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 | Maine Warnings or Dangers | Tips 1 - 10 of 39 |  |
It REALLY blankets the coast. As mentioned in my must see activity on Acadia, we tried to go the park in bad weather. Make plans to go there for a few days at least because if you're trying to escape the remnants of a hurricane, chances are it will catch up with you at some point. And even more likely, there will be some fog of cloud cover when you're trying to see this wonderful place. It was a great way to see the Park, actually. We got to focus on things close up at first because we couldn't see 10 feet ahead of us and also got an idea of the things we wanted to come back to see later. Also, we had driven by a few spots where we were like "wow, what's so great about this?" and then later, we had no question what made the place special. Leave a Comment
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Caribou, Maine. I've always wanted to go here. I don't know why...perhaps because it's the town farther north than any other on the US east coast. There aren't any big cities close to it...it's just so out of the way and isolated all tucked up in the NE corner of Maine. We were both very excited about going here, so there was no argument about it whatsoever. It does take a LONG time as there are no interstates that go here, just US Rt. 1 and ME rt 11 to ME 163. Even if I had looked on the internet and found nothing great about it, I would have wanted to go...I would have just thought it was a great secret or something. Not so. Caribou SUCKED.
When we finally got up there, I drove all around the town looking for something cool and there wasn't anything. I couldn't even find a cool bar or a restaurant that served beer. I'm sure they are around, but I don't know where--certainly not their chamber of commerce website or advertised anywhere. Finally we did find a restaurant and I grabbed a local guide they always have in such places. It included real estate and I was amazed at how cheap everything was. They have 5 bedroom houses--lakefront--for $50,000. Maybe here in rural PA you can find an apartment for that much but even trailers in most cases cost more.
I had a vision of Caribou and if I worked for the town, I would try to make it happen. It could be the Alaska of the lower 48. There's wilderness surrounding it, lots of rivers and lakes, supposed moose, (Caribou?), mountains...it could be a cute little town for people who wanted to get away or for eco tourism. Instead, it's more like a town with no image of its own. Plain brick faced buidlings, churches that look like they were constructed in a hurry sometime in the 1970s and houses from the same era. The only outdoor events we saw posted for the county (Aroostook County) were for trapping and hunting. Oh well, at least we can say we've been there and probably won't go back. Leave a Comment
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An ever-constant danger in most of Maine are the large numbers of Moose that roam through the vast forests and across many of the highways. The problem is more acute in the autumn months when they are really on the move and darkness falls early as winter approaches. These are large animals, very dark in colour and they can suddenly trot up out of the woods and ditches directly into your path. I had a 'wake-up' experience a few years ago on Interstate-95 just a few miles from the New Brunswick border, south of Houlton, Maine. A buddy and I had been on a course in Boston in mid-October and it ended on the Friday afternoon. We headed north, for the 7-hour drive home, thinking that we would stop in Bangor and finish the trip on Saturday morning. We ended up cruising along the straight and mostly empty highway in Maine at a good clip so we decided to keep on rolling. However, we had not counted on two Moose running out one behind the other! I hit the brakes and steered for the shoulder but I could see that we were not going to miss the hindquarters of the second Moose. Foot on the brake, hands on the steering wheel, I leaned sideways into the middle part of the front seat as we struck on the driver's corner of the car. The moose landed on the hood, hit the windshield and roof pillar in front of me and catapulted up and over the roof. When the smoke cleared, we looked at each other and realized that we were stopped and still alive and unhurt thanks to our seatbelts! Not so for the moose. It had ended up in the median of the highway, so we reported the mishap to the State Police via cellphone. Amazingly, our car was driveable, only the driver's side windshield had been ripped open from top to bottom with bits of glass all through the front of the car. We drove into Houlton, got some plastic and duct tape to place over the gap and continued on home! An interesting law in Maine is that, since you killed the Moose, you are offered the choice of taking it home if you wish. We declined. Leave a Comment
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A fact of life when visiting anywhere in the great northern woods of New England or the Maritime Provinces of Canada is that there are millions of mosquitos and blackflies out there looking for their next meal! They are at their worst during the early and peak summer months of May to July and really only calm down in September when temperatures drop a bit. During peak season, you will need to use insect repellent of some sort if you plan to do any camping or woods-related activities. In our case, my wife's brother was allergic to the insect bites when we visited Baxter State Park in 1977. After a day or two, he began to swell up and we had to seek medical help in the small village of Greenville beside Moosehead Lake. We were very impressed with the quality and speed of service - the antihistimines prescribed soon brought the situation under control. Leave a Comment
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Like all Maine islands Cliff has it's share of poison ivy...but unique is it's Brown Tail Moth infestation.
To some people this means nothing....but to the people who are senstive to their little tiny hair-like filaments that float in the air after they bust out of their cocoons, they mean lots of itching and rash like reactions.
I am personally allergic to them....so I itch and walk around covered with calamine lotion.
Just a note if you do go to Cliff and you do break out this is why. Keep towels and clothes off clothes lines. This helps. Leave a Comment
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Traffic coming and going into and from Maine is "horrific".
We always plan on driving into Maine during the Midweek, and also try to leave on Monday.
If that is possible with your vacation time, it will make things alot more enjoyable.
We have waited for periods of a hour just to get through the main toll gate or through New Hampshire where all routes emerge. And if there is an accident it can be hours extra.
Recently Maine has added an extra lane from Portland southward, but it is still a challenge. Leave a Comment
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If you decide to climb Katahdin, I would not recommend the Saddle Trail. If you do, be careful. I slipped and fell down some of the landslide in the photo. It was too steep to walk, and not solid enough to climb. All the rocks are loose and there really isn't a good way to go down. See Sports tips for more details.
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It is easy to pack on the pounds when in Maine. Between the fine food and great beers, it is likely your weight will increase so if in the Desert of Maine, heed the signs. I have not been under 75lbs in some time. Leave a Comment
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beware oversized praying mantis on the garden path at the Cry of the Loon. See south Casco page for more Cry of the Loon. Looks like this carnivore could have recently emptied the park bench of an unwary tourist Leave a Comment
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In Maine and most of New England, the weather is pretty unpredictable...
Snow in April is NOT that strange and don't be surprised if you get 82 degree weather in a couple of days. Leave a Comment
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