Day 29: Megalopolis

Megalopolis (short for "Mega Metropolis") is a term first used around 1960 by a French geographer, Jean Gottmann, to describe the heavily populated northeastern seaboard of the U.S. Sometimes the region is referred to as BosWash or BosNyWash, since it extends from just north of Boston, MA to just south of Washington, DC, with New York City near the center. Though it only covers about 2% of America's land area, it is home to about 20% of Americans, and is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. I drove through part of it today, and it would seem that most of the residents of the region were on the road with me! Driving along I-495 west of Boston this afternoon (during rush hour, as usual) it was nearly bumper-to-bumper traffic in all three (sometimes up to five) lanes, although there wasn't a lot of slowing. For someone like me who prefers wilderness and solitude, it was definitely not the highlight of the trip.

The region, however, contains plenty of forests, farms, and rural areas and is definitely not all urban. The rural areas are quite densely populated themselves, though, with driveways spaced about 100 feet apart along even the more remote highways I traveled today in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I only drove 272 miles today (4,889 miles total now; I somehow miscalculated and have been off by 103 miles for awhile), yet passed through parts of five states: ME, NH, MA, RI, and CT. I started at the very northern end of Megalopolis this morning (just north of Portland, ME), and am near the center now. Tomorrow I'll venture further south into NY and PA.

It's even spelled correctly! This is a scenic park near Freeport, ME on Casco Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

The island is a protected osprey nesting area.

The main store in Freeport, Maine.

Freeport is quite the tourist trap. A tour bus full of senior citizens was offloading in front of L.L. Bean while I was there.

The green curry with chicken and brown rice was very good -- and gluten free.

Milford, MA.

Milford Youth Center.

Note the date of incorporation: 1727.

Day 28: Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory

Beautiful fall weather again today, with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. I reluctantly left Eden and took Highway 1 south. My main goal was to visit Fort Knox State Historic Site near the town of Bucksport, especially the observatory there. I love high viewpoints, since they are the best way to see the lay of the land.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge spans the Penobscot River, Maine's longest river. The bridge opened in 2007, replacing an older bridge that was in disrepair. The bridge observatory is 42 stories (420 feet) above the river, and is the tallest bridge observatory in the world and also the tallest occupied structure in the state of Maine. A quick elevator ride up and then a short walk up two more flights of stairs is rewarded with impressive views of Penobscot River and Bay and the surrounding hills and low mountains.

I expected that to be the highlight of my day, but I was simply amazed at the architecture and engineering of Fort Knox, named after Henry Knox, the first U.S. Secretary of War (the other, more well-know Fort Knox in Kentucky is also named after him). I spent just over half an hour at the observatory, but over two hours at the fort exploring its tunnels, cannons, and overall layout. The fort was built to repel British attacks on the area. During the American Revolution and the War of 1812, British ships sailed up the Penobscot River, seizing control of the river and surrounding areas. To prevent this from happening again, according to a brochure from the park, in 1844 the U.S. Department of War and its Corps of Engineers began building Fort Knox, which was situated to be able to guard the narrow channel through which all ships had to pass when traveling upriver. (Geographers call this a choke point, which is a strategic area such as a mountain pass or narrow waterway that can be easily defended.) Construction continued for 25 years. Troops were only stationed there twice (briefly), during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The 74 cannons never had to be used, though, since no enemy ships ever came up the river.

I traveled a total of 135 slow miles on Highway 1 through various small and scenic coastal towns that were bustling with Sunday afternoon tourists and traffic. I've now logged 4,514 miles on this journey.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge

View of Penobscot Bay and Bucksport, ME from Penobscot Narrows Bridge Oservatory.

Looking toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Panorama of the bay (with some reflection off the glass windows). Fort Knox is on the point at left.

Some fall colors.

Main entrance to Fort Knox.

10 inch Rodman cannon.

View atop the fort toward the town and bay.

Lincolnville Beach, one of the few sandy beaches on the northern Maine coast.

Bed and breakfast across the highway from the beach.