Northeast

Maine is our home, and Allison and I have lived in northern New England for many years.  We enjoy coastal Maine's varied seasons and ready access to many cultural and outdoor activities.  We also like to visit Vermont, where we met, and I frequently hike and climb in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Our journey to America's corners started here and included many different trips in the region, highlighted by a visit to America's easternmost point at West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine.

For the first leg of our journey, we selected a destination which was truly out of the box: the Saint John River Valley in Aroostook County, Maine.  This is the very northern tip of Maine, and the northernmost point in the northeastern United States.  We visited in late January during a cold snap - some of the coldest days of the year in a very cold region - so we experienced temperatures well below zero.  But if you think that Allison was less than enthusiastic about the idea, think again!  She embraced the spirit of our journey: seeing America in different and unexpected ways.

While in Aroostook County, we skied and snowshoed at the Maine Winter Sports Center's world class biathlon facilities in Forth Kent, Maine.  We also visited the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge and Bigrock Mountain in Mars Hill, Maine.  And we explored other towns and cities in the area including Ashland, Madawaska, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton.  Details of this trip to Aroostook County can be found in some of our posts from late January.

After beginning our journey in Maine, we also ended our journey here with a trip to West Quoddy Head.  This is real downeast Maine, and I made the trip on our 27' powerboat FISHCAKE.  What better way to finish our journey in adventurous and unorthodox style?

Jay on FISHCAKE

In addition to visiting Aroostook County and West Quoddy Head, we also took a variety of other trips in New England.  For example, during the winter I did some winter climbing on Mount Washington and elsewhere in New Hampshire's Presidential Range.  And we hosted family members for a weekend of snowshoeing and other winter activities in Vermont during February.  Please join us as we explore the hidden corners of New England and the northeast!