Has anyone here ever been to the state of Maine?
Yes, Limestone for a festival.
what were your thoughts on the place?
The terrain was plain Jane but the people were real nice. Lots of potatos apparently.
I live in MA for a long time and made my way up there more than a few times. I thought it was a nice place to visit.
I live in Maine. Edit - More specifically the town of Freedom.
I’ve been to Maine many times. Quite a few parts of the state. Even worked there a bit. I can even fake a coastal Maine accent. Coastal Maine and the deep interior are two vastly different worlds. Well, so long as there is a difference between a lobsterman and a lumberjack. Did you know that 1% of the State of Maine speaks French as its first language? (You’ll understand them better than the lobstermen and islanders) What did you want to know specificaly?
I have a friend who lives in Bangor. She said the islanders all look alike…and it’s not good.
Yes, Kennebunc area, last time I spent serious time there I was a bit inland doing charity work building walkways in a nature park area/swamp. The state is beautiful, the water is too cold to swim well into July (unless you are trying to walk/run on water). That and they have biting insects there that carry off babies at dusk! Ken
I live in the UK, but visited Maine (Bar Harbor) for a week in 1995 when I did a tour of New England. I really liked the place - the coastal scenery was lovely, and in parts reminded me of Pembrokeshire and Cornwall here. Also the people were friendlier than in other parts of New England. Cheap lobster and great clam chowder too. Didn’t visit the interior though - apparently it is mostly forested and owned by logging companies.
I lived there for a year and a half. You need to have a car and be comfortable with driving long distances to get anywhere. I lived in Biddeford, which is one of the larger cities in the state. It still shut down before 9PM on Saturday evenings. Portland is a nice place to live, the rest of Maine I say is a nicer vacation spot than a place to live long term. There’s nothing to do quite often, unless you seriously love your hiking and outdoor activities and don’t mind doing them in subzero temperatures for half the year. Seriously, I spent most of the winter between '08-'09 at subzero temperatures plus a wind chill, and I was only in southern Maine. Edit: One thing Maine has going for it is some great microbrews. Stop in the Gritty’s brew pub in either Biddeford or Portland, and check out some Shipyard beers if you’re up there. Probably the best thing Maine has going for it.
Sea Dog Blue Paw, great stuff.
Ah. Well, I’ve been planning a week long canoe trip in Maine and in fact I’ve always wanted to go and have never had the chance. I was just curious as to what the place and people were like.
Like deliverance but with hip waders and Canadian accents.
rdunnion, I was at all three of those festivals. They were 10 miles from my home at the time. Middle.of.nowhere. Anyway, nice to see Maine represented here. I grew up there and moved from “The County” when I was 17, living in southern Maine til I was 29. Great place to be from, but not much going on if you’re not in the Old Port on a saturday night.
Also, Jack are you planning to canoe the Kennebec? There’s some good whitewater rafting to be done too. My uncle was a guide for a long time.
Jack, I went canoe camping for two weeks there when I was a Boy Scout. I had a fantastic time. Lake Matagammon, Baxter State Park, Allagash Waterway, Penobscott rivers, Shinn Pond, there is lots more. That’s really the best way to see the backcountry. If you’re an experienced camper and half decent canoer, you will have a good time. Lots of biting insects so be prepared. Also be mindful of bears. Give yourself more than 1 week if you can afford it.
Well, I was thinking like the St. Croix or the Allagash and yes, I wanted to make it as long as possible. hire a quide and all that.
Yes, we had a guide, a ranger, the whole way. He was excellent. He worked for the scout base up there. He taught us a lot, but of course he was tailored to Boy Scouts.
saucy_jack wrote: Ah. Well, I’ve been planning a week long canoe trip in Maine and in fact I’ve always wanted to go and have never had the chance. I was thinking like the St. Croix or the Allagash and yes, I wanted to make it as long as possible. Make sure that you have plenty of insect repellent specifically formulated to prevent tick bites as well. Deer ticks have been active for months in my area and they’ll be much worse up country. zonesix wrote: Great place to be from. I couldn’t agree more. There’s some good whitewater rafting to be done too. Three Rivers at one time offered among other things a Kennebec run that was amazing.
cstokes4 wrote:
Sea Dog Blue Paw, great stuff.
Bar Harbor True Blue isn’t bad either. They both make for a refreshing lawn mower brew in my opinion.