Driving the US-1 through Maine

For years I have wanted to drive the US-1. It "runs" from the Maine border with Canada to Florida but, like Route 66, for example, has now been usurped by stretches of other routes. So it's not a simple matter of getting on at one point and having a relatively straight forward run like with a modern interstate (e.g., the 95).

This summer, with a day or so up our sleeves we thought to pick up the US-1 in Maine and follow the coastal route up to Calais, and cross into Canada at St Stephens by that route. To maximise anticipated enjoyment of the 1 we rode the Maine Pike to exit 52 and hopped onto the 1 near to Freeport.

We were not disappointed, except by the weather after arriving at Ellsworth. It was an exploratory ride, just to get a sense of the road and how to make more of a meal of it on subsequent occasions. We took in the gentrified historical elegance of Freeport with a slow pass through the town, but decided to make Bath the look around spot. It was a good choice. We spent a couple of hours walking the streets taking plenty of pix, before heading off east. We made notes along the way, and will spend plenty of time on subsequent trips exploring towns like Camden, Rockford, Bucksport, and some of the small coastal settlements east of Ellsworth.

Meanwhile, here are some pix of Bath and the spectacular bridge and memorial plaque at the Penobscot Narrows.

Well top and new gardens on the coffee land

The past few months of work on the coffee land have mainly involved trying to get a few small flower gardens started and, of course, upgrading the well. Here are a few pictures taken in June that give a sense of where things are. The flower gardens are still pretty sparse, but they will be filled in gradually, in conjunction with laying some turf. The wall surrounding the well will eventually be plastered and painted to give the area there some colour.

It all takes *so* much time, and often it is hard not to feel discouraged at the snail pace of "progress". Mucho trabajo, pero poca diferencia.