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| July 13-20, 2005 - Trip to Maine (Part 1 of 5) | ||
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The 'Shadow Lady' and I went to Maine, mostly to introduce the woman of my dreams to my Mom, but also to show her where I grew up and maybe give her an idea of why I'm the person I am... Getting There | Visiting with the Fam | Driving Around | Boston | FENWAY!!! |
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| Part 1: Getting There, Around Biddeford/Saco | ||
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We did the "Red-Eye" flight to Manchester, New Hampshire... When we got to
the airport, there was more space than we knew what to do with -- I
guess not too many people fly at night. Just as we were getting to security, we realized we had forgotten a small Leatherman Squirt in a pocket, put there for use on our recent hike at Mt St Helens... we used a "Send it Home" box (it actually made it!), and went through security without any mishap, and in no time, we were taking the shuttle to the "S" gates... |
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Our flight was delayed, so my hopes at seeing Mt Rainier at Sunset were
dashed, but the view of the city lights when taking off was pretty cool. It wasn't long before we were asleep. It must have been a smooth flight, because before too long, we were landing in Detroit. Detroit's airport is quite long, but they have a tram running the length of it... there's also a really cool fountain in the main terminal area that's quite impressive... |
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After an hour or so of delays had passed, we finally took off... and
promptly fell asleep, and it short order, the plane was banking into
Manchester. We had arrived in New England. The highlight of the airport was a 19th Century Fire Engine that was steam operated, and was pulled to the fire by a horse team... it was quite impressive!
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From Manchester, we rented a Subaru Outback, and drove to Biddeford. The drive was quite nice, with no real traffic problems at all. Before too long, we were in Maine... One odd thing... they renumbered the exits along the Turnpike... Biddeford's exit was 4 for as long as I can remember, but now its Exit 33. |
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We got a couple of rooms at the Sea Cliff House, which is Old Orchard
Beach... it was pretty nice, but my room sort of had a 'pot' smell to it
that was pretty disgusting. Nice view, though... we had pretty good weather, except it was VERY muggy! Being from Seattle, we're not used to the 90+ temperatures, with 75% humidity! It was pretty brutal. The rooms both had AC, though, so at least sleeping was nice! |
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Driving to Biddeford from the Hotel was a treat... it was good to see the
old stomping grounds again! We swung through where I grew up, and
by Gordon and Fairfield Schools. Gordon is an adult learning
center, now, but Fairfield still serves as an elementary school. I did notice that Saco has a new Police Station... a very modern one, too! Their old one was in the City Hall building, where it had been since the 1850's, so they were due for an upgrade, I would think! The Saco Firebarn looked about the same as it did when I was a kid... |
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Biddeford hasn't changed much. The Pepperell Mill Buildings are the same, and the downtown still looks about the same... | |
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It was Hot, but it was good to be back. Its familiar, but its also
different than what I've become used to, so its quite interesting to see
things again from a different point of view. The ocean smells different than it does here, and the seafood is MUCH different... the clams were FANTASTIC as always! And, of course, we got to meet with family, which is, after all, the primary reason for the visit... |
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Getting There | Visiting with the Fam | Driving Around | Boston | FENWAY!!! |
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