Gordon and Mary decide to take me to lunch in downtown Bangor. They drive me by Stephen King’s home in Bangor. I love the wrought iron fencing around his home. It is a beautiful day so we spend the next couple of hours eating lunch and touring Bangor. We park downtown and have lunch at one of Mary’s favorite places.

After lunch we walk down to a sporting goods store and browse for a while. I buy a fuel canister for my stove before we head back out to the airport. My pack comes in on the next flight as promised, and we drive the hour back to their camp on Sebec Lake. It is a beautiful, but cool, breezy afternoon at the lake.

Thursday, August 30

Sebec Lake, Maine

Gordon has a doctor’s appointment down in Waterville today. I tag along and we spend much of the morning catching up on things. We have lunch in Waterville at a chicken place downtown, Then I buy some water shoes at the hardware store across the street. I know I will have a few streams to ford in the 100-Mile Wilderness so the shoes should come in handy.

We take a late afternoon boat ride on Sebec Lake. Although the wind has fallen and the temperature is a little warmer this afternoon, I still have my fleece pulled tight. It is a lot cooler here in Maine than it is in North Carolina. We get back from the boat ride in time to get ready for dinner. We are dining at the Guilford Bed and Breakfast this evening. This is the last Thursday evening dinner of the season. The owners have recently sold their Bed and Breakfast and tonight is a special evening of saying goodbye to all of their friends and customers who’ve helped make them successful over the years.

The dinner is wonderful…just the thing before I begin eating noodles for a week.