Maine

Appalachian Trail, Red Sox, Fried Clams & Craft Beer

I made a short trip to my home state of Maine this past August to visit some family and to get out of the Nevada heat. I flew into Boston just in time to drop my bag at my Back Bay neighborhood B&B and hustle over to Fenway Park for a Boston Red Sox game.

I grew up going to Red Sox games before my family moved to Florida, so it was really cool to come back again. My B&B was the Oasis Guest House, a basic accomodation that was perfect for one night.

I collected my rental car and started the 3 hour drive to Livermore, ME. As I have been known to do, I decided to “brewery” myself to my destination. First stop; Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, NH. In 2016, this was one of the sites of Amy Jo Lake’s infamous “Forgotten Return Trip to Florida.” You’ll have to ask her about that. I was disappointed to find that the kitchen was not open, so it was on to my next stop, Birchwood Brewing in Gray, ME. Good beer, lots of locals and don’t miss the wings with blueberry BBQ sauce. The last stop before my final destination was Nonesuch River Brewing in Poland, ME.

Great location with an upstairs bar and patio overlooking the lake. Good beer, too!

My sister and I hiked up Bald Mountain, a short but steep hike near our hometown. It offers great views of the surrounding area as well as a healthy blueberry crop in season. Unfortunately, we were a bit late as the blueberries were largely picked over.

I also was able to visit alot of extended family during the week.

One of the visits involved The Red Barn in Augusta, ME.

This is the place to go for whole belly fried clams. Please don’t talk to me about clam strips. I can batter and fry rubber bands for alot less money. You need the guts in there for flavor.

I took a trip upcountry to Monson, ME, the gateway to the 100 Mile Wilderness on the Appalachian Trail. I hiked several miles in past a few ponds and enjoyed hearing the loons calling. I also had the honor of being passed like I was standing still by a thru hiker older than me whom I saw smoking a cigarette in the parking lot.

Whenever I’m in Maine, I will hike Tumbledown Mountain. With all the traveling I have done, it’s still my favorite place in the world. A rocky ascent to a glacial alpine pond nestled between two peaks.

I took one last hike on the Appalachian Trail near Rangeley, ME, descending from Height of The Land southbound, overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake.

The descent was quite steep as was the subsequent ascent up Bemis Mountain.

Unfortunately, aFib decided that I would have a short hike this day and a particularly miserable ascent out. On the brighter side, I did see some trail magic nailed to a tree along the way.

Stay tuned for more regarding the AT!