The Moose and the Whale

The two weeks I spent in Maine were busy – basically we covered the entire state of Maine and did every summer activity imaginable. As soon as I stepped off the plane, content and unsuspecting after a lunch of clam chowder and crab cakes, Natasha put me to work at her job. And for those of you who’ve never been to Maine, those of you from the south who understand how air conditioning is as basic a need as water – most businesses and homes up there don’t have AC. Or if they do, it’s a whiny little window unit that is about as effective as cooling your house by leaving the fridge door open. So we suffered, a little, but totally worth it since Natasha is endlessly fun and entertaining.

Aside from that little glitch of being unreasonably hot every day, Maine is gorgeous. There were hikes – the first one outside a cute little harbor town called Camden. That hike ended when we got drenched in a sudden downpour, sliding and scooting our soggy asses back downhill, all the while keeping an eye out for this group of little girls on a summer camp hike that were behind us. They got back down safely, making us determined not to complain.

Two days were spent in Bar Harbor and Acadia, simply the most gorgeous place in Maine. The coast has rocky cliffs and lush green trees, the air is fresh, and there are lobster boats and yachts nestled next to each other in the water. The hike Natasha took me on, called The Beehive, ended up giving me a bit of a fright. Naïve and trusting, once we got up there and I pulled myself up on the first set of iron rungs on the ledges of cliffs, I knew I needed to do more research next time. It was one of those hikes that once you get started, there is really no way back and you just have to keep moving forward. Glad I was to finish that one! But we made up for it with delicious meals at Café This Way and a posh hotel.

The second day in Bar Harbor was for whale watching, and we saw two humpback whales. You have to really bundle up for this trip, as it gets bitter cold and damp out at sea (plus don’t forget the Dramamine). But when those two humpback whales surfaced next to the boat, hearing their gentle breath and knowing that most people will never get this close to such an amazing creature – it was incredible. I love them. They come up several times, with 4 – 6 minutes between each breath, before finally diving deep, letting you watch their tail slide under. It was astonishing how gorgeous these creatures are.

We also made a stop at the Great Maine Lumberjack Show. It was cheezy but decent, watching log rolling and tree climbing. Plus, fans of Survivor would be interested to know it was hosted by Timber Tina. Word is she was the first person voted off in a recent season. I liked her; she was enthusiastic about Maine and about training women to compete in lumberjack sports. Plus, when Natasha and I walked in, she gave us an appraising look-over like she was thinking now those two I could make lumberjacks out of.

We spent one day in Freeport taking kayaking lessons. The kayaking is nice and all, but very gear intensive. After you put on the borrowed wet suit (still damp from the previous day’s wearer, and smelling of a stray animal), the wool socks, neoprene shoes, life vest, kayaking skirt, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and bug spray, then you have to haul the kayak and paddle and other necessities out to the water. There is a lot of preparation before you even get in the water, and even though I’m glad I tried it, it is not the sport for me. I’d rather just go for a swim or a walk, but I guess I’m a simpleton that way. Freeport has great shopping, though, so I’ll go back for that next time.

One other thing we were determined to accomplish was to see a moose. To do this, we had heard the one of the best places was Baxter State Park. This park is where the Appalachian Trail ends, at Mt. Katahdin (which Natasha intends to climb at some point in her residency there). So we did yet another day trip there, and took peanut butter sandwiches and clementines for a hike around a lake. As we sat there noshing and realizing that the beautiful location made it the finest lunch ever, a moose came out of the woods on the opposite side. We watched her quietly for about half an hour, making it yet another amazing wild animal encounter. Afterwards, we discussed how that moose reminded us of the show Northern Exposure and how Sally loves Fleishman. Awesome.

The people in Maine are much more reserved than what I’m used to. You can’t just go up to strangers in the grocery store and talk to them like you do in the south. But then again, they do sell bottles of liquor in grocery stores. And if you buy a six-pack of beer (which they have many excellent regional varieties), you can mix and match whatever bottles you want. Delightful! Create your own sampler. They also have a licorice flavored soda called Moxie, and Humpty Dumpty potato chips.

Bangor has this look and feel about it that when I visit, I sometimes look around expecting the kids from The Goonies to be riding by on their bicycles. Then there is Stephen King, who lives there and based the fictional town of Derry, Maine from his book It on Bangor. In fact, across the street from Natasha’s house sits the Standpipe. Literally – you look out her bedroom window and the Standpipe is her neighbor. That is where Pennywise the clown did some evil stuff. You can actually walk to Stephen King’s house from where she lives too, and he has iron gates on his property that are shaped like spider webs. Oh yes, spooky.