Prelude and Fugue

Today, Allison and I take the first step of what we hope to be one of the most memorable and worthwhile journeys of our life together.  We will be traveling to Soldier Pond, south of Fort Kent in Aroostook County at Maine's northernmost extremity, and from there will tour Aroostook County visiting attractions such as the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent, and Bigrock Ski Area in Mars Hill.  We are handling some unexpected challenges to our plans with a positive, flexible attitude.  But after a week of momentous life events, we are ready to hit the road!

50th Birthday at Work 

The events leading up to this trip have left our minds spinning.  Last week I happily celebrated my 50th birthday, an occasion which is bound to lead to some self-examination.  Allison and I also finished our jobs.  As described elsewhere on America Out of the Box we have decided to use some of our newfound free time to undertake a series of trips to the corners of America.  Our trip to Aroostook County will be the first of those trips.

50 Candles

In the unorthodox spirit of America Out of the Box, we will be visiting Aroostook County during what is likely to be the coldest weather of the year.  We anticipate temperatures (absolute, not wind chill) of -20 fahrenheit or lower.  This morning our innkeeper called to warn us about the bone-chilling temperatures, and offer us the opportunity to delay our visit.  But Allison and I have timed our trip to Aroostook County to experience these extreme conditions, so the warning only heightened our resolve and excitement. 

Naturally, such weather creates some challenges for both people and vehicles.  My Toyota 4Runner is excellent in winter conditions and has been a model of reliability, so we had planned to take it for our trip.  I dutifully changed the oil, topped off the washer fluid with ice melter and added antifreeze to my radiator.  But then, when Allison and I took a quick trip to Bath yesterday, Murphy came along for the ride and switched on a few different and intriguing warning lights on my dashboard.  So the 4Runner is now at the dealer for diagnostics.  We are hopeful that we can still take it on our trip, but failing that Allison's all-wheel drive Mercedes should serve as a fine substitute.  So here I sit, waiting for a call from the Toyota dealer.  As soon as it comes, we will either pick up the 4Runner or else load up Allison's Mercedes, then the journey begins!

The prelude is finished, and the fugue is beginning.  You will know it has begun if you see a SPOT message sent from our home as we head out of the driveway.  Please come with us and see what out of the box treasures we can find in Aroostook County, Maine!