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"He who rides and keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly."
-- Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods, 1853
Welcome to my Guide to Maine, very much a four seasons state. Although Henry David's three visits to Maine were to inland Maine, the mountain and lakes regions, the majority of visitors these days follow Route One, the coastal route, and miss over ninety percent of this beautiful state.
If I do anything with these discourses, I hope it is to introduce you, the reader, to the Maine that many travelers do not know. That includes coastal towns with walkable downtowns, inland lakes favored by locals, walks and hikes in impossibly beautiful areas and, a favorite of mine, specialty railroad runs.
Getting to Maine
Unfortunately, the car is king in Maine, as there is little public transit. The typical routes into the state are Interstate 95 and Route One to coastal Maine, and Route 2 to Western Maine. Maine is bordered on the west by New Hampshire, on the northwest and north by Quebec and on the east by New Brunswick.
A visitor could also fly into Maine, either to the Portland Jetport and Bangor International Airport. There are very comfortable Concord Trailways buses, which travel from Boston's Logan Airport, and Boston's South Station (the bus and Amtrak terminus), to various points in Maine. (1-888-741-8686, or their website for schedules and fares).
A wonderful development in Maine transportation is the imminent return of passenger rail to Maine. Although railroads were prevalent in Maine from the mid-1800's on, and a key factor in the popularity of Maine as a visitor destination, the advent of auto travel put an end to Maine's passenger rail system.
However, Amtrak will be returning to Maine, most likely in early 2001. There will be a line going from Boston to Portland, Maine, with a number of stops in New Hampshire and Southern Maine.
Even more exciting, is that there are plans to extend that line up to Rockland, most likely in mid- 2002, and link it to numerous ferries traveling to Downeast Maine, the Maine islands and the Canadian Maritimes. I will keep you informed.
Telephone
The area code for the whole state of Maine is 207.
About the Author
Lynne Williams, a resident of the Rockland area, is an attorney and writer. She travels extensively throughout the United States and Canada, most often by "alternatives to airplanes", including trains, ships, riverboats, ferries, kayaks and snowshoes.
She has also published a small, twenty-two page guide to train travel, available online. This booklet does not include destination or route information, but rather is designed to give the traveler nuts and bolts information and advice about planning and enjoying a long distance train trip in the US or Canada. Some of the chapters are: The Timetable,
Classes of Travel, Overnight on the Train, What to Take and How to Carry It, Traveling with Children, Travelers with Special Needs, Discounts and Refunds, and What to Do on a Four Hour Layover (in nine different cities).
The guide is available at www.selfhelpguides.com under the category of Train Travel, and costs $4.50.
You can contact her by email at LWILL@earthlink.net.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.
