~*~ New England Short Bus Tour ~*~

~*~ New England Short Bus Tour ‘07 ~*~

“Fabulously Retarded”

Date: June 8 – June 17, 2007

Disclaimer: We are not politically correct and we never claimed to be. This was indeed a short bus tour, organized by Julie the Cruise Director, and carried out by none other than Mr. & Mrs. Topo. We rode the short bus, shared a helmet, licked windows and kissed blazes throughout New England. MT meets the Northeast. It was a special trip.

There were a few things that led up to this trip, which do not need to be told at this point in time. Suffice to say, it was meant to be. Brad (of Banff Buttkicker fame…the one and only Alpha Male) decided to come out to New England to bag some peaks in his quest to summit the high points of each state. I took a week off from work to play tour guide and chauffeur. Julie the Cruise Director assisted in organizing the trip and provided us with a file with our directions, itinerary and reservation information for all accommodations along the way. She also managed to pull together a decent play list with some favorite songs to make the time pass by quicker. Turns out, we didn’t really need it.

It was decided that he would fly into Portland, ME and then out of Albany, NY to maximize his time in the New England states. We were to start with Katahdin, on to Mt. Washington, Camel’s Hump, Mt. Mansfield, and then Mt. Marcy. There would be a lot of hiking, driving and laughing.

I picked Brad up at the Portland Jetport in Maine late Friday night and we spent the night in Portland before going to my family’s cottage the next morning. Saturday and Sunday were spent helping my grandmother clear out some brush on the property where a storm had brought down nearly every tree. In return, we had our fresh lobster that I had been yapping about since he booked the tickets. You see…I had a guy from MT who had never had a fresh lobster. Ever. I was amused at the thought of watching him trying to figure out how to eat it. He did great though, and I think he might have even liked it a little bit. I know he liked the clam dip that my grandmother made because he wouldn’t leave the table where it was sitting. So, naturally, my grandmother offered to mail him not only the recipe, but the clams to make it with as well. I guess she kind of like him a little bit.

Saturday evening we drove into Freeport to hit the Patagonia outlet, The Northface outlet and LL Bean. How could the LL Bean models not stop by the store for a guest appearance? Somehow we managed to get out of town with only purchasing 2 pairs of socks. I don’t really know how that happened. On the way back, we hit the SeaDog to test out the local micro-brew. It was fun for me to be able to show Brad around and introduce him not only to a new state, but a new part of the country. First time in New England deserves a whirlwind tour of the best that we have to offer. After a couple of drinks, we headed back to the cottage to crash for the night. I had set up my tent in the sunken garden…it’s my favorite place to sleep because in the morning, you wake up with the ocean at your front door. Something I knew a Midwestern boy had never experienced.

Sunday morning we washed some windows, installed a screen in the upstairs window, hung up the iron sign holder on a tree and moved some big logs out of the way so she could get around the back of the cottage. I had felt bad about working while we were there because I really wanted to show Brad a good time in Maine and he was spending the first few days of vacation doing work! He didn’t complain…not once…and I think he really didn’t mind. After doing some chores around the cottage, we spent some time walking around on the rocks, walking around the point and searching the tidal pool for treasures. I tried to convince him to go for a swim…since he hadn’t ever been in the Atlantic. The most he would do though was to wade the pools. That’s okay – I think he’ll be back sometime.

We didn’t find much more than crabs and hermit crabs, but it was still a great day to be outside and be exploring. We set out for Millinocket around 1pm, loaded up with lobster rolls and goodies from my grandmother (which he found amusing because I think we got exactly what I told him we would get). After stopping at the grocery store for a couple of things, we hit the road and headed north towards Baxter State Park. The drive went by fast since we sang, laughed and talked the entire way. Thankfully, Julie’s directions were good.

Around 5:30pm, we pulled into Millinocket and found Katahdin Cabins where we would be staying for the night. What we saw was a very pregnant woman mowing the lawn while 2 kids ran around playing and screaming. She stopped mowing long enough to call to her husband, who was holding down the couch inside, to get us our keys. And once again…we were in #8 cabin. Just like Banff! Skip brought us a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies which went well with the beer we had. We played a little bit of whiffle ball, relaxed and got our gear ready for the big hike in the morning. Dinner was at the Appalachian Trail Café in downtown Millinocket where we feasted on pasta to fuel up.

Katahdin Cabins are a great place to stay…very inexpensive, very convenient, friendly and homey. Each cabin is equipped with a tv, microwave, refrigerator and shower. We used the fridge for the beer and the shower…but that’s about it. I would definitely stay there again and would recommend it to anyone that is traveling to Millinocket for any reason.

Early night back at the cabin, our plan was to get up at 5am so we could be on the trail by 7am, wanting to beat the crowds into the park. Katahdin…here we come.

What I Learned on the Short Bus

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