I'm finally catching up on my blog again after a couple of busy days (nothing new!) as well as very slow internet. I'm connected via MiFi, since the WiFi is so slow where I'm staying. [By the way, purchasing a JetPack from Verizon was one of the smartest investments I made for this trip. It's been a huge time saver when the motel internet is slow, which is quite often. As long as I have a 4G phone connection, I always have blazing fast internet with it. I just have to be careful not to exceed my data limit, so I use it only when necessary. End of commercial plug.]
Thursday I departed from Gorham, NH to venture farther east. The day started off very foggy and cool (about 39 degrees F at 8:30 a.m.). I quickly entered Maine, and took some photos of steam fog rising from the Androscoggin River just past the town of Bethel. Soon after, I reached Historic Rumford Falls. By then the fog had lifted. I could see the steam rising from local paper mills nearby, and was intrigued by the hydroelectric projects on the river.
Continuing eastward, I stopped for a lunch break at Oosoola Park and Playground next to the Kennebec River in Norridgewock. The air was calm, the place tranquil, and the river like glass. The reflection of the fall colors on the water was transfixing. By then the air temperature had warmed to a pleasant 60 degrees, so I took some time to relax on a park bench by the river, enjoying the peaceful setting (and the break from highway traffic).
I passed from mountain mixed forests to lower elevation hardwood forests and farmlands (dominated by corn, hay, and dairy cattle) in the rolling hills near Farmington. The air was noticeably warmer and more humid, typical of the humid continental climate in the northeastern U.S. At day's end I found a motel near Bar Harbor, near the entrance to Acadia National Park. 193 miles traveled today, 4,329 miles for the trip.
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| Steam fog rising from Androscoggin River. |
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| At Rumford, ME. The story is that Paul Bunyan was born in Maine, but the east coast was too small for Paul, so he moved to Minnesota. |
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| Lower Rumford Falls in its unnatural state. |
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| The upper falls is visible in the distance at the right of the panorama. Dry here, it only flows when water levels are high and/or little water is passing through the hydroelectric project. |
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| Androscoggin River at Oosoola Park in Norridgewock, ME. |
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| Ellsworth, ME. I was tempted, but didn't buy anything. I didn't have room on my roof rack for a kayak. |
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| In some small town I passed through. |
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