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Published: February 3rd 2007
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Cool Pic from Fort Knox
A neat pic of Searstown, Maine from Fort Knox. Got up and headed for the computer to determine where I would be staying that night. Nova actually helped me search for Hostels. After about an hour of searching I found a Hostel in Harvard, Massachusetts. It was far enough away from Boston that I wasn’t afraid of having to deal with that chaos again. It felt good to know where I would be staying that night. I then set up my gps mapping program and headed to Tapley’s for breakfast. In getting back from breakfast I spoke with Nova for awhile and organized my stuff for the umpteenth time on this trip. It’s hard to stay organized especially for me as I am not organized to begin with. It was already getting close to noon before I was packed up and on the road again. I decided to stop and get some postcards to send out. At the post office the lady said the wind chill was a -15 deg. This reinforced my thoughts that it is time to head for more southerly latitudes. By the time I got the 15 or so post cards sent out it was noon. I stopped at a gas station for a soda and
Down East
Down East which is actually Northeast of most people in the US. doughnut. I asked about gas prices and the attendant said they had fallen over night. This made me happy as gas expenses are high. I drove past the island again amazed at how the tide covers the pathway to Bar Island. I decided to go the more scenic way since my Hostel was only 5 hours away. This took me past Fort Knox and a newly constructed bridge. I still was wanting seafood so around 2:00 I stopped at a diner called “ Just Barbs” for some scallops. They were ok, but not something I will be ordering again for the money. Maybe it was just the way they prepared them or maybe it is just what I personally like, but I wasn’t too crazy about these. I got back on the road and it seemed like the trip just drug on. I was amazed at how people play up the things that are most common in that area of the country. For example in Bar Harbor and the surrounding area Lobster is King and everything is named after lobsters or has a picture of a lobster. Also the word down east is seen a lot. Cadillac Mountain the highest
Lumberjack
Most things are closed in January so stuff like this was not an option. I bet it would be cool to see! point on the island is seen everywhere. Not a big fan of marketing people as I see them as trying to fool people into buying things. During my stay in Bar Harbor a lot of the shops were closed for the season. I was lucky to get to do as much as I did because normally it is bitterly cold and snow covered this time of year.
As I drove down the interstate I noticed New Hampshire having a state liquor/ lottery store. Then right across the highway was a state wine store. Jason had said that new Hampshire has no sales tax on purchased goods. I guess they have to make their money on sales of liquor, wine and lottery. Why not just assess a sales tax and not go into business selling these other goods. Somewhere along the line they are going to get their money that’s for sure. I got off the highway in one location of New Hampshire to buy gas. I had to pay an additional $0.60 to get back on the highway. What a rip off. A few miles down the road I noticed a state food/gas/rest plaza. The gas prices there were
Fort Knox
Not the one you know. This on is in Searsport, Maine. $0.20 higher than where I had stopped. I was money ahead paying the toll to get back on highway. I complained to the attendant at the next toll plaza as they were getting spaced very close together. He said buddy you are in a different state now as I was in Vermont. I was a little frustrated about all these stops as the money wasn’t a big expense, but the time stopping added up.
I arrived at the Hostel around 7:30. Friendly Crossways is way off the beaten path. It is also used for weddings and banquets. It is an old barn, at least the portion the hostellers stay in, according to Dave the maintenance man. I told him it looks like he has plenty to keep him busy. The place exudes character that’s for sure. They do not even lock the door when I asked, as often Hostels lock their doors. I unpacked and headed out to meet some locals. I spoke with a local man and his girlfriend or wife and he said he has always wanted to do what I am doing. He wants to do it on his motorcycle however. He talked a lot about
traveling and said I have inspired him to take a trip as well. He said he has 3 kids. He is in his 50’s I would estimate, so his kids could be grown by now. Got back to the hostel around 11:00. Did a little Hostel research, but couldn’t find the one that fitted my needs and decided to go to bed again not knowing where I will be staying the next night.
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